Provins

Coat of arms

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

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.

²Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Provins, Town of Medieval Fairs
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List

Location	France
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iv
Reference	873
UNESCO region	Europe and North America
Inscription history
Inscription	2001 (25th Session)

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: [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.

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.

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.

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."[1]

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