Fontfroide

Narbonne

Narbonne’s status today is considerably reduced (it has even seen upstart Carcassonne take the title of official capital of the Aude department). However, it is still an important road and rail junction. ’Narbonne: Crossroads of Southern Europe’ is the hopeful slogan that greets you as you arrive from the west. The A61 and A9 motorways meet here, as do two main railway lines: one running south from Bordeaux and the other east-west along the Mediterranean coast from Italy through to Spain. Any stay in the Corbières is likely to include at least a visit to Narbonne, and there is much to enjoy here. Although it now has a slightly larger population than Carcassonne, it is less hectic and crowded, and both the coast and the Corbières themselves are easily accessible.

Narbonne

Detail of a Roman wall painting

History

The earliest settlement was the oppidum (a defended Iron Age village) at Montlaurès, about 4km north-west of the present city. Narbo Martius, the Roman colony, was founded in 118 BC. It soon became the wealthiest city in southern Gaul, and was nominated by the emperor Augustus as capital of a province stretching from Toulouse to Geneva: Gallia Narbonnensis. Even at this date, its extensive vineyards provided robust competition to those of Italy. In AD92, under pressure from Roman winemakers, the emperor Domitian instructed that half of the vineyards should be torn up. It may be that this was an early example of quality control: the vines removed would have been those growing on rich soil, more suitable for growing wheat than for wine.

The Visigoths too chose Narbonne as their capital after the invasion of AD410. They held it until the Arabs invaded Spain and then advanced over the Pyrenees to take Narbonne in AD719. But by AD759 the city had become part of the Frankish kingdom under Pépin the Short (father of Charlemagne).

After these turbulent times, Narbonne saw a second period of peace and prosperity in the 13th century. The great Gothic cathedral was begun in 1272 and work continued on and off until a lawsuit in 1347 put a stop to it. Part of the city wall needed to be demolished to make way for the enlarged nave, and the city council objected. The council was right: the 100 years’ war proved that the ramparts had not outlived their usefulness. The cathedral remains unfinished to this day. The Great Reredos, an amazing work of art which had been hidden for 250 years, was restored and put on display in March 2000.

By the late 14th century, Narbonne was a shadow of its former self. Severe flooding in 1320 caused the harbour to silt up, and the river Aude changed course so that the port of Narbonne became literally a backwater. The Plague of 1348, which ravaged the whole of Europe, and the hundred years’ war added to its troubles. Paul Riquet, the visionary architect of the Canal du Midi, attempted to revive Narbonne’s fortunes in the 17th century by constructing the Canal de la Robine to connect it to his great waterway. However his efforts were frustrated by hostile dignitaries from neighbouring towns, and the work was not completed until 1786. Now, thanks largely to the wine and tourist trades, the construction of the railway, and a certain amount of light industry, Narbonne is thriving again.

Shopping and entertainment

The centre of Narbonne, bisected by the flower-bordered Canal de la Robine, is an attractive place for shopping and sightseeing. Without a doubt the best place to head for is the 100-year old Halles (covered market) by the bank of the canal. This award-winning market is said to be one of the best in France and the crowds milling around the 80-plus stalls are testimony to this claim. Open from 6 am until 1 pm daily, the market is overflowing with local produce: glistening displays of fresh fish and seafood, piles of melons, peppers and tomatoes, all the many varieties of charcuterie (cooked meats). It is cosmopolitan as well though ... it’s one of the few places in the area with a good selection of non-local (and even non-French) cheeses, and there are also stalls selling Italian, Chinese, and Vietnamese delicacies. Can’t be bothered to cook? The traiteurs will sell you a freshly roasted chicken wrapped in a greaseproof bag, or a variety of freshly prepared cooked dishes. Or you can even buy a slab of steak at thre butcher’s and ask the staff of one of the market cafes to cook it for you.

Narbonne: Canal de la Robine

Looking along the canal to the Pont des Marchands

On Thursdays and Sundays there is also an open air market stretching along the canal bank near the Halles, with flower and clothes stalls, among others. The canal itself is lined with waterside cafés where you can refresh yourself in the shade of the plane trees.

There are plenty of restaurants in Narbonne, including Chinese-Vietnamese as well as the more usual French and Italian. We recommend the Michelin-starred Table de St Crescent for a memorable special-occasion meal, or les Cuisiniers Cavistes, near the market, for something more traditional. There is a multiplex cinema, near the Narbonne-Sud motorway exit, and a theatre on the Avenue Domitius out to the east.

