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 20 and 21, 2025, Paris and the whole of the Île-de-France region will be 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 2025, 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 2025 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 2025 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.
Heritage Days 2025 at the Saint-Quiriace collegiate church in Provins
A free tour of this ancient collegiate church (12th-17th c.), with its ambitious initial plan, continued in the 13th century but never completed, and fitted with a dome in the 17th century, it was home to a large and influential chapter until the French Revolution. 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.
Heritage Days 2025 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 University of 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 City of Provins.
Animations by the Arkéomédia association.
Presentation of the excavations undertaken by Anne Nissen, professor of medieval archaeology at Université Paris I Panthéon - Sorbonne, with her students, as part of the project to restore and enhance the remains supported by the French government, the Département de Seine-et-Marne and the town of Provins.
The "Architecte au Moyen-Âge: Le Maître d'œuvre" (Architect in the Middle Ages: The Master Builder) participatory workshop provides an insight into the work of medieval architects. Responsible for designing plans and supervising the construction of buildings, these master builders worked with ingenious tools quite different from those we know today. In this workshop, you'll learn about the
measuring instruments used in medieval times, and learn how to create the geometric shapes that served as the basis for building plans.
The aim of the "Archaeologist's Job" participatory workshop is to discover the different facets of the archaeologist's job and the many specialties involved. During the workshop, participants are invited to put in order a set of vignettes on the different stages of an archaeologist's work, to discover different reproductions of remains that may be discovered on an archaeological site such as the former Champbenoist Abbey, and to relate the remains to the professions that study them, based on observation and etymology.
Heritage Days 2025 at Saint-Ayoul church in Provins
Aucun événement annoncé à ce jour, le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles.
Heritage Days 2025 at Sainte Croix church in Provins
Free tour of this former Benedictine priory church (12th-17th c.), which became one of Provins' most important parishes in the Middle Ages. Closed to the public for half a century, the western part of the building is once again accessible after three years of architectural restoration work.
A special exhibition in the north aisle of Sainte-Croix will enable visitors to discover or rediscover this church, its history, its decorations, details of past and future work, and the stained glass windows created by the Atelier Loire de Chartres for the bays in the south aisle.
Heritage Days 2025 at the Grange aux Dimes in Provins
Audio-guided tours of this former 12th-century merchant's house, 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 served as a covered market during fairs, then as a tithe warehouse from the 14th century onwards. Today, the house is staged on the theme of "Provins at the time of the Champagne Fairs", with reconstructions evoking the merchants and trade guilds of the period.
Heritage Days 2025 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 2025 at the Musée de Provins et du Provinois
Exposition-dossier: "L'œuvre de la marquise de Maillé (1896-1972) : une vie au service du patrimoine", proposed by the Société d'histoire et d'archéologie de l'arrondissement de Provins.
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.
Guided tour of the exhibition: "The work of the Marquise de Maillé (1896-1972): a life in the service of heritage".
Heritage Days 2025 at the Priory of the Benedictines of Saint-Ayoul 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.
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.
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 the identity of the organ builder is still 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.
Dates and Opening Time
From September 20, 2025 to September 21, 2025
Location
Provins
77160 Provins
77160 Provins
Official website
www.provins.net
Provins, Île-de-France's largest medieval city, with many treasures to discover
