Narbonne

City in the Aude département of southern France, 50 km/31 mi east of Carcassonne; population (1990) 47,100. It is sited just inland from the Mediterranean on the canalized Robine River, and was a port in medieval times, although its harbour silted up in the 14th century and has now disappeared. It was the chief town of southern Gaul in Roman times. The holiday resort of Narbonne-Plage lies 14 km/9 mi to the east.

Economy Narbonne is known for its wines and honey, distilleries, and potteries, and is a market centre. A uranium processing plant was established nearby in 1959.

History As Narbo Martius it was the capital of the Roman province of Gallia Transalpina, and then, under the empire, of Gallia Narbonnensis. It was the birthplace of the Roman emperors Carus, Carinus, and Numerianus. Later still it was taken by the Visigoths, the Franks, and the Saracens. It was an archbishopric from the 4th–18th centuries; the 13th-century cathedral of St-Just was never completed.