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Nar·bonne (när-bŏn', -bôn')  |
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Please expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in French Wikipedia. (December 2008) After translating, {{Translated|fr|Narbonne}} must be added to the talk page to ensure copyright compliance.Translation instructions · Translate via Google |
Coordinates: 43°11′01″N 3°00′15″E / 43.1836°N 3.0042°E
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Commune of Narbonne |
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| Location | |
  Narbonne
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Languedoc-Roussillon |
| Department | Aude (sous-préfecture) |
| Arrondissement | Narbonne |
| Canton | Chief town of 3 cantons |
| Intercommunality | Narbonne |
| Mayor | Jacques Bascou (Ps) (2008–2014) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 0–285 m (0–940 ft) |
| Land area1 | 172.96 km2 (66.78 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 46,510 (1999) |
| - Density | 269 /km2 (700 /sq mi) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 11262/ 11100 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Narbonne (Catalan and Occitan: Narbona, Latin: Narbo) is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon région. It lies 849 km (528 mi) from Paris in the Aude département, of which it is a sous-préfecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about 15 km (9.3 mi) from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It is marginally the largest commune in the Aude département, although the préfecture (capital) resides in the slightly smaller commune of Carcassonne.
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Narbonne is linked to the nearby Canal du Midi and the Aude River by the Canal de la Robine, which runs through the centre of town.
Narbonne was established in Gaul in 118 BC, as Colonia Narbo Martius. It was located on the Via Domitia, the first Roman road in Gaul, built at the time of the foundation of the colony, and connecting Italy to Spain. Geographically, Narbonne was therefore located at a very important crossroads because it was situated where the Via Domitia connected to the Via Aquitania, which led toward the Atlantic across Toulouse and Bordeaux. In addition, it was crossed by the Aude River. Surviving members of Julius Caesar's Legio X Equestris were given lands in the area that nowadays is know as Narbonne.
Politically, Narbonne gained importance as a competitor to Massalia (Marseille). Julius Caesar settled veterans from his 10th legion there and attempted to develop its port while Marseille was revolting against Roman control. Among the amenities of Narbonne, its rosemary-flower honey was famous among Romans.[1]
Later, the provincia of southern Gaul was named "Gallia Narbonensis", after the city, and Narbonne was made its capital. Seat of a powerful administration, the city enjoyed economic and architectural expansion.
It was subsequently the capital of the Visigothic province of Septimania. It was part of the Emirate of Cordoba until conquered by the Franks after which it became part of the Carolingian Viscounty of Narbonne. In the 12th century, the court of Ermengarde of Narbonne (reigned 1134 to 1192) presided over one of the cultural centers where the spirit of courtly love was developed.
In the 11th and 12th centuries, Narbonne was home to an important Jewish exegetical school, which played a pivotal role in the growth and development of the Zarphatic (Judæo-French) and Shuadit (Judæo-Provençal) languages. Jews had settled in Narbonne from about the 5th century, with a community that had risen to approximately 2000 in the 12th century. At this time, Narbonne was frequently mentioned in Talmudic works in connection with its scholars. One source, Abraham ibn Daud of Toledo, gives them an importance similar to the exilarchs of Babylon[2] In the 12th and 13th centuries, the community went through a series of ups and downs before settling into extended decline.
Narbonne itself fell into a slow decline in the 14th century, for a variety of reasons. One was due to a change in the course of the Aude River, which caused increased silting of the navigational access. The river, known as the Atax in ancient times, had always had two main courses which split close to Salelles; one fork going south through Narbonne and then to the sea close to the Clappe Massif, the other heading east to the etang at Vendres - close to the current mouth of the river well to the east of the city. The Romans had improved the navigability of the river by building a dam near Salelles and also by canalising the river as it passed through its marshy delta to the sea (then as now the canal was known as the Robine.) A major flood in 1320 swept the dam away. The Aude river had a long history of overflowing its banks. When it was a bustling port, the distance from the coast was approximately 5 to 10 kilometres - but at that time the access to the sea was deep enough when the river was in full spate which made communication between port and city unreliable. However, goods could easily be transported by land and in shallow barges from the ports (there were several - a main port and forward ports for larger vessels; indeed the navigability from the sea into the etang and then into the river had been a perennial problem!) More importantly perhaps, the changes to the long sea shore which resulted from the silting up of the series of graus or openings which were interspersed between the islands which made up the shoreline (St. Martin; St. Lucie) had a more serious impact than the change in course of the river. Other causes of decline were the plague and the raid of the Black Prince which caused much devastation but it is evident that the growth of other ports was also a factor. Evidence of Narbonne's sudden and dramatic change of fortunes is quite stark when one sees at the rear of the cathedral the enormously ambitious building programme frozen in time through lack of funds and decline in national political and ecclesiastical importance.
From the sixteenth century, anxious to maintain a link to important trade, the people of Narbonne began costly work to the vestiges of the Aude River's access to the sea — so that it would remain navigable to a limited draft vessel and also serve as a link with the Royal Canal. This major undertaking of works finished with the construction of the Canal de la Robine, which was finally linked with the Canal du Midi (then known as the Royal Canal) via the Canal de Jonction in 1776. In the 19th century, the canal system in the south of France came into competition with an expanding rail network, but kept some importance due to the flourishing wine trade.
Hence, despite its decline from Roman times, Narbonne managed to hold on to its vital but limited importance as a trading route, particularly in the more recent centuries.
They are based in Narbonne in Languedoc-Roussillon. They were founded in 1907. They play at Parc des Sports Et de l'Amitié (capacity 11,000). They wear orange and black.
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Copyrights:
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Narbonne". Read more |
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