Troyes Things to Do

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Saint Urbain IV was born in Troyes, son of a shop keeper, and celebrated his home town with a fine church started in 1262 and finished in 1686. The church was built on the site of the family store. It is of two levels and extends almost onto the vault with a simple altar whose top also extends to the vaults. The present five gabled facade was installed in the 19C over the porch which obscures the fine tympanum which minimally depicts the Last Judgement. The lateral outer faces adorned with buttresses , pinnacles and gargoyles.

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Although the Cathedral of St.-Pierre et St.-Paul has many stained glass windows from the 13C and each period of the next centuries, the most impressive window was created in the 17C by Linard Gontier in 1625. Note that at this time the pictures in each section are painted upon the glass and not embedded into the matrix. What is shown is called the Pressoir Mystique depicting Jesus under a wine press expressing his essence. He is surrounded by Apostles who are there to get The Word. Other fine series of windows are those on the Life of the Virgin from the 13C.

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The inside of the church is light in structure and has great clarity. Although it is not high (29.5 m), it is of large size, 114m long and 51m wide. It has a flat false triforium with tall windows above and tall aisles. The church is filled with stained glass of every age from Gothic onward. The Rose Window in the west end is almost covered on the inner side by a large organ case.

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The Cathedral of St-Pierre-et-St. Paul was started in 1208 but was built on soggy ground which caused difficulties in building. Thus it progressed slowly with many reconstructions and modifications into the 17C. After the Revolution essentially all of the outside sculpture was destroyed but some stone decoration and gargoyles remain above the west end gables. It was partly built and used by 1314 with part of the nave done but it was only consecrated in 1429 with Charles VII in attendance. There is only a Northwest Tower of Renaissance type; the Southwest end is only 29 m high.

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This "cat street" is so named because the roofs of the houses on opposite sides are so close that a cat could jump from one side to the other. This narrow medieval street seems like an alley, or one of the closes in Edinburgh. It also reminded me of the Shambles in York. This local curiousity conveys an idea of how crowded towns were in the Middle Ages.

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This town has several impressive parish churches. Each one has its own history and special features.

Saint Urbain was founded by Saint Pantaleon, who was born here in 1185. When he was elected Pope in 1261, he took the name Urban IV, so his church changed its name to St Urbain. This is Troyes' finest Gothic church.

Saint Pantaleon dates from the 16th century. It has a vast collection of sculpture, much of it recovered from other churches which had been destroyed.

Saint Nizier is another 16th century church, a fine example of Renaissance Gothic architecture.

Saint Remy dates from the 14th century, with an inscription on the south side reading "Our days on earth pass like a shadow".

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This museum has two sections, the Musée de l'Art Troyen and the Musée de la Bonneterie. The first concerns the art of Troyes, mainly from the 16th century. The second is about hosiery and knitwear made here. Like La Maison de L'Outil, it gives one a glimpse of the past, and an appreciation of the people who lived here centuries ago.

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Do you ever wonder how people actually lived in the Middle Ages? Most were either farmers, laborers, or craftsmen (such as blacksmiths, carpenters, coopers, wheelwrights, etc). This museum has examples of the tools that they used in their work. This is a museum dedicated to the common people, to the "Joe the Plumber" of old Europe. It's not about the kings, nobles, or bishops, like so many other places in France.