[Map of Narbonne, France] Carte du Diocèse de Narbonne

Antique map of the diocese of Narbonne, in the south of France. The organisation of the map is based on a system of coordinates that allows the location of the places that make up the diocese. In the margins these places are listed in alphabetical order. It includes a small plan of the city of Narbonne in which the most important sites are also highlighted. This map was made by Guillaume Lafont and corrected by Guillaume Delisle (1675-1726). Delisle was undoubtedly the most notable member of a family of cartographers. He obtained a rigorous training in astronomy, science, mathematics and cartography, which, added to the information provided by the navigators of the 18th century, served him to create his own method of work called scientific cartography, which revolutionised the field of geography and the way in which the world was represented. He learned geography from his father, Claude, and published his first atlas in 1700. Delisle had the privilege of accessing the information gathered by the French explorers in the New World, at a time when France dominated the explorations towards the interior of the continent. For this reason, his maps were always up to date and were innovative in their content. He was elected a member of the Académie Royale des Sciences in 1718 and later named Premier Géographe du Roi, a position created especially for him.