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Provins

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Provins
Subprefecture and commune
The historic center of the lower town seen from the Caesar tower.
The historic center of the lower town seen from the Caesar tower.
Coat of arms of Provins
Coat of arms
Map
Location of Provins
Provins is located in France
Provins
Provins
Provins is located in Île-de-France (region)
Provins
Provins
Coordinates: 48°33′37″N 3°17′56″E / 48.5604°N 3.299°E / 48.5604; 3.299
CountryFrance
RegionÎle-de-France
DepartmentSeine-et-Marne
ArrondissementProvins
CantonProvins
IntercommunalityProvinois
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Olivier Lavenka[1]
Area
1
14.72 km2 (5.68 sq mi)
Population
 (2023)[2]
11,632
 • Density790.2/km2 (2,047/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
77379 /77160
Elevation86–168 m (282–551 ft)
(avg. 91 m or 299 ft)
Websitewww.mairie-provins.fr; www.provins.net/en/
Official nameProvins, Town of Medieval Fairs
CriteriaCultural: (ii)(iv)
Reference873rev
Inscription2001 (25th Session)
Area108 ha (0.42 sq mi)
Buffer zone1,365 ha (5.27 sq mi)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Provins (French pronunciation: [pʁɔvɛ̃] ⓘ) is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Known for its well-preserved medieval architecture and importance throughout the Middle Ages as an economic center and a host of annual trading fairs, Provins became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.[3]

Administration

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With 11,632 inhabitants (2023), Provins is not the largest town in the arrondissement of Provins, but it is the seat (sous-préfecture). Provins is also the seat of the canton of Provins.[4]

History

[edit]

There are signs of human occupation in the area as early as the Paleolithic era.

Roman era

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Provins was at the crossroads of two major regional corridors in Roman Gaul: one from Soissons to Troyes, and one towards Sens in the south.[5]

Medieval era

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As proof of its growing importance, by the 9th century, Provins was minting its own coin, the denier provinois,[6] and Charlemagne had sent his missi dominici to the town.[7] Under the protection of the Counts of Champagne, Provins hosted one of the largest Champagne fairs, an agricultural and trade fair crucial to the medieval economy.[3] In the upper town the fair would be held twice a year, in May and November, whereas in the lower town there was a yearly market in September.[7] During that time, Provins also became a banking center, with the denier widely accepted throughout Europe. The fairs continued from 1120 until 1320.[7]

The Empress Galla Placidia is said to have presented Ancona, Italy with the relics of Judas Cyriacus. However, the saint's head was at Provins, where Henry I of Champagne, who had brought there from Jerusalem, built Saint-Quiriace Collegiate Church [fr] to display it. Construction work on the church in the 12th century was never completed due to financial difficulties during the reign of Philippe le Bel. A dome was added in the 17th century, and the old families of Provins who lived in the upper town were called "Children of the Dome." Since the addition of the dome, however, no further restoration efforts have been made towards the church.[8]

The Church of Saint-Ayoul [fr] was built to house relics discovered in 996 that were attributed to the saint. Initially, a crypt was built in the Saint-Médard chapel to secure the relics. By the mid-11th century, the chapel was unable to accommodate the crowds of pilgrims who came to pray there, and so Count Thibaut I of Champagne replaced it with a parish church and a priory of Benedictine monks. Due to long-term conflict between the parish and the priory, in 1527 the building was divided in two with a wall; the nave and aisles were given to the parish, while the priory retained the apse.[9]

King Philip IV visited Provins several times in the late 13th century, devastating it with harsh taxes that ended its period of prosperity and caused residents to flee. The town was besieged numerous times and changed hands frequently in the 14th through 16th centuries.[10] This political and economic instability reduced the importance of Provins.

In one of the most famous events in Provins’ history, the recently crowned King Charles VII attended Mass at Saint-Quiriace along with his royal court and Saint Joan of Arc on August 3, 1429.

Modern era

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Being largely unaffected by the Industrial Revolution, Provins remained a small market town through the 19th century.[7] The Germans occupied the town in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War and were only barely fought off in 1914 during the First World War.

