THE RAMPARTS
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)