Monumental Narbonne Pass “The Sun Was About to Rise When I Got to Narbonne and I Spent Time Watching the Tall Tower Emerge in the Dawn Light
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MUSEUMS MONUMENTS THINGS TO SEE MONUMENTAL NARBONNE PASS “The sun was about to rise when I got to Narbonne and I spent time watching the tall tower emerge in the dawn light. WELCOME This town interests me”. TO Stendhal MONUMENTAL Like Stendhal in his travelogue, Memoirs of a Tourist, visitors cannot remain indifferent when they first set NARBONNE! eyes on Narbonne’s monumental architecture. A tour of the city’s stunning architectural heritage, which includes the Palais des Archevêques (Archbishops’ Palace) and the Cathédrale Saint-Just et Saint-Pasteur (Saint-Justus and Saint-Pastor Cathedral), as well as countless historic monuments hidden away in the heart of the old town, allows visitors the opportunity to dis- cover Narbonne and its history, down through the ages. No stay in the city is complete without a visit to the sumptuous art and archaeological collections housed in the prestigious setting of the Palace and to the Cathedral Treasury. The City of Narbonne, steeped in art and history, boasts an ambitious cultural policy. Its aim is to showcase the architecture and the city’s art and archaeological collections to the public through an exciting and informative range of educational workshops, guided tours, events and activities, conferences, concerts and festivals. Maître Didier Mouly, Mayor of Narbonne. Yves Penet, Deputy Mayor, Representative for culture and heritage. PALAIS DES ARCHEVÊQUES PALAIS NEW VIEUX PALACE ACCESS The former residence of the archbishops, ACCESS A visit to the Palais Neuf (New Palace), the Palais Vieux (Old Palace) is home to a built between the 14th and 17th centuries, Via the Palace number of remarkable attractions. Via the courtyard allows the public to discover the former apartments of the archbishops (built from courtyard Visitors can explore the old Chapelle de la Madeleine and the main Palace staircase (Madeleine chapel) with its 14th-century frescoes 1628 onward) and the magnificent art and the Romanesque room with its magnificent collections housed there. painted ceiling dating from the 13th century. Take a Admire the beautiful collection of 17th and 18th moment in the Madeleine courtyard to enjoy the century earthenware; paintings of European schools splendid views of the Théodard Bell Tower and from the 16th to the 19th century; furniture and a the apse of the Cathédrale Saint-Just et Saint-Pasteur large collection of oriental paintings presented in an (Saint-Justus and Saint-Pastor Cathedral). exotic and original setting. The sumptuous exhibition spaces and their decor are worth a visit alone: the The rooms of the Palais Vieux (Old Palace) currently Hearing Room dating from 1634—don’t forget to look house the prehistoric and protohistoric archaeological up at the painted ceiling!—the King’s Room (1633), collections from antique and medieval times. the Grand Gallery (1851), and the Archbishops’ > The Palace is included in an ambitious renovation dining room (18th century), decorated with stucco campaign, the aim of which is to upgrade the mouldings inspired by nature and hunting. museum and to reorganize its layout and collections of prehistoric and medieval archaeology and art in order to meet the expectations of today’s visitors. The city’s Roman collections are set to join the new DONJON Musée Régional de la Narbonne Antique (MuRéNA). GILLES-AYCELIN ACCESS This impressive square tower, built between 1295 and 1306 by Archbishop Gilles Aycelin at the south-east corner of the Palais Neuf (New Palace) Via the entrance hall of the Palace is 42 metres high and is crowned with a bartizan (turret). The tower houses four rooms: the hemispheric room, treasury, King’s chamber and a watchtower. Climb up the spiral staircase (162 steps) to the viewing platform and enjoy a stunning panorama over the city. CATHEDRAL AND TREASURY CATHEDRALE SAINT-JUST CATHEDRAL ET SAINT-PASTEUR TREASURY ACCESS Built as soon as 1272 in a southern gothic ACCESS Located on the first floor of the Annonciade style, Narbonne cathedral is one the most Chapel, the so-called Chapter Room is a Cloister or beautiful religious monuments in the South Chapelle Saint-Michel square-shaped room, with a vaulted brick Armand-Gauthier street of France. ceiling that boasts a strange acoustic phenomenon. Its apse with its ambitious size is endowed with stalls and an XVIII century organ chest under more The quietest of sounds can be heard clearly from Access than 40 m high towering vaults. one corner of the room to the other. Armand-Gauthier street The visit is a must in order to discover, near the The Treasury houses some remarkable works archbishops’ tombs, the vestiges of the carved from the carolingian period to the modern period: retable in the axial Chapelle Notre-Dame