Medieval Fortifications

This past Saturday I traveled via train 2 hours east to the Medieval city of Provins. Provins is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Provins, a town of medieval fairs, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. (for those Americans obsessed with the Pennsylvania and New York Renaissance Fare...this is a must-see town). Provins was home to one of the Champagne fairs that were crucial to the medieval European economy, when the city was under the protection of Counts of Champagne. (The Counts of Champagne ruled the region of Champagne from 950 to 1316. Champagne evolved from the county of Troyes in the late eleventh century and Hugh I was the first to officially use the title "Count of Champagne". When Louis became King of France in 1314, upon the death of his father Philip IV, Champagne became part of the Crown's territories. The titular counts of Champagne also inherited the post of seneschal of France). Provins is well-known for its medieval fortifications, such as the Tour César (the Caesar Tower), and might I add, that when climbing the stairs to the top of the tower I barley could fit. I'm not saying I'm super skinny, but I am certainly not fat! This is what I was thinking the entire time framed in those tiny stairwells, "What would they say to a person who is twice my size that comes to the gate? Do they say, 'Sorry, there is a width minimum to fit through the stairs,' or do they just take their money and let them find out they can't even climb the tower?!" what a waste of their money. LOL Since Provins is a fortified city, there are the must see well-preserved city walls, and 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, brought from Jerusalem by Henry I of Champagne, who built a church in this town to display it. It is still at 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."