recalled by Professor Delbet, whose mother's estate contains a bridge
over that river. A German general obliged Mme. Delbet, aged 77 years,
to be present at the passage of the troops over the bridge, a spectacle
which lasted seven hours. "Madame," said he, "when you become German,
for German you are going to be, you will feel very proud to have seen
my army pass through your gates. I have, besides, the intention to
order a handsome memorial tablet to be fixed here mentioning this
fact." As Mme. Delbet protested at the idea of becoming German, he
continued: "The French race is degenerate and worn out. As you belong
to a family of doctors, you must know that this is a fact. The French
are done for. I may as well tell you what we mean to do. We shall keep
the finest men and marry them to solid German girls; in this way, they
may be able to have healthy children. As for the other survivors, we
shall ship them off to America."
A few days after, Mme. Delbet had the pleasure of seeing the German
troops re-crossing the river in haste, pursued by French cavalry.
At the "Château de la Masure," at 3½ km. south of La Ferté-Gaucher,
much more tragic events took place, as the Enquiry Commission has
established. The occupants were M. Quenescourt, late mayor of Sézanne,
aged 77 years, with an old servant, and a lady from a neighbouring
hamlet who had come to seek refuge.
[Illustration: LA FERTÉ-GAUCHER SEEN FROM THE PROVINS ROAD]
[Illustration: BURNT HOUSES]
On September 5 several German soldiers and a non-commissioned officer
took possession of the estate. In order to protect one of the women
from the brutal attentions of the latter, M. Quenescourt sent her to
hide in the farm near by. The German hastened to look for her, found
her, brought her back to the castle and took her to an attic. The old
gentleman, wishing to save her, fired his revolver up the stairs. He
was killed point blank by the German officer who then ordered the woman
out of the attic, and handed her over to two soldiers who outraged her
in the room where lay the dead man; during this time the first brute
fell upon the old servant.
_At the cross roads, about 1 km. beyond the spot where the view was
taken, turn to the left, abandoning the line of telegraph poles._
_On arriving at_ +Courtacon+, we cross D. 8 (27½ km.) at the spot
where the view above was taken (the photographer standing before the
police station which was burned in September, 1914, but has since been
rebuilt).
_Continue straight on along D. 4, towards Provins_; on the left is the
group of burnt houses shown in the view below.
The Germans occupied Courtacon on September 6, and immediately set
fire to it, after having drenched the houses with paraffin oil. The
inhabitants were obliged to furnish the faggots of wood and the
matches. The mayor and five other hostages were led away, and guarded
in the midst of the troops during the combats which took place around
the village. After having pretended to shoot them, the Germans sent
them home again.
A young man named Rousseau, a conscript of the 1914 class, was torn
from his house with blows from the butt-end of rifles, and led with his
hands tied behind his back after the other hostages. Although the mayor
declared that the youth's "class" had not yet been called up, he was
shot at 50 yards from the village as a spy.
[Illustration: BURNT HOUSES]
On leaving we may see, if we look behind us, the line of heights
running eastwards from Courtacon to Esternay, and on which were
established the German positions when Franchet d'Esperey's army began
its offensive.
_We arrive without_ difficulty at Provins _(44 km.) after a zigzagging
descent, which_ gives us a charming view of the town (_see pp.
128-129_).
PROVINS
[Illustration:
N.-D. du Val.
St. Quiriace.
Cæsar's Tower.
GENERAL VIEW OF PROVINS]
The Upper Town of Provins dates from the Gallo-Roman period. In the
third century a "castrum" was established there on the hill. The Roman
general Probus, afterwards emperor, halted there about the year 271,
and caused the walls of the fortress to be repaired. Domitien had
forbidden the cultivation of the vine in Gaul, but Probus, during
his sojourn at Provins, abolished this prohibition, and thus won the
gratitude of the inhabitants. This fact has given rise to one of the
versions of the origin of the word "Provins," which is supposed to mean
"the vine of Probus."
ORIGIN AND PRINCIPAL HISTORICAL FACTS
[Illustration: PROVINS IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY]
[Illustration: PROVINS]
The lower town is of monastic origin. In the seventh century some
monks, flying before the Norman invasion, took refuge in the forest
which stretched at the foot of the fortress, and there buried the
remains of the martyr St. Ayoul. The body was discovered in 996, and
a church was erected on the spot. The church was followed by a large
monastery of the Cistercian Order, around which grew up the lower town.
