The Journées du Patrimoine is one of the highlights of September. This cultural event, which takes place all over Europe, invites us to enjoy a wide range of original visits and activities for all ages. In many cases, the program is free of charge, making it an unmissable event. For the occasion, many monuments and institutions lend themselves to the game: museums, castles, gardens, churches, and even places usually closed to the public. An original way to rediscover our cultural heritage in a different way!
The event is sure to attract art and history enthusiasts as well as the curious thirsty for discovery. For the 41st edition, scheduled for September 21 and 22, 2024, Paris and the whole of the Île-de-France region are the playground for explorers eager for new experiences. Why not take advantage of the opportunity to step back in time and immerse yourself in the treasures of the Paris region's heritage?
Provins, Île-de-France's largest medieval city, with many treasures to discover
In Seine-et-Marne, just a few kilometers from the capital, lies the medieval town of Provins, a testimony to its trading past and lively fairs. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this town straight out of the Middle Ages is brimming with historical treasures, from the Tour César to its rose-based culinary specialties, not to mention its imposing ramparts! [Read more]
The town of Provins, in the Seine-et-Marne region of France, is well worth a visit. Here, you'll be immersed in the Middle Ages as you stroll through the medieval city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Behind the high ramparts, you'll experience a real leap back in time as you stroll through the cobbled streets, where monuments, shops and gourmet addresses follow one another. For the Journées du Patrimoine 2024, Provins is offering a rich program of exciting tours for young and old alike! Whether you're with family, friends, lovers or alone, this amazing medieval city is sure to make your weekend... historic weekend!
Heritage Days 2024 at the Fonds Ancien, Provins municipal library
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
Heritage Days 2024 at the Caveau du Saint-Esprit in Provins
Visit the vaulted lower hall (12th century) of the former Hôpital du Saint-Esprit, founded in 1177 by Henri le Libéral, Count of Champagne.
The "Compagnie du Dragon et de la Lézarde" brings the monument to life with excerpts from plays ranging from Feydeau to Courteline, Shakespeare with a dash of Sophocles, a pinch of Molière, not forgetting the poems of Jean de la Fontaine, Jacques Prévert, Paul Eluard and Gérard Narval, the rhymes of Grand Corps Malade and the prose of Coline Serreau and Sacha Guitry.
Heritage Days 2024 at the Saint-Quiriace collegiate church in Provins
Take a free tour of this ancient collegiate church (12th-17th c.), a building with a very ambitious initial plan, continued in the 13th century but never completed; in the 17th century, it was endowed with a cupola; until the Revolution, it housed a large and influential chapter. Joan of Arc passed through on her way back from the coronation of Charles VII. Restored in 2021, the former chapter house has regained its original volume and medieval painted decor.
Presentations of the choir organ (19th c.), by the organists and the association "Les Orgues de Provins".
Heritage Days 2024 at the Provins archaeological dig site
Exceptional opening of the site of the former Benedictine abbey of Champbenoist (12th-16th centuries), owned by the Département.
Presentation of the initial results of archaeological research undertaken by Anne Nissen, professor of medieval archaeology at the Université Paris I Panthéon - Sorbonne, with her students, as part of the project to restore and enhance the remains supported by the State, the Département and the town of Provins.
Activities by the Arkéomédia association.
Learn more about archaeology and medieval archaeology in Seine-et-Marne from our archaeologists.
Discover the history of Champbenoist Abbey from the 12th to the 21st century, and how archaeology is revealing new information about the site!
Presentation of the initial results of the archaeological research undertaken by Anne Nissen, Professor of Medieval Archaeology at the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, as part of the restoration and enhancement of the remains project supported by the State, the Département and the City of Provins.
Introduce curious youngsters to archaeozoology and medieval architecture through fun experiments!
Master builder workshop
The "Master builder" participatory workshop introduces visitors to the work of medieval architects. Master builders were responsible for drawing up plans and constructing buildings. However, they didn't have the same tools at their disposal as we do today. In this workshop, participants will discover the drawing and measuring instruments used in medieval times, and learn how to make the geometric shapes used to draw up building plans.
