General Notes

OCCU Viscount of NarbonneNarbonne,city, Aude dpartement, Languedoc-Roussillon rgion,southeastern France. It lies on a vine-growing plain 8 miles (13km) from the Mediterranean and east of
Carcassonne.Narbonne was the site of Narbo Martius (Narbo), the first colonyfounded by the Romans in Gaul (118 BC), from which the townderived its name. Then on the Mediterranean, it became
aflourishing port. In 413 it was seized by the Visigoths, wholater made it their capital. In 719 the Saracens captured thetown, occupying it until 759. During the Middle Ages, thesouthern part of
the town was ruled by the counts of Toulouse,while the northern part was under episcopal administration. Atthe beginning of the 16th century, Narbonne was united to theFrench crown.The Cathedral of
Saint-Just, begun in 1272 but never completed,has only a choir and two square towers. Built in the style ofthe cathedrals of northern France, the choir, which is ofexceptional height, has pleasingly
harmonious proportions. TheBasilica of Saint-Paul-Serge (mainly 12th and 13th centuries) isan interesting example of early Gothic architecture in the southof France. The three square towers of the
fortified Palais desArchevÅues date from the 13th and 14th centuries, but theGothic-style town hall was added to the palace only in the 19thcentury. The building now houses two museums with
collections ofpaintings, ceramics, and Roman artifacts.The Canal de la Robine, a branch of the Canal du Midi, runsthrough the city, separating the northern part historicallyknown as the Cit from
the Bourg to the south. The old town, nowsurrounded by boulevards, has picturesque, narrow, windingstreets. A major road and rail junction, Narbonne specializes inthe trade of Aude wines. A uranium
processing plant was builtjust outside the town in 1959. Other industries are mainlyconnected with wine production (fertilizers and agriculturalmachinery). Pop. (1990) 47,086.Copyright (c) 1996
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DATE 14 MAR 1999