In the tenth century Provins passed from the royal domain into the
hands of the Counts of Champagne, under whose rule it flourished
exceedingly. Many buildings were erected--abbeys, churches, palaces,
and a hospital; also a new wall enclosed the town. Commerce and
industry flourished. Dye-works, tanneries, weaving, and the manufacture
of cutlery occupied thousands of workmen, and the town counted, we are
told, 80,000 inhabitants (there are now only 9,000). Its fairs were
famous and were visited by strangers from all parts of Europe; even
the silks and carpets of the East were to be found there. Business was
carried on by means of money struck at Provins. The "sou provinois" was
accepted far beyond the borders of France.
This brilliant period did not outlast the thirteenth century. In 1270
Count Henri-le-Gros established heavy taxes on commerce and industries
which the principal citizens refused to pay. The mayor, Guillaume
Pentecôte, to calm them, lengthened the hours of the workmen, who
revolted and put him to death. The English Prince, Edmund of Lancaster,
who had married the widow of Henri-le-Gros, cruelly repressed these
troubles. Provins finally lost its independence by the marriage of the
daughter of Henri-le-Gros with the King of France. Philippe-le-Bel
(1284).
In 1870 Provins was occupied by the Prussians and suffered many
requisitions, but in 1914 the German wave stopped at its gates.
Provins is also known under the poetical name of the "City of Roses,"
because of the profusion of these flowers, which formerly constituted
its beauty and its wealth. According to tradition, the red rose of
Provins was brought back from the Crusades by Thibaut IV. The Earl of
Lancaster introduced it into his coat-of-arms, and thus it became the
rival of the white rose of York during the War of the Roses which, in
the fifteenth century, drenched England with blood.
[Illustration: THE UPPER TOWN OF PROVINS]
VISIT TO THE TOWN
(See plan inserted between pp. 128-129)
[Illustration: SAINT-AYOUL]
_Enter Provins by the Courloison Gate and Bridge, and, take the Rue
Courloison which follows. At the end of the street, turn to the right
into the Rue Abailard in order to arrive at the Place St-Ayoul, on to
which fronts the façade of the church of that name. If it is considered
desirable to take lunch before visiting the town, go directly to one of
the hotels indicated, returning later to the Place St.-Ayoul._
=CHURCH OF SAINT AYOUL= (classed as historical monument)
We have seen on p. 129 that a monastery was erected on the spot where
the body of the Martyr Saint Ayoul was found.
[Illustration: APSE OF SAINT-AYOUL]
About 1122, the great theologian Abailard, cruelly mutilated by the
vengeance of Canon Fulbert, uncle of Heloïse, and persecuted on account
of the boldness of his views, took refuge in the monastery adjoining
the church of Saint-Ayoul. He continued to teach there, and gathered
round him as many as 2,000 students.
[Illustration: THE CRUCIFIXION AT SAINT-AYOUL]
Saint-Ayoul was burned, then rebuilt in the twelfth century, and
restored in the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries.
The façade is reproduced in the photograph on p. 130. In spite of
mutilations suffered during the Revolution, and the inclemencies of the
weather, the great doorway is still worthy of interest.
A Renaissance gallery, terminated by a lantern, flanks on the left the
great bare gable pierced by three windows which surmount the gate. The
whole has thus a very original appearance.
In order to see the choir (thirteenth and fourteenth centuries), the
chapel (fourteenth century) which adjoins it, and the transept (twelfth
century), _go round the church to the left of the façade_. This part of
the building, which appears in the view at the foot of the preceding
page, is now used by the military authorities as a fodder store.
The Roman tower, which rises at the intersection of the transept, no
longer possesses its belfry, which was destroyed by fire, The bells now
used are those of the Tower of Notre-Dame-du-Val (visible on the right
of the photograph on p. 130).
In the interior, in the part reserved for worship, the central nave and
the side aisles of the thirteenth century may be visited. The north
aisle was doubled in the sixteenth century by a second nave.
The most interesting objects are the seventeenth century pulpit, and a
fine reredos, also of the seventeenth century, in carved wood, above
the high altar. It contains a picture, _Jesus in the Temple_, painted
in 1654 by the artist Stella, of Lyons, who, falling ill whilst passing
through Provins, had been cared for in one of the convents in the town.
[Illustration: ANGEL MUSICIAN]
[Illustration: ANGEL MUSICIAN]
[Illustration: RENAISSANCE VIRGIN]
In the lady chapel, on the right of the high altar, is some beautiful
wood-panelling, dating also from the seventeenth century. It is by the
same hand as the carved reredos, and is the work of Pierre Blasser of
Amiens. Standing against the panelling is a delicate Virgin in ivory,
of the sixteenth century, reproduced on p. 131.
