Provins

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Administration
Commune of Provins
Location
Longitude	03° 18' 01" E
Latitude	48° 33' 35" N
Country	France
Région	Île-de-France
Département	Seine-et-Marne (sous-préfecture)
Arrondissement	Provins
Canton	Provins (chief town)
Intercommunality	Communauté de communes du Provinois
Mayor	Christian Jacob (2001-2008)
Statistics
Altitude	86 m–168 m (avg. 91 m)
Land area¹	14.72 km²
Population² (1999)	11,667
- Density (1999)	793/km²
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	77379/ 77160
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).

Provins is a commune of France. Population (1999): 11,667, while 12,814 people live in Provins and the surrounding built-up area.

Provins, Town of medieval fairs, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.

1 Administration
2 History
3 Sights
4 Economy
5 Miscellaneous
- 5.1 Births
- 5.2 Twin towns
6 External links

[edit] Administration

Provins sous-préfecture of the Seine-et-Marne département. It is the chief-town of the arrondissement of Provins, and of the canton of Provins, located in the south-east of the département.

Provins is not the largest city in the arrondissement of which it is the chief-town - that honor falls to Montereau-Fault-Yonne.

The arrondissement itself has 7 cantons, 125 communes and 112,020 residents. The canton of Provins has 15 communes and 20,996 residents.

[edit] History

Provins was once one of the cities putting on one of the biggest fairs in Champagne, when the city was under the protection of Counts of Champagne.

[edit] Sights

Tour César in Provins

Provins is well-known for its medieval fortifications, such as the Tour César (Caesar Tower).

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, which was brought over from Jerusalem by Henry I of Champagne, who built a church in this town to contain it. This still stands as 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]

[edit] Economy

Provins has an important rose confectionery. This confectionery produces all sorts of food from roses, and its main specialties are rose petal jam, Provinean rose honey and rose candy.