The Saint-Quiriace Collegiate church, the Saint-Ayoul and Sainte-Croix churches, the Franciscan Abbey and the Bell Tower of Notre-Dame du Val.

The Saint-Quiriace Collegiate church
As you get closer to Provins, you can see the outlines of the Tour César (Caesar’s Tower) and the dome of the Saint-Quiriace Collegiate Church.
Erected in the XIIth century, it has never been completed due to the French kingdom's financial difficulties under the reign of Philippe le Bel.

The nave and the portal should have been raised up to the end of the square.

The dome was built in the XVIIth century following a fire and the falling-down of the transept crossing.

Open and free access all day long.


The Saint-Ayoul church
Reopening after major restoration work.

Located in the downtown, the church square here is one of the earliest trade and commercial fair areas in Provins.

The discovery of Saint Ayoul’s relics soon made the Saint Ayoul church a pilgrimage site, attracting the first merchants.

It has been rebuilt many times since the XIth century. The modern sculptor Georges Jeanclos carved its remarkable portal.

Open and free access all day long.



The Bell Tower of Notre-Dame-du-Val
Not far away from Saint-Ayoul church, this Bell Tower has been built in the XVIth century.

It is all that remains of the church and cloister of Notre-Dame-du-Val, destroyed during the French Revolution. Its bells come originally from Saint-Ayoul church.

No interior visits.


The Sainte-Croix church
Also in the downtown and built in the XIIth century on the site of an ancient chapel, the church here owes its name to a piece of the True Cross supposedly brought back to Provins by the Count Thibaud V.

Following a fire in 1305, the church was largely reconstructed in the XVIth and XVIIth centuries, hence its Renaissance-style main portal.

No interior visits.


The Franciscan Abbey
Located out of the ramparts, this religious monument was built in the 13th century by the Earl Thibaud IV, on the hill face to his palace, after a vision of Sainte Catherine.

It became a hospital in 1749, by order of Louis XV.

The archives of the National Department of Patrimony and Historic Monument, and a college of tourism are kept in this building.

It only opens to the public on rare occasions, like the Heritage Days.