[Illustration: SAINTE-CROIX]
To the left of the high altar is a group representing the Virgin and
Christ crucified, between Mary Magdalene and St. John. These statues
belong to the sixteenth century; as do also the smaller ones in white
marble, representing angel-musicians, which ornament the altar placed
in the angle of the church, to be found on the left on entering (_see
photo, p. 131_).
_On leaving Saint-Ayoul take a few steps along the first street on the
right_ in order to glance at the tower of Notre-Dame-du-Val (classed as
historical monument). The tower may be seen in the view at the foot of
p. 130. It was built in the sixteenth century on the site of an ancient
gate. Its construction occupied four years and cost only 1,400 "livres"
(about £56), the workmen at this period receiving 2 sous (one penny)
a day. The church and the cloister belonging to the tower disappeared
during the Revolution.
_Returning to the Place Saint-Ayoul, cross it on the right side, and at
the far end take the Rue de la Cordonnerie, which is a continuation._
It was at No. 17 that the poet Hégésippe Moreau was brought up, and
where he worked as a typographer. He has sung of Provins and the
Voulzie in verses which are well-known:--
La Voulzie, est-ce un fleuve aux grandes iles? Non,
Mais, avec un murmure aussi doux que son nom,
Un tout petit ruisseau coulant, visible à peine:
Un géant altéré le boirait d'une haleine,
Le naiu vert Obéron, jouant au bord des flots,
Sauterait par-dessus sads mouiller ses grelots.
[Illustration: DOORWAY AT SAINTE-CROIX]
_Cross the Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, and following the Rue du Val,
stop at the corner of the Rue Sainte-Croix in order to visit the church
of this name a few steps further on._
_Whilst the tourist continues his walk towards the Hospital-General and
the ramparts, which are not accessible to motor-cars, the latter may go
and wait at the Porte de Jouy. This is reached by following the Rue du
Val and its continuation the Rue St.-Thibaut, which brings one to the
upper town. Here cross diagonally the Place du Châtel, follow the Rue
Couverte and the Rue de Jouy till the porte is reached._
Church of Sainte-Croix
This Church was originally the Chapel of Saint-Laurent-des-Ponts (it
was impossible to enter it save by bridges thrown across the ditches,
which are now covered in).
[Illustration: STAINED GLASS WINDOWS, SAINTE-CROIX CHURCH]
It was enlarged in the thirteenth century, and took its present name
on the return from the crusades of Count Thibaut IV. of Champagne, who
presented it with a fragment of the Cross, which he had brought from
Jerusalem.
The church was destroyed by fire in the fourteenth century, and rebuilt
during the sixteenth. During the Revolution it became a saltpetre
factory.
The most interesting part of the façade is the doorway of the side
aisle (_see p. 132_) which is a beautiful specimen of sixteenth century
art.
Above the transept rises a twelfth century tower, whose semi-circular
belfry windows on the lower stage have been blocked up. The upper part
is surmounted by a modern spire.
In the interior, the nave and side aisles date from the thirteenth
century, but the vaulting has been restored in recent times. It is
noticeable that the pillars have not their normal height. The reason is
that the level of the ground had to be very much raised, in order to
protect the church from the floods, which were so frequent before the
construction of the "Fausse Rivière" which now drains the town.
[Illustration: PILLAR, SAINTE-CROIX CHURCH]
As at Saint-Ayoul, the north aisle was doubled in the sixteenth
century. This part of the church is interesting on account of its
moulded pillars whose carved capitals represent fantastic animals, as
may be seen in the opposite photograph.
The choir, which was rebuilt towards the middle of the sixteenth
century, is surrounded by a double ambulatory, and the screen which
shuts it off is a beautiful piece of wrought-iron work.
A chapel terminates the apse, where are to be seen three windows of
gray-toned stained glass, also dating from the sixteenth century.
In the photograph above is the one on the left of the chapel; it
represents the Annunciation.
[Illustration: CAPITAL OF PILLAR, SAINTE-CROIX CHURCH]
The baptistery (_in the left angle of the church on entering_) is
closed off by a railing which may be perceived in the above view. It
contains an interesting thirteenth century font, on which are carved a
series of figures taking part in a baptismal procession (_see p. 134_).
[Illustration: LECTERN, SAINTE-CROIX]
[Illustration: STOUP, SAINTE-CROIX]
Beside the railing of the baptistery is a fine wrought iron lectern,
dating from the seventeenth century and reproduced in the opposite
photograph.
Worthy of notice also is a small stone stoup, dating from the twelfth
century, which stands at the entrance to the south aisle (photograph
opposite).