If the weather is not up to expectations you can swim at the futuristic Espace de la Liberté. This gleaming glass-and-steel edifice was opened in 1989 to commemorate the bicentenary of the French revolution. It has an Olympic-sized indoor pool with waterslides, a smaller paddling pool for children, and an outdoor pool. You can ice-skate or play ten-pin bowling here, and recharge your batteries afterwards with a meal in the restaurant.

Narbonne

Marble sarcophagus: angels harvesting grapes

Sightseeing

There are virtually no Roman remains above ground, but there seems to be an endless supply of fragments. The Musée Archéologique is housed in the Archbishop’s Palace (restored by Viollet le Duc, architect of the rebuilt fortifications of Carcassonne). It has a large collection of statuary, pottery, and some beautiful examples of Roman wall paintings and mosaics from excavations in the city. Work in the main square, the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville, uncovered part of the Roman road, the Via Domitia, and this has been conserved and is now open to view. The Horreum, a Roman grain warehouse, now a labyrinth of subterranean passages, is the only extant Roman building. Worth a visit in itself, it contains more Roman stonework. There is yet another collection of fragments in the quite extraordinary Musée Lapidaire, on the other side of the canal. As a change from this, La Poudrerie (a 17th-century powder house) has been converted into a museum of winemaking. The Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, next door to the Archaeological Museum, has a collection which includes Dutch, Flemish and Italian paintings, and some 18th century French painted ceramics.

And there is the cathedral itself (or rather two-thirds of a cathedral), its 40m-high apse and choir making it the third tallest Gothic structure in France. You can climb the 251 steps of the north tower for a view over the rooftops of Narbonne; on a clear day you can see as far as the Pic du Canigou in the Pyrenees. The Cathedral treasury contains two fine Flemish tapestries of the early 16th century, and the restored reredos in the cathedral itself is not to be missed. The Basilique de St. Paul, the oldest Christian building in Gaul, is also worth a visit.

A pleasant and relaxing way to see the surrounding countryside is to take a cruise along the canal, either to the coast at Port-la-Nouvelle, or inland to Le Somail on the Canal du Midi. You can join a boat which leaves from the Pont des Marchands; originally a Roman bridge carrying the Via Domitia into the port, it is now lined with medieval buildings housing small shops. ’Self-drive’ boats can be hired on the Quai d’Alsace. Alternatively, you could take one of the quaint little trains which trundle along the single-track railway to Bize, in the Minervois to the north.

For more information, visit the tourist office in the Place Salengro, behind the cathedral (Tel. 04 68 65 15 60; fax 04 68 65 59 12), or the city web site.

Fontfroide Abbey

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Fontfroide Abbey

The Abbaye de Fontfroide was founded in 1145, on the site of an earlier Benedictine establishment, and became one of the most important and richest Cistercian abbeys in the south. One of its abbots became Pope Benedict XII in the 14th century. It also features as a footnote in the story of the Cathars: it was the murder of the papal legate Pierre Castelnau, a monk from Fontfroide, which provided the immediate pretext for the Albigensian Crusade. It is in a classic situation for a Benedictine abbey, tucked into a narrow, sheltered valley remote from the outside world and its concerns. It fell into decay as a result of the Plague of 1348, and was subsequently run by nobles who were given the courtesy title of Abbots without actually being monks. Evidently they decided that the plain monastic lifestyle was not entirely to their taste. They added various luxuries such as fireplaces, elaborate staircases, and marble pillars in the cloister, which make parts of the abbey look more like a château than an abbey.

A local family bought the ruins early in the 20th century and spent many years restoring it, initially entirely with their own money. The result is a very personal interpretation which, while it might shock architectural purists, provides some visually pleasing contrasts — for example the attractive iron gates decorated with vine leaves in the lay brothers’ refectory, and the brilliantly coloured 20th-century stained glass windows in the church. The massive church itself, with its 20-metre high roof, has the simple, clean lines so typical of Cistercian abbeys and is entered via a delightful 13th-century cloister. In the monks’ dormitory, there is a display of collages made from fragments of glass rescued from bombed churches in eastern France after the First World War. The owners are very proud of their large rose garden containing over 2,000 bushes, including some medieval varieties.

Note that visits are by guided tour only (one every 45 minutes), in French, but leaflets are available in other languages to help you along. Alternatively there are occasional concerts of Gregorian chant and similar music in the church in the summer. The abbey now also boasts a wine-tasting cellar, and a restaurant in the courtyard outside which is said to be excellent.