Palais des Archevêques de Narbonne, Medieval episcopal palace in Narbonne, France

The Palais des Archevêques de Narbonne faces Place de l'Hôtel de Ville with an asymmetrical frontage. On the left rises the 42-metre Gilles Aycelin Keep, a square tower of rough pale-brown stone with two crenellated turrets; to its right, the 19th-century section by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc has a clock, bell turret and spire, tall windows, balconies and a steep entrance arch. The Tour Saint-Martial (1347) and the Tour de la Madeleine stand further along, and the Passage de l'Ancre separates the Gothic Palais Neuf from the Romanesque Palais Vieux.

Parts of the Old Palace (Palais Vieux) date to the 12th century; the 42-metre Gilles Aycelin Keep was commissioned by Archbishop Gilles I Aycelin de Montaigu in 1308, and the Saint-Martial Tower followed in 1347. Seized by the state in 1789 and used as army barracks from 1831, the complex was bought by the town council in 1842 to become the town hall. Eugène Viollet-le-Duc rebuilt the central section, replacing a castellated range of five tall arches, and the complex reopened on 29 November 1852.

The palace has housed Narbonne's town hall since 1852 and two museums: the Musée Archéologique in the Palais Vieux, a former 19th-century prison, and the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire in the Palais Neuf. On 10 June 1907 mayor Ernest Ferroul stepped onto the town hall balcony to announce his resignation and call for civil disobedience during the winegrowers' revolt.

The town hall, art and history museum and archaeological museum share the complex on Place de l'Hôtel de Ville, entered from the square; the Passage de l'Ancre links the Old and New Palaces. The Gilles Aycelin keep rises 42 metres, so allow time for stairs and several floors. Check current opening times before setting out, as they vary by season.

Three square towers from the 13th and 14th centuries mark the palace facade and reveal its military past as a fortified structure. The Gilles Aycelin tower, built in 1308, stands as one of these massive corner elements that once served defensive purposes.