_On leaving Sainte-Croix, turn to the right into the Rue Sainte-Croix;
then take the first street on the left. At the end of this is the Rue
de la Bibliothèque, on the right of which is the_ entrance to a public
garden left to the town by M. Garnier. _Before entering it, take a few
steps to the left_ as far as the little river, le Durteint, which,
flowing between houses, forms a picturesque sight.
_Cross the garden_, in the middle of which is the former residence of
the donor, now transformed into a public library and museum. Passing
alongside a monument to the memory of the sons of Provins killed in
action, _we leave the garden by the little entrance opening on to the
Boulevard d'Aligre_. This boulevard, constructed on the site of the
ramparts, forms a pretty walk. On the other side of it, opposite the
"Jardin Garnier," is the mineral water establishment. The ferruginous
waters of Provins were discovered in 1646; they may be drunk or bathed
in.
_On taking the Boulevard d'Aligre to the left_, we perceive, standing
out on the right, the "Hôpital-Général." _In order to reach it, cross
the canal by the foot-bridge, and follow the path which leads to the
foot of this building and to a gate giving access to the terraced
gardens. Turn to the right in front of the gate, keeping to the wall;
then take a steep path, half-way up which is the entrance door._ Ring
and ask permission to view the "hospital."
[Illustration: FONT, SAINTE-CROIX]
=Hôpital-Général= (classed as historical monument)
[Illustration: CLOISTER, HÔPITAL-GÉNÉRAL]
We must climb a double staircase to reach the upper terrace where is
the hospital proper.
The beautiful view of the whole town thus obtained is alone well worth
this visit.
The hospital was originally a convent of the "Cordelières," founded in
1237 by Thibaut-le-Chansonnier, Count of Champagne. Tradition relates
that he decided to build a convent because of a vision which came to
him one night in his palace in the upper town: he saw St. Catherine on
the hill opposite tracing the outlines of a building with her sword.
The convent was several times destroyed by fire.
[Illustration: CLOISTER, HÔPITAL-GÉNÉRAL]
Henry IV. made it his headquarters when he besieged Provins in 1592,
and he narrowly escaped death by a cannon-ball, which killed several of
his officers.
In 1748 Louis XV. turned the convent into a "Hôpital-Général." To-day
it is a home for old people and orphan children, managed by nuns, who
act as guides to tourists desirous of visiting the establishment.
The galleries of the cloisters, dating from the fourteenth and
fifteenth centuries, are interesting as showing specimens of very fine
timber-work. The foliage of the capitals of the pillars is also to be
remarked (see opposite photograph).
[Illustration: MONUMENT OF THIBAUT'S HEART]
In the old chapter-room some handsome vaulting is still to be seen.
In the centre of the chapel is a little stone monument, of the
thirteenth century (view opposite), which contains the heart of
Thibaut, the founder of the monastery; that of his wife, Isabel of
France, daughter of St. Louis; and that of her son. It consists of
a carved and gilded metal cover surmounting six panels, each one
containing, under a canopy, a monk reading a book.
The visit ended, _we retrace our steps to the Boulevard d'Aligre and
follow it to the right, crossing the Durteint_. The city wall begins at
this point.
=The Ramparts= (historical monument)
[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO THE TURRET, THE TROU-AU-CHAT]
The line of the ramparts climbs upwards. At the summit is a doorway
pierced in a part of the wall which juts off from the principal line
of ramparts. It is the "Porte Faneron" and formed part of the original
wall which surrounded the upper town.
Under the Counts of Champagne the ramparts were considerably developed,
and in the thirteenth century were made to include the lower town.
The opening in the wall on the right of the above view leads to a
thirteenth century tower. The exit is by the "Trou-au-chat," so called
because it was formed during a siege by a "cat" (a form of catapult for
throwing heavy stones). The photograph below shows the picturesque view
obtained from the interior of the turret.
_Take the climbing path amidst the trees towards the top of the hill._
It is a pretty walk, and affords a good opportunity to judge of the
solidity of the walls, which are dotted here and there with towers.
_The path ends at the Porte de Jouy, where we shall find the car which
we left in the lower town, and which has followed the directions on p.
132._
[Illustration: THE RAMPARTS SEEN FROM THE TROU-AU-CHAT]
[Illustration: PORTE DE JOUY]
La +Porte de Jouy+ (the Jouy Gate) reproduced opposite was constructed
in the twelfth century and demolished in the eighteenth, as its keep
threatened to fall. It comprised two gates, two portcullises and a
drawbridge. A subterranean passage united the two sides; its entrance
is still to be seen on the interior of the left hand portion.