de a carved ivory gospel panel dating from the 9th Bethleem, masterpiece of XIV century sculpture. century; a 12th-century Spanish-Moorish pyxis; the illuminated pontifical that once belonged to Archbishop Pierre de la Jugie; the fascinating “Creation Tapestry” (Flanders, c. 1500), and other liturgical objects testifying to the magnificence of Narbonne archbishops. HORREUM BASILIQUE ROMAIN SAINT-PAUL ACCESS These underground galleries dating ACCESS Having a romanesque origin, built in from the 1st century BC consist an early southern gothic style, the edifice 7, rue Rouget-de-Lisle of corridors connecting a number Hôtel-Dieu street was erected on the tomb of Narbonne’s of small, cramped rooms. first bishop and evangelizer, Paul. Originally, these underground tunnels served In addition to the font and its legendary frog, we as the storeroom for a market or a public can discover a very beautiful romanesque capital warehouse—Horreum in Latin—above ground that and the vestiges of the necropolis which was once no longer exists today. The walls, well preserved, located along the Via Aquitania, now an archaeo- testify to the architectural mastery and the know- logical crypt. how of the Romans. It is the only monument from Free entrance, from Monday to Saturday 6 am to classical times still visible in Narbonne. 12 am and 2 pm to 6 pm, closed on Sunday. Early Christian crypt: free entrance, please ask the church caretaker. MUSÉE LAPidAIRE LAPIDARY MUSEUM ACCESS The Notre-Dame de Lamourguier church is a prime example of southern gothic architecture, Place Lamourguier and houses approximately 2,000 blocks of carved and sculpted antique stones coming from a range of public and funerary monuments. Many of these had been used to decorate the city’s ramparts. Recovered in 1868 during the dismantling of the 16th-century fortifications, they were placed in the disused church for storage. All of these friezes, dedications, bas-reliefs, capitals, fragments of cornices and columns have a story to tell, and are the impressive and indeed, moving witnesses of life in Roman times The City of Narbonne’s classical collection will soon join the Musée Régional de la Narbonnaise Antique (MuRéNA). The Musée Lapidaire is likely to close its doors sometime in 2017. 16 TO TO CARCASSONNE, CHARLES TRENET’S TOULOUSE BIRTH HOUSE 8 Boulevard Maréchal Joffre 9 TO PERPIGNAN, Boulevard Frédéric Mistral RAILWAY STATION, L’ESPACE DE LIBERTÉ, TO CLOS DE A9 MOTORWAY TO COURSAN, BÉZIERS LA LOMBARDE NARBONNE SUD ARCHAEOLOGICAL Rue Jean Jaurès SITE Rue de l’ancienn Boulevard Marcel Sembat e porte neuve Rue Voltaire Rue Chennebier 7 Place Rue du Lion d’Or des 5 Rue Dupleix Carmes Place Foch Maréchal Avenue Rue de la Parerie Rue Arago Salengro Rue du Capitol Quai Dillon 15 Rue Fabert Rue Gustave Fabre Rue des 3 Moulins 12 Canal de la Robine Rue de l’Hôtel Dieu CHARLES TRENET’S 4 Rue A. Gauthier 6 Rue de l’Etoile Rue Rabelais Rue Bons Enfants BIRTH HOUSE Rue Marceau 2 Rue Hoche Rue de l’Ancienne Porte de Béziers Rue des 3 Pigeons 1 Rue Droite Rue Bonnel Boulevard du Docteur Lacroix Faure H. Rue 13 Rue Violet le Duc This house was the birthplace Place ACCESS Cassaignol Rue Droite of the singer-songwriter Charles Trenet 3 Rue Michelet Rue Cabirol Rue Baudin Rue Crémieux Rue Rue Garibaldi on 18 May 1913. Raspail Rue Pont des Marchands 13, avenue Rue de l’Acien Courrier Place Rue Jean-Louis Longuet Rue de la Monnaie Rue Gabriel Pelouze Thérèse Charles-Trenet It was here that the artist discovered his love & Léon Rue du Luxembourg Blum 04 68 58 19 13 of music and where his unique talent started. Rue Louis Blanc Throughout his lifetime, the house remained a Rue D. Rochereau Rue M. Coural Rue Francis Marcero great source of inspiration for Charles Trenet, Canal de la Robine Rue Garibaldi evoking memories of his childhood in provincial Rue Dugommier Rue de Belfort Rue du Docteur ROux Cours Mirabeau Boulevard Général De Gaulle France. Trenet is the author of such songs as Cours de la République Rue du Jeu de Paume La Mer, La Tramontane, Narbonne charmante et Rue Niquet Palais Place Rue R. Bach Emile de justice Digeon Place bonne and Fidèle. de Verdun Rue Benet O Rue Paul Laffont Rue La Major N 10 Visitors to the house are sure to enjoy the unique Rue Emile Zola Rue Litté displays and interactive archival documents S 11 Boulevard Général De Gaulle 14 E Boulevard du Docteur Ferroul that tell the story of one of France’s best-known TO L’ASPIRATEUR singer-songwriters. AND LE PARC DES SPORTS Boulevard Gambetta A9 MOTORWAY Pont de la Liberté 14 TO L’ASPIRATEUR free AND LE PARC DES SPORTS, BEACHES, A9 MOTORWAY, L’ASPIRATEUR, NARBONNE EST CONTEMPORARY ART CENTRE 1. Palais des Archevêques 4. Archbishops’Garden 8. Médiathèque 13. Maison des Trois-Nourrices ACCESS Local Narbonne residents have nicknamed (Archbishops’Palace) andCloister (ThreeWetnursesHouse) this contemporary art centre “L’Aspirateur” MonumentalComplex 9.