Population

[edit]
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 11,432—    
1975 12,341+1.10%
1982 12,065−0.32%
1990 11,608−0.48%
1999 11,667+0.06%
2007 12,267+0.63%
2012 12,161−0.17%
2017 11,844−0.53%
2023 11,632−0.30%
Source: INSEE[11]

Sights

[edit]
City walls and towers
The Saint Quiriace Collegiate Church [fr]

Provins is known for its well-preserved original fortifications from the 12th century, such as the Tour César (the Caesar Tower) and city walls.[7] Many residential and commercial buildings in the upper town are likewise from the 12th century; these buildings hosted merchants' residences, stores, and counting houses.[7] Of the four main fair towns in the County of Champagne (Troyes, Lagny-sur-Marne, and Bar-sur-Aube), Provins is the only one that has retained much of its medieval character.[3]

The head of Judas Cyriacus remains at Saint-Quiriace Collegiate Church. This church had also preserved the Islamic lampas chasuble that St Edmund had with him at the time of his death,[12] but this garment has since been relocated to the Musée de Provins (Museum of Provins)[13]. Located in the Romanesque House [fr], which dates to Roman times but has a 12th-century façade, the museum also displays golden monstrances and a 15th-century Trinity icon from Saint-Quiriace, as well as other historical Provinois artifacts and exhibits.

Renovations and archaeological excavations at Saint-Ayoul Church have uncovered frescoes and painted plasterwork. The church also features sculptures on its portal carved by Georges Jeanclos from 1985 to 1988; stained-glass windows created by the visual artist Udo Zembok[14]; and a medieval garden in which monks grew yews, sedum, and service-trees.[15]

The police station (2010) is a piece of contemporary architecture designed by Parisian architects Philippe Ameller and Jacques Dubois.[16]

Two sets of caves underlie parts of the town. The first set was probably used to store food[17] and eextract fuller's earth[18] in the Middle Ages. The second, deeper set contains Bronze Age and Iron Age graffiti.[19]

Economy

[edit]

Provins is an important center of rose cultivation, specifically the Provins rose (Rosa gallica). The Provinois produce various foodstuffs from roses; their main specialties are rose petal jam, Provinois rose honey, and rose candy.[20] Provins also used to be a large producer of wine; many Provinois still make wine using medieval methods, and some vineyards remain in use.

Education

[edit]
  • Public preschools (maternelles): Coudoux, Raymond Louis, Terrier Rouge, Ville Haute and Voulzie.[21]
  • Public primary schools: Coudoux, Désiré Laurent, Marais, Terrier Rouge, Ville Haute and Voulzie.[22]
  • Public junior high schools (collèges): Jules Verne, Lelorgne de Savigny, and Marie Curie.[23]
  • Public senior high schools (lycées): Thibaut de Champagne and Les Pannevelles.[24]
  • There is a private preschool through high school, Institution Sainte-Croix.[21][22][23][24]

Notable people

[edit]

Provins is the birthplace of:

Provins is the hometown of:

Twin towns

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Provins is twinned with:

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. ↑ "Populations de référence 2023" (in French). National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 18 December 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 "Provins, Town of Medieval Fairs". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  4. ↑ Commune de Provins, INSEE
  5. ↑ Jean Mesqui (1979). Provins: la fortification d'une ville au Moyen Age. ISBN 9782600046121.
  6. ↑ "Denier "Provisino" - Roman Senate, Papal States". en.numista.com. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Provins (France): No. 873 (Report). ICOMOS. 30 June 2000. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  8. ↑ "The history of Provins". www.provins.net. Archived from the original on 25 May 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  9. ↑ "Le Prieuré Saint-Ayoul de Provins". Provins Tourisme, entre Bassée, Montois et Provinois (in French). Retrieved 2026-06-28.
  10. ↑ Opoix, Christophe. Histoire et description de Provins.
  11. ↑ Population municipale entre 1968 et 2023, INSEE
  12. ↑ The Art of medieval Spain, A.D. 500–1200, an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries (fully available online as PDF), #57
  13. ↑ "The Provins and the Provins area Museum". Provins Tourisme, entre Bassée, Montois et Provinois. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
  14. ↑ Atocom. "Ateliers Loire Chartres". www.ateliers-loire.fr. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
  15. ↑ "Le Prieuré Saint-Ayoul de Provins". Provins Tourisme, entre Bassée, Montois et Provinois (in French). Retrieved 2026-06-28.
  16. ↑ "Police Station In Provins / Ameller Dubois". ArchDaily. 2011-03-07. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
  17. ↑ "Provins in the dark". Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  18. ↑ "Les souterrains de Provins". Provins Tourisme, entre Bassée, Montois et Provinois (in French). Retrieved 2026-06-28.
  19. ↑ Digest, The Reader's (1978). The world's last mysteries. Montréal: Reader's Digest. p. 303. ISBN 089577044X.
  20. ↑ Adminkb (2019-07-01). "Provins and the Provins Rose". The Rosarian Library. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
  21. 1 2 les écoles maternelles. Provins. Retrieved on March 12, 2018.
  22. 1 2 les écoles primaires." Provins. Retrieved on March 12, 2018.
  23. 1 2 les collèges." Provins. Retrieved on March 12, 2018.
  24. 1 2 les lycées." Provins. Retrieved on March 12, 2018.
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