* * * * *
[Illustration: BRÈCHE DES ANGLAIS]
Continue the visit of the walls _by the outer "boulevard" which is
accessible to motors_. This part of the fortifications is being
restored at present. The way leads past the "+Brèche des Anglais+" (the
English Breach) (photograph opposite), by which the English are said to
have effected an entrance in 1432. The great corner tower, the foremost
on the photograph below, is the "+Tour aux Engins+"; it is 65 feet high
and its walls are 8 feet thick.
[Illustration: THE RAMPARTS]
[Illustration: PORTE SAINT-JEAN]
_We arrive at the handsome Porte Saint-Jean by which we re-enter
Provins._
The +Porte Saint-Jean+ defended the old Paris road. It was built in the
twelfth century, strengthened in the thirteenth, and was surmounted by
a keep which has since disappeared. A drawbridge, a portcullis, and a
double door presented successive obstacles to assailants. The masonry
of the walls is worthy of note, the stones being dressed in embossment,
that is to say, instead of being flat, they are protruding. This
arrangement gave a greater force of resistance.
The guard rooms on the ground floor of the two towers communicate with
each other by means of a subterranean passage; those of the first floor
communicate by means of a gallery.
_Re-enter Provins by passing through the gateway and take the Rue
Saint-Jean._
La Grange-aux-Dîmes (Tithe Barn)
(historical monument)
[Illustration: GRANGE-AUX-DÎMES (TITHES)]
_At the end of the street on the left is the_ "Grange-aux-Dîmes" (view
opposite). An old military building, rebuilt before 1176, it became
in turn a market and then an inn. It was afterwards a store-house for
the tithes of the harvest, and it is to this last use that it owes its
present name.
[Illustration: MUSEUM IN THE GRANGE-AUX-DÎMES]
_To visit it, ask for the key from the guardian who lives opposite, in
the house at the corner of the Rue Saint-Jean and the Rue Couverte._
There is an archæological museum on the ground floor (photograph on p.
138).
[Illustration: CRYPT OF THE GRANGE-AUX-DÎMES]
We descend into the crypt, which resembles the ground floor in
disposition (view opposite), by a stairway whose entrance is hidden by
a sort of wooden trap-door. A great many of the houses in the upper
town have somewhat similar basements or cellars, with subterranean
passages giving access to the open country, for use in times of danger.
The upper hall, which is of no especial interest, is reached by an
outer stair, visible on the right of the façade.
Place du Châtel
_On leaving the_ Grange-aux-Dîmes, _take on the right, at the end of
the Rue Saint-Jean, the Rue Couverte leading to the picturesque_ Place
du Châtel _seen on the photograph below_. The old feudal well on the
left, with its wrought-iron top, is 120 feet deep. Beside it is the
Crois-aux-Changes, dating from the fourteenth century, on which the
"edicts and ordonnances" were posted up.
Beyond the Place may be seen the "+Cæsar's Tower+."
[Illustration: PLACE DU CHÂTEL]
[Illustration: THE HÔTEL DE LA COQUILLE AND THE RUINS OF ST.-THIBAUT]
_Turning to the left on the Place we reach in the north-west corner,
the old_ "+Maison-des-Petits Plaids+" where the provost meted out
justice. It may be seen in part in the background of the opposite
photograph. The curious low roof covers an interesting vaulted passage.
The house is built over fine thirteenth century cellars in which the
poet and songster Pierre Dupont (1821-1870) composed his "Chanson de la
Vigne" (song of the Vine), during a vine-dressers' festival.
In the centre of the above view is the old "+Hôtel de la Coquille+,"
which derives its name from the shell carved above its entrance.
The neighbouring ruins are those of the twelfth century +Church of
Saint-Thibaut+. _Motorists are advised to send their car to wait for
them in the lower part of the Rue Saint-Thibaut at the corner of the
Rue Christophe-Opoix, whither they themselves will return after having
visited the Cæsar's Tower and Saint-Quiriace._ The beginning of the
picturesque Rue Saint-Thibaut is to be seen in the photograph below.
_Tourists should walk to the south-east corner of the Place and there
take the Rue de l'Ormerie, then immediately on the right, the Rue
Pierre-Lebrun._ The house in which this writer lived is situated in a
charming little square, opening off the street.
[Illustration: RUE SAINT-THIBAUT]
[Illustration: CÆSAR'S TOWER AND ST.-QUIRIACE]
_The Rue Pierre-Lebrun makes a bend in order to rejoin the Rue
Jean-Desmare's, along which turn to the right._ From this spot there
is a fine view of Cæsar's Tower and of the Church of Saint-Quiriace
(see the above photograph). The ruined wall seen in the centre jutting
off from the tower belongs to the original fortifications. That piece
breaking off from the "Porte Faneron" (_p. 136_) rejoined Cæsar's Tower.