Everywhere has a story to tell and the cathedral in Narbonne is fascinating. It is believed to have been a place to worship since 313 BC, when it was a Constantinian basilica. This was destroyed by a fire in 441 and was rebuilt. Just over three hundred years later it was rededicated to Saint Justus and Pastor, who were Spanish martyrs (we are just an hours drive from the Spanish border). In the nave there are two Roman pillars from this building.
It was decided in 1264 to build a Gothic cathedral on the site. The first stone for this build was laid in 1272 and the choir was finally finished in 1332!
It is now under going further renovations to the cloisters.
The workmanship which has gone into this building is incredible. There are amazing gargoyles throughout the cathedral and characters and expressions on the stone carvings are wonderful.
I took this photo standing in the partially renovated cloisters looking up at a clear Sunday morning sky.
