How to get from Paris to Provins. Where there is medieval France. Proven. Visit the Provin Tithe Barn

Provins ( Provinces) is a city in France, located 80 kilometers southeast of Paris. Population - 12,000 people.
It was first mentioned in manuscripts at the beginning of the 9th century. Since December 2001, the city has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as an example of a medieval fair town.
You can get to Provins from Paris by train from the Eastern Station; trains run every hour. Travel time is about 1.5 hours.

In the 12th and 13th centuries, Provins was at its peak. It was located at the intersection of important trade routes. The city hosted Champagne fairs twice a year, one of the largest in Europe.

The city has preserved 1200 meters of fortress walls ( l es remparts), erected in the XIII - early XIV centuries, mainly during the reign of Count Thibault IV of Champagne (Thibaut IV de Champagne). In the Middle Ages, the total length of the fortress walls was 5 km.

View from the fortress walls.

Video. View from the fortress walls.

Two ancient gates have been preserved within the fortress walls. In the photo: St. John's Gate ( Porte Saint Jean). XIV century.

Ruyi Gate ( Porte de Jouy). XIV century.

Caesar's Tower ( Tour Caesar). It was built on an artificial hill in the 12th century and was used for observing the surrounding area, and also as a prison. Initially the tower had no roof and ended with battlements. The roof was built in the 16th-17th centuries.

Caesar's Tower ( Tour Caesar).

View from Caesar's Tower. In the foreground you can see the Church of St. Cyriacus ( Collégiale Saint-Quiriace) XII century. It was originally planned that the church would consist of eight spans, but due to financial difficulties, only two were built. In the 17th century, after a fire, the church vault was replaced with a dome.

July 6th, 2013 , 02:27 pm

On the way from Troyes to Paris, we decided to stop in the small provincial town of Provins. He is small now, but once he was simply huge. And 80 thousand people lived here in the Middle Ages (versus 10 thousand of the current population).

Provins was first mentioned in 802, and apparently, already at that time it was a fully developed city, surrounded (of course) by a wall.

In 996, the relics of Saint Aiola were found here, possibly hidden here by monks fleeing the Normans. This discovery led to the draining of the surrounding swamps and the construction of various religious buildings there. And first of all - the church (and monastery) of St. Ayola, where his relics were kept.

At that time, Provins belonged to the county of Champagne. Count Thibault II of Champagne built himself a palace here, which after his death went to his widow. She, being a pious lady, organized a hospice in the palace in 1160.

Pilgrims stopped here who came to venerate the relics of Saint Ayola.

The same Count Thibault of Champagne brought a piece of the Holy Cross from Jerusalem, and the Church of the Holy Cross was built for it (it took 500 years to build).

At the beginning of the second millennium, annual large-scale fairs began to be held in several cities in Champagne. Twice a year, in spring and autumn, such a fair was held in Provins. In addition to Provins, fairs were held in Troyes, Lagny and Bar-sur-Aube.

Thanks to them, the city grew, developed, became rich and, starting from the 9th century, even minted its own coin - the “Provencal denier”.

Everything in this city is directly or indirectly related to fairs. The houses that were built here were built with fairs in mind. In any ancient building in Provins (and almost all of them here are like this) there is always a whole system of vaulted cellars - warehouses. The cellar must have access to the street.

The building that immediately attracts the tourist's eye is Caesar's Tower.

It was built on the ruins of ancient Roman fortifications as a donjon (that is, the main tower of the fortress) in the 12th century.

The donjon is usually the most impregnable and protected part of the castle, a fortress within a fortress.

Caesar's Tower served mainly military purposes. From it, the sentries surveyed the surroundings to see if the enemy was approaching.

And now tourists have the opportunity to enjoy the views of the surrounding area.

Opposite Caesar's Tower is the collegiate church of St. Cyriacus, the same age as the tower.

True, it was never completed. The chapel stood here in the 19th century. When the city began to grow, they decided to expand it. The project was grandiose. A cross in the square in front of the cathedral marks the place where, according to the plan, the boundary of the church nave should be.

Provins was first mentioned in 802, and apparently, already at that time it was a fully developed city, surrounded (of course) by a wall.