COTE D’AZUR | VENCE | FRANCE | DJI MAVIC AIR 3 CINE DRONE FOOTAGE
The first known Bishop of Vence is Severus, bishop in 439 and perhaps as early as 419.Among others are: 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.
Within the historic village, a medieval walled village, there are numerous interesting sights and monuments. The Peyra Gate was remodelled in 1810. The fountain was rebuilt in 1822 replacing an older one dating from 1578. Nearby is an ash tree, donated by François I and planted in 1538. The castle is today the Fondation Émile Hugues, a modern and contemporary art museum. The cathedral was built in the 4th century on the site of a Roman temple. The stone of the western façade dates from 239. Another, on the right, was engraved in December 220. Other stones in the external walls represent funerary dedications. Also on the western side of the church, the Pierre du Tauroble evokes the cult of Cybele and also the Great mother of the Gods of Mount Ida. A chapel in the cathedral has a mosaic by Marc Chagall, dated 1979. The rue des Portiques is a section of the old Roman road.The town has a small chapel, up above the Cité Historique Chapelle du Rosaire (1948, completed in 1951), decorated with stained glass and other fittings by Henri Matisse, who owned a home in the village towards the end of his life.Vence is famous for its spring water, which can be collected from numerous fountains in the town.
Vence combines the charm of a historical town with an exceptionally mild micro-climate. Dufy, Matisse, Chagall, Dubuffet, Carzou, Arman, D.H Laurence…
These are just some of the artists attracted to Vence. Henri Matisse for example, to whom we owe the Rosaire chapel, a unique piece of work, said of Vence where he lived: “this morning as I was walking along in front of my house, seeing all these young girls, women and men cycling to the market I felt as if I was in Tahiti.”
Behind all this charm is a great deal of history. Vence was formerly the ancient Roman settlement of Vintium, and subsequently became the bishopric and seigneury of the Villeneuve family. The town has conserved much of its historical heritage. From the Ligurian period you can admire the “Marseillais Columns”, the remnants of a Roman triumphal arch.
Later on, in the Middle Ages, a defensive wall was built around the town. Many fine remains of this rampart are still standing and can be crossed at the tower-gate of Signadour or the Levis portal (both dating back to the 13th century), the Peyra gate (15th century) or the Breche gate (18th century).
Once you have entered the town, just wander around the maze of cobbled alleyways, passing underneath refreshing vaulted passageways, to admire Place du Peyra Renaissance and its famous fountain photographed innumerable times (1822). Don’t miss the Gothic house on Place Godeau, and on Place Thiers, the ash tree planted in memory of François 1st’s visit in 1538!
The Romanesque cathedral (11th century) adjoining the Saint Lambert Tower (12th century), contains stalls sculpted by Jacotin Bellot, a dredge carpenter from Grasse (15th century), a beautiful 16th century altar piece, a unique set of 17th century polychrome wooden statues, a mosaic by Marc Chagall (“Moses saved from the waters”) and a Saint-Veran sarcophagus dating back to the 5th century!
Then leave the old town via the Peyra gate to visit the Château des Villeneuve, now converted into a museum where contemporary art exhibitions are held. Further on you should visit the Chapelle des Pénitents blancs, a superb building boasting a cupola covered with varnished tiles and a Renaissance belltower.
Further on still you can quench your thirst at the Fontaine de la Foux, from which extremely pure mineral water has been flowing ever since medieval times (1431). With its micro-climate blessed by the gods, its hills of olive trees and citrus fruits, common and holm oaks, Aleppo pines, luxuriant gardens fragrant with rosemary and lavender, its majestic baous and the Col de Vence where the air is so pure, Vence has plenty of assets to enchant you.
MUSIC:
* The Away – Wonderful Relaxation
* Floating – Wonderful Relaxation