Provins rolls out a free medieval programme for the 2026 Heritage Days
This weekend of 19 and 20 September 2026, a town in Seine-et-Marne is throwing open its doors to transport visitors several centuries back in time. The 2026 Heritage Days in Provins promise a packed, entirely free programme spanning medieval monuments, live performances and art exhibitions.
UNESCO heritage open to all, for one weekend
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the medieval city of Provins is one of the most remarkable historic sites in Île-de-France. Behind its imposing ramparts, cobbled lanes wind from monument to monument, past artisan shops and tempting food addresses. For the 2026 Heritage Days in Provins, the entire programme is free and requires no advance booking for the vast majority of activities, making it an accessible event for every kind of visitor, whether coming as a family, with friends or solo.
Both days run generous opening hours, from 10am to 6pm at most sites, leaving visitors free to organise their own itinerary without the pressure of a tight schedule. It is, in short, a rare chance to immerse yourself in this exceptional heritage without spending a single euro.
The landmark monuments open for the occasion
Among the must-see venues during the 2026 Heritage Days in Provins, the Caveau du Saint-Esprit stands out. This fully vaulted undercroft, dating from the 12th century, belongs to the former Hôpital du Saint-Esprit, founded in 1177 by Henri le Libéral, Count of Champagne. Entry is free and open throughout the weekend.
The Collégiale Saint-Quiriace is also open for self-guided visits. Built during the 12th and 13th centuries, this former collegiate church was never completed according to its original, highly ambitious plans. A dome was added in the 17th century, and until the Revolution it housed a large and influential chapter. Joan of Arc stopped here on her return from the coronation of Charles VII. Restored in 2021, its former chapter house has recovered its original volume along with its medieval painted decorations.
The Grange aux Dîmes, a former merchants’ house from the 12th century, offers audio-guided tours. This building, with its sculpted capitals and ribbed vaults, served as a covered market during the fairs until the end of the 13th century, before becoming a tithe warehouse in the 14th century. A themed staging evoking Provins during the Champagne Fairs recreates the atmosphere of the merchants and trade guilds of the era.
- Caveau du Saint-Esprit: free self-guided visit and performances by the Compagnie du Dragon et de la Lézarde (Saturday and Sunday, 10am,6pm)
- Collégiale Saint-Quiriace: free self-guided visit outside religious services (Saturday and Sunday, 10am,6pm)
- Grange aux Dîmes: free audio-guided tours (Saturday and Sunday, 10am,6pm)
- Prieuré des Bénédictins de Saint-Ayoul: audio-guided tour of the cloister, chapter house and lantern tower (Saturday and Sunday, 10am,6pm)
- Musée de Provins et du Provinois: permanent collections and Maurice Mourlot exhibition (Saturday and Sunday, 11am,6pm)
Theatre, organ music and art: culture in every form
Beyond monument visits, the 2026 Heritage Days in Provins also feature live entertainment. At the Caveau du Saint-Esprit, the Compagnie du Dragon et de la Lézarde presents several theatrical performances each afternoon. The programme blends plays by Feydeau, fables by Jean de La Fontaine, from The Grasshopper and the Ant to The Crow and the Fox, texts by Georges Courteline and poems by Jacques Prévert, interspersed with original pieces written by Vicky, dedicated to the underground passages, the Collégiale Saint-Quiriace and the Tour César. Sessions last approximately 45 minutes and run from 2pm on Saturday and from 11am on Sunday, subject to availability.
At the Prieuré des Bénédictins de Saint-Ayoul, a presentation of the great organ of the Église Saint-Ayoul is scheduled each afternoon from 2pm to 5pm. This instrument was built in 1777 for the Abbaye de Jouy before being transferred to Saint-Ayoul in 1792. It still contains materials dating from the Ancien Régime and underwent its most recent restoration in 1982, oriented towards the classical French style. A self-guided visit of the nave and side aisles of the church, dating from the 12th to the 16th centuries, rounds out the exploration of this listed historic monument.
A landmark retrospective at the Musée de Provins et du Provinois
The Musée de Provins et du Provinois, housed in the listed Maison romane, marks the 2026 Heritage Days in Provins with the launch of a full retrospective dedicated to Maurice Mourlot (1906,1983), painter, lithographer, engraver and draughtsman. The exhibition, open from 19 September to 20 December 2026, presents drawings, lithographs, woodcuts and oil paintings from the museum’s collections, which hold the most representative ensemble of the breadth of his work.
Born in Paris in 1906, Maurice Mourlot grew up in the family printing workshop, where he took part in producing lithographs for great masters of the 20th century including Matisse, Chagall, Braque, Miró, Bonnard, Derain and Raoul Dufy. His personal style, classical in appearance, is distinguished by a quiet humour and a freedom of composition that subtly sidesteps the rules of perspective. He spent time in Saint-Loup-de-Naud, near Provins, where he painted village life and the surrounding landscapes.
A guided tour of the exhibition is offered each day at 3pm, led by Luc Duchamp, chief heritage curator and exhibition commissioner. It is free but limited to 19 people, subject to availability. The museum’s permanent collections, which trace the history of Provins from Prehistory to the eve of the First World War across four floors, are freely accessible alongside the exhibition.
