Vence is a commune set in the hills of the Alpes Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France between Nice and Antibes.

Miscellany

Vence is famous for being home to artists, sculptors and painters. D. H. Lawrence died in Vence, March 1930. His remains were later exhumed and taken to a ranch in New Mexico.

The town has a small chapel, up above the historique Chapelle du Saint-Marie du Rosaire (1948, completed in 1951), decorated with stained glass and other fittings by Henri Matisse.

Within the historique village, there is a chapel that has a mosaic by Chagall on an outside wall, dated 1911.

There is a section of the old Roman road still in the village, and it can be walked on.

Vence is famous for its spring water, which can be collected from numerous fountains throughout the town.

Vence is twinned with the market town of Stamford, Lincolnshire.

Famous residents

• Maurice Boitel (b.1919), artist
• Henri Calet (1904?1956), writer
• Marc Chagall, artist
• Raoul Dufy, artist
• Witold Gombrowicz (1904?1969), writer, died in his home here
• Henri Matisse (1869-1954), artist
• Jacques (artist) and Gwen Raverat (artist and writer)
• James Baldwin (writer) died in the near-by St Paul de Vence

Ecclesiastical history

The first known Bishop of Vence is Severus, bishop in 439 and perhaps as early as 419.

Among others are: St. Veranus, son of St. Eucherius, Archbishop of Lyon and a monk of Lérins, bishop before 451 and at least until 465; St. Lambert, first a Benedictine monk (died 1154); Cardinal Alessandro Farnese (1505-11).

Antoine Godeau, Bishop of Grasse, was named Bishop of Vence in 1638; the Holy See wished to unite the two dioceses. Meeting with opposition from the chapter and the clergy of Vence Godeau left Grasse in 1653, to remain Bishop of Vence, which see he held until 1672.

The diocese of Nice now unites the three former Dioceses of Nice, Grasse and Vence.

[Vence Cathedral:,]

Education

Nursery schools

• École Maternelle lei bigaradie
• École Maternelle du Signadour
• École Maternelle de l'ouest

Primary schools

• École primaire du Suve
• École primaire Saint-Michel
• École primaire Toreille
• École primaire Chagall

Grammar school

• Collège La Sine

High school

• Lycée Henri Matisse.

Sources and external links

• French language Wikipedia has an article about Henri Calet.

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