Archaeozoology workshop
The "Archaeozoologist" participatory workshop introduces participants to the way archaeologists study animal bones found on archaeological sites, and helps them understand the relationship between humans and animals over the course of time. Participants in this workshop discover different animal materials and then study one or more bones from a fictitious site. They are also introduced to the principles of comparative anatomy (identification of bone and anatomical part) and the identification of specific traces visible on the surface of the bone linked to human activity or to the life of the bone after burial in the ground.
In partnership with ArkéoMédia!
Information at patrimoine-cd77@departement77.fr, Monday to Friday.
Heritage Days 2024 at Saint-Ayoul church in Provins
Self-guided tours of the fully restored nave and aisles (12th-16th c.); high altar, side altars and 17th-century woodwork classified as historic monuments; stained glass windows by Gilles Rousvoal.
The organ at Provins' Sait-Ayoul church was built for the Jouy abbey in 1777 and transferred to Saint-Ayoul in 1792. Unfortunately, historical documentation is very incomplete, and to this day the identity of the organ builder who built the instrument is unknown. The organ has undergone various alterations over the course of its history, but has not been fundamentally altered, as it still contains a high proportion of material dating back to the Ancien Régime. An analysis of this material reveals that the instrument was first transformed, probably when it was transferred to Provins in 1792. The earliest known composition of the stops (1928) indicates that the organ was also transformed in style, probably during the second half of the 19th century, and fitted with Romantic stops: in addition to raising the pitch by one tone, the instrument's pipes bear stigmata proving that their harmony was altered by partial notching of the timbre and the addition of teeth on the bevels. A third significant intervention was carried out by Jules Bossier in 1947. The latest restoration, carried out in 1982 by Ets Benoist et Sarélot, reoriented the instrument towards the classical French style.
Heritage Days 2024 at the Gange aux Dimes in Provins
This former 12th-century merchant's house is one of the finest in Provins. Admire the refined architecture of the rooms, with their carved capitals and ribbed vaults. Until the end of the 13th century, it was used as a covered market during fairs, then as a tithe warehouse from the 14th century onwards. Today, the house features a "Provins at the time of the Champagne Fairs" theme, with reconstructions evoking the merchants and trade guilds of the period.
Heritage Days 2024 at the Lycée Thibaut de Champagne, former palace of the Counts of Champagne and Brie in Provins
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
Heritage Days 2024 at the Musée de Provins et du Provinois
Harpsichord recital by Bertrand Cuiller in partnership with the association "Les orgues de Provins". (Works by Johann Sebastian Bach) - Free participation in aid of the restoration of the Provins organs.
The Musée de Provins et du Provinois is housed in the Maison romane (listed as a historic monument), one of the town's oldest civil buildings. Its facade and lower hall date back to the 12th century. Spread over four levels and a dozen rooms, the collections of the town and the Provins district historical and archaeological society retrace the history of Provins and its region from prehistory to the eve of the First World War.
Columbia University / Ville de Provins seminar:
- Lecture by Alana Kilcoyne, PhD student in English and Comparative Literature, and Stephanie Reitzig, PhD student in History: "Une messe pour un tisserand" : les habitants de Provins au Moyen Age tardif, vus d'un manuscrit de l'église de Sainte-Croix.
Columbia University / Ville de Provins seminar:
- Lecture by Katherine Briant, doctoral student in comparative literature: La réorganisation du manuscrit 229 de la Bibliothèque municipale de Provins : révisions et réparations d'un livre liturgique médiéval .
Heritage Days 2024 at the Priory of the Benedictines of Saint-Ayoul in Provins
Audio tour ("Provins Tourisme") of the fully restored cloister, chapter house, south chapel, Benedictine chapel and lantern tower (11th-18th centuries). The tour will be rounded off with a presentation of the stained glass windows by visual artist Udo Zembok.
Dates and Opening Time
From September 21, 2024 to September 22, 2024
Location
Provins
77160 Provins
77160 Provins
Official website
www.provins.net
Provins, Île-de-France's largest medieval city, with many treasures to discover
