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Origin and history

The walls of Narbonne originated in a first fortification of the city as early as the third century, while the town was only girded with walls from 1071. These defences suffered multiple destruction and reconstruction until the 14th century, reflecting the medieval tumults of the region. Their present form owes much to the work carried out between 1507 and 1514 by Cardinal Guillaume Briçonnet, Archbishop of Narbonne, who undertook a major reconstruction by employing ancient Roman elements (steles, bas-reliefs, inscriptions).

The fragment preserved today, called "Damville-Montmorency Courtine", belonged to the modern enclosure linking the Saint Paul and Montmorency bastions. Composed of seven massive blocks, its two upper levels still bear traces of Roman inscriptions and sculptures (moulding, interlacing). Decommissioned in 1867, the ramparts were almost completely demolished, with the exception of this vestige integrated as support to the Favatier garden, bordering the boulevard de Montmorency.

Ranked a Historical Monument by decree of 19 December 1946, this vestige illustrates the superposition of the epochs: reuse of Gallo-Roman materials in a Renaissance structure, symbolizing both Narbonne's defensive power and subsequent urban transformations. The carved blocks, from ancient monuments, also bear witness to the local Roman heritage, now scattered or disappeared.

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