An historic city and centre for the arts, Troyes has managed to preserve a remarkable historical heritage over the centuries. As visitors walk through its cobbled streets, Aube’s capital yields: timber-frame houses, Renaissance town houses, gothic churches and cathedrals. A Medieval jewel that must be visited on foot!
The Champagne Cork
The historic centre of the city is nicknamed “the cork”, a reference to Champagne but above all to the surprising shape, as seen from the air, that time and history, in their wisdom, have given it. The famous fairs were held here in the Middle Ages.
The popular saying “What do they do in Troyes? They sound the bells there!” is a reminder of the numerous churches within the city. Its eight churches, its Saint Urban’s basilicaand its Saint-Pierre Saint-Paul cathedral are the setting for an ensemble of stained glass windows and sculptures unique in Europe.
Immersion into the heart of the Middle Ages
A major legacy from this time, stained glass adorns the city with multi-coloured flashes of light. Scenes from the Bible and legends, told through hundreds of pieces of coloured glass, fill the window bays of the churches. In these temples to gothic art, visitors can also admire the statuary produced by the master sculptors of the Troyes school of the 16th century.
Troyes enjoyed several major phases of restoration in the 20th century which restored it to its original colours. The timber-frame houses are now clad in pink, green, yellow and blue and restore to the Medieval city, all its former life.
A visit to Troyes is to immerse oneself in the Middle Ages!