Stoneworks collection and works of art from the neolithic times to the 19th century.
The Maison romane or the Romanesque House is certainly the oldest civil edifice in Provins, along with the Hôtel de la Buffette.
The 12th century façade is constructed of rows of small, well cut and neatly mortared stones.
Located in the old jewish quarter, it was once owned by Pierre d’Orgement, converted christian, whose son became the first President of the Parliament of Paris and then Chancellor of France in 1373.
Totally restaured by the Society of History and Archaeology of Provins and with the support of the French government, the communities of the surrounding region and other voluntary helpers, it houses nowadays collections related to Provins and its surrounding areas’ history.
The collections:
The lowest level:
The stoneworks collection is in the two vaulted rooms: merovingian sculptures and sarcophogii; statuecolumns and other architectural elements from ancient religious edifices destroyed like capitals, historiated bosses, figurated corbels and funeral plaques.
A subterranean passage leads out from a smaller vaulted room and heads in the direction of the palace of the counts.
The ground floor:
In the corridor you can admire archaeological collections which were excavated or simply found in Provins or in the area:
- Prehistoric era: silex figurines, weapons, tools, jewelry from the bronze and iron ages.
- Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages: Gallo-Roman statuettes and Merovingian buckles
- In the first room: furniture from 17th, 18th and 19th centuries: three Dutch cabinets, two French Regency chests and a magnificent cupboard from the Brie region.
- The second room is devoted to clay from the basin of Provins, which was highly valued and used for numerous centuries. One exhibition case displays the tools used for extracting them, fundamental material used since the Neolithic period. Then, you will see Neolithic pottery, gaulish amphorae, gallo-roman tiles, 16th and 19th century decorative carpentry, accoustic pottery, funerary pottery, etc.
- The museum also possesses a very beautiful collection of medieval and French Renaissance paving tiles.
- The third room evokes the after French Revolutionary history of Provins: lithographies, paintings and portraits of famous locals.
In the 17th century stairway which leads to the upper rooms, there are religious sculptures, in particular a polychrome wood statue of Saint-Medard dating from the 16th century.
The first floor:
- Water spouts, bronze, about 1200.
- Stunning collection of locks and keys that date from the 13th to the 16th centuries, weapons from the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, and precious objects made of ivory, gold, silver, vermeil, porcelain and bronze giving witness to the ecclectic tastes of the 19th century collectors..
- Collection of currencies and medals of any periods.
- In a small adjacent room is presented a rich collection of masonic devices: ritual raiment, medallions and chains
from the 18th and 19th centuries. These objects illustrate the activeness of the local lodge named “The Happy Alliance.”
The second floor:
This floor is dedicated to religious art.
- The Middle Ages and the French Renaissance period are most important here (stained glass window, stony or wooden statues, processional batons, etc.)
- The Museum also houses the relics of the treasure of the Saint-Quiriace church: beautifully wrought gold and silver objects; a rare 15th century trinitarian icon; several reliquaries and the very exceptional chasuble of Saint-Edme: a 13th century silk vestment..
Opening hours:
From 2nd January to 2nd April: weekends, public holidays, and daily (on Mondays) during French school holidays of the Paris region (zone C), from noon to 5.30 p.m. (last admission at 5 p.m.).
From 3rd April to 11th June: daily from noon to 5.30 p.m. (last admission at 5 p.m.).
From 12th June to 12th September: daily from 11 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. (last admission at 6 p.m.).
From 13 September to 1st November: daily from noon to 5.30 p.m. (last admission at 5 p.m.).
From 2nd November to 19th December: weekends, public holidays, and daily (on Mondays) during French school holidays of the Paris region (zone C), from noon to 5.30 p.m. (last admission at 5 p.m.).
Self tour, lasts: about 45 min
Annual closure: 29th August, and from 20th December 2010 to 1st January 2011 inclusive.
Prices: adults 3 € - reduced price 1,50 €.
Know more pbout the other monuments:
The Caesar's Tower,
The Tithe Barn,
The Underground Galleries.
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