Provins
Provins | ||
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![]() ![]() Provins | ||
Location within Île-de-France region ![]() ![]() Provins | ||
Coordinates: 48°33′37″N 3°17′56″E / 48.5604°N 3.299°ECoordinates: 48°33′37″N 3°17′56″E / 48.5604°N 3.299°E | ||
Country | France | |
Region | Île-de-France | |
Department | Seine-et-Marne | |
Arrondissement | Provins | |
Canton | Provins | |
Intercommunality | Provinois | |
Government | ||
• Mayor (2008–2014) | Christian Jacob | |
Area1 | 14.72 km2 (5.68 sq mi) | |
Population (2012)2 | 12,161 | |
• Density | 830/km2 (2,100/sq mi) | |
Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
• Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
INSEE/Postal code | 77379 / 77160 | |
Elevation |
86–168 m (282–551 ft) (avg. 91 m or 299 ft) | |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. |
Provins (French pronunciation: [pʁo.vɛ̃]) is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.
Provins, a town of medieval fairs, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.
Administration
Provins is not the largest city in the arrondissement, but it is the seat. The largest town is Montereau-Fault-Yonne.
The arrondissement has 7 cantons, 125 communes and 112,020 residents. The canton of Provins has 15 communes and 21,000 residents.
History
Provins was home to one of the Champagne fairs that were crucial to the medieval European economy, when the city was under the protection of Counts of Champagne.
Sights
Provins is known for its medieval fortifications, such as the Tour César (the Caesar Tower) and well-preserved city walls.
The Saint Quiriace Collegiate Church is located here. The Empress Galla Placidia is said to have presented Ancona with the relics of Judas Cyriacus. However, the saint's head was situated at Provins, brought from Jerusalem by Henry I of Champagne, who built a church in this town to display it. It is still at the Saint Quiriace Collegiate Church, although construction work during 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."
The police station (2010), a piece of contemporary architecture designed by Parisian architects Philippe Ameller and Jacques Dubois.
Two sets of caves underlie parts of the town. The first type were likely used to store food in the Middle Ages.[1] The second, deeper, type contains Bronze and Iron Age graffiti.[2]
Economy
Provins has important rose cultivation. It produces all sorts of foods from roses, and its main specialties are rose petal jam, Provinois rose honey and rose candy.
Provins, Town of Medieval Fairs | |
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Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List | |
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Type | Cultural |
Criteria | ii, iv |
Reference | 873 |
UNESCO region | Europe and North America |
Inscription history | |
Inscription | 2001 (25th Session) |
Notable people
Provins is the birthplace of:
- Marie Jules César Savigny (1777–1851), zoologist
- Edmond Nocard (1850-1903), veterinarian and microbiologist
- Maurice Hayot (1862–1945), violinist
- Dominique A (born 1968), songwriter and singer
- David Moncoutié (born 1975), retired road racing cyclist
Provins is the hometown of:
- Christian Jacob (born 1959), farmer and politician
Twin towns
Provins is twinned with:
See also
References
- ↑ "Provins in the dark". Retrieved 8 April 2013.
- ↑ Digest, The Reader's (1978). The world's last mysteries. Montréal: Reader's Digest. p. 303. ISBN 089577044X.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Provins. |
- City council website (French)
- Champagne and Brie in Medieval History of Navarre
- http://www.provins.net/ (French)
- http://www.provins.org/ (English)
- http://www.provins-medieval.com/ (French)
- Provins photos (English)
- 1999 Land Use, from IAURIF (Institute for Urban Planning and Development of the Paris-Île-de-France région) (English)
- Ameller Dubois and Associates, architects of the Provins police station (French)
- French Ministry of Culture list for Provins (French)
- Map of Provins on Michelin (English)