Vence

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Administration
Commune of Vence
Location
Longitude	07° 06' 51" E
Latitude	43° 43' 25" N
Country	France
Région	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Département	Alpes-Maritimes
Arrondissement	Grasse
Canton	Vence
Intercommunality	Communauté d'agglomération de Nice-Côte d'Azur
Mayor	Pierre Marchou (2001-2008)
Statistics
Altitude	40 m–1,033 m (avg. 325 m)
Land area¹	39.230 km²
Population² (1999)	(Vençois) 16,982
- Density (1999)	432/km²
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	06157/ 06140
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).
Image:Flag of France.svg

Vence is a small French town and commune set in the hills of the Alpes Maritimes département, between Nice and Antibes.

1 Miscellanea
2 Famous residents
3 Ecclesiastical history
4 Education
5 Sources and external links

[edit] Miscellanea

It is famous as a home for artists, sculptors and painters.

D. H. Lawrence died here in March 1930. His remains were later exhumed and taken to a ranch in New Mexico.

There is a small chapel, Chapelle du Saint-Marie du Rosaire (1948, completed in 1951), decorated with stained glass and other fittings by Henri Matisse.

[edit] Famous residents

Maurice Boitel (b.1919), artist
Henri Calet (1904–1956), writer
Marc Chagall, artist
Raoul Dufy, artist
Witold Gombrowicz (1904–1969), writer
Henri Matisse (1869-1954, artist
Jacques (artist) and Gwen Raverat (artist and writer)

[edit] 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:[1],[2]]