Devotion, History and Art
The Relics, Reliquaries and Busts of Saint Véran and Saint Lambert of Vence

Today, just behind the main altar of the Vence Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame de la Nativité – Cathedral of Our Lady of the Nativity), two silver-plated copper busts rest in small wall niches on either side of the sanctuary, one of Saint Véran, the other of Saint Lambert. Veran’s was created in 1825 and Lambert’s in 1826, both by the same Parisian goldsmith from Place Saint-Sulpice. Each bust is mounted on a glass reliquary containing the relics (bones) of its respective Saint. The relics, among the most cherished in Vence, have remained within the cathedral for fifteen and eight centuries respectively.

These two busts continue a tradition that dates back to the late 15th century. At that time, the most prized possessions among the cathedral’s many treasures were a gilded silver bust of Saint Véran and a gilded copper bust of Saint Lambert. These busts were designed as “reliquaries,” and each contained bones from the respective Saints. They both appear in the first surviving inventory of the cathedral, compiled in 1507 between the episcopates of bishops Aymar de Vesc (bishop of Vence from 1494 to 1501) and Alexandre Farnese (bishop of Vence from 1508 to 1510), though they were inaccurately described then as “mitered silver heads.”

The story of these two busts, and the relics they hold, is long and intriguing, recorded in numerous historical accounts and references. Mentions of them can be found in inventories and reports of the cathedral authored by several of the bishops over the centuries, including one from 1604 by Pierre du Vair, two from Antoine Godeau (one in 1654 and another in 1666), one from Louis de Thomassin in 1673, one from Théodore Allart in 1683, and one from 1716 by Flodoard Moret de Bourchenu. More information about the busts has been provided in articles and books written by various historians during the last five hundred years.

Unfortunately, some of these accounts offer conflicting details about the dates, appearances, and origins of these busts. No drawings or paintings of these busts have survived. Both disappeared during the French Revolution, almost certainly sent to the Paris mint to be melted down. I’ve gone through all the information I could find and tried to compile what I think is an accurate history and account of the busts, as well as the relics of Saint Véran and Saint Lambert.

You can read a more in-depth account of the life of Saint Véran in this article: Faith and Legends: Uncovering the 5th Century Mystique of Saint Véran of Vence.

The Tombs and Relics of the Saints

The original tombs of both Saint Véran and Saint Lambert can still be seen today inside the Vence Cathedral. In the Chapel of Saint Véran, the front of the marble altar is made from a portion of a beautiful Luni (Carrara) marble Roman sarcophagus from the 4th century. It was in this sarcophagus that Véran was originally buried in 492.

Next to this chapel is the Chapel of Saint Lambert. Similar to the altar in the Chapel of Saint Véran, the front of this marble altar contains a portion of Lambert’s original tomb. It bears a six-line epitaph from 1154. Carved in the simple Romanesque style of the period, the Latin inscription honors him as a shepherd who guided his flock for forty years, “neither exalted by good fortune nor broken by hardship.”

The earliest account we have of Saint Véran’s tomb being opened and relics retrieved from it is rather vague. And, it relates directly to Saint Lambert. Several sources say that during his time as bishop, Lambert sent relics of Saint Véran to the village of Bauduen (Lambert’s birthplace), reflecting his special devotion to Véran. None of the sources mentions an exact date for these transfers, but Lambert was Bishop of Vence from 1114 until 1154. We have no records of Véran’s tomb being opened before this period or of his relics being distributed to other churches or individuals. It seems likely, though, that some relics were probably removed during this almost seven-hundred-year period between his death and the episcopacy of Saint Lambert.

We know that the tomb of Saint Lambert was opened several other times over the centuries. The first record we have comes from The Life of Saint Lambert, a 17th-century handwritten manuscript by Canon Jacques Barcillon. Barcillon composed at least two known works: La Vie de Saint Véran (The Life of Saint Véran), written around 1630 and the previously mentioned la Vie de Saint Lambert, probably completed in the 1640s.

Barcillon states that Lambert’s tomb was first opened in 1400 (“la première fut au commencement de l’année 1400”) and at that time his head was placed in a reliquary decorated with a silver miter. He says that a cannon named Antoine Malamaire (Malemaire?) provided the funds for this reliquary.

It’s hard to know what to make of this account, for there is never another mention made of a reliquary being created this early. Throughout the rest of history, Barcillon is the only writer to mention it. In Vence – Un Diocèse, Une Cité, Un Canton, published in 1957, another Vence historian, Laurent Dailliez, does mention an “Antoine Malamaire, prebendary canon” in the context of the year 1422, so it seems likely this is the same canon. However, as we shall see shortly, another canon named Christophe Malamaire is credited by others with paying for the gilded-copper bust that was created at the end of the 1400s.

It seems unlikely that Barcillon would have confused the two, yet he makes no mention of a second reliquary being created at the end of the century (where all accounts place it). No one else dates this reliquary to the first part of the 1400s. We must assume Barcillon is speaking of the one created later and paid for by Christophe Malamaire.

According to Denis Ghiraldi who wrote an article published in 1993 titled “La Curieuse Destinee des Reliques des Saints Veran et Lambert de Vence” (The Curious Fate of the Relics of Saints Véran and Lambert of Vence), archival records from 1431 show that a Master Milon Berthon of Avignon “returned several bones of Saint Lambert to the cathedral which had been stolen from his tomb.” Ghiraldi provides no more information, but clearly, these relics were stolen sometime earlier.

The Plague of 1465

In 1462, Raphaël Monso, an Augustinian monk and former confessor to René d’Anjou (Good King René), was appointed Bishop of Vence following the death of his predecessor, Aymar de Montemajor. He would serve in this position until his death in 1491.

In 1463, a major outbreak of plague struck Vence as part of a wider epidemic affecting eastern Provence and the County of Nice. It was neither the first nor the last such outbreak: plague would return repeatedly to the region in waves over the following centuries. Nearby towns and villages, including Tourrettes, Cagnes, Saint-Paul and Villeneuve, were affected to varying degrees, while Nice suffered particularly severe losses. In the surrounding countryside, fear of contagion led to the temporary abandonment of certain hamlets such as La Baude, whose inhabitants sought refuge in neighboring settlement of Saint-Jeannet.

Throughout the crisis, the townspeople prayed fervently to their patron saints, and Vence appears to have been spared the worst of the outbreak. In the eyes of its inhabitants, this was yet another moment in which Saint Véran, in particular, confirmed his enduring reputation as the “Defender of Vence.” When the epidemic finally subsided, the people of Vence credited both saints with having preserved their community relatively intact, especially in comparison with neighboring towns that had suffered far more severely.

It is generally thought that these plague outbreaks helped prompt the decision to remove the bodies of both saints from their original resting places. Saint Véran had remained in his tomb for nearly a thousand years, and Saint Lambert for roughly three hundred. Their remains were exhumed so that they could be more fully honored and publicly venerated.

The 15th Century Busts and Reliquaries

We know that busts of the saints were created sometime after this plague, in gratitude for their protection of the town. In the earliest account we have of these busts, Barcillon, writing in The Life of Saint Véran, refers to the artist as Laurens de Pardis (identified by various authors over the years as either Léon de Pardis, Laurent de Pardis, or Laurent de Paris) and dates the work to October 10, 1495. He states that a Latin inscription on the base of the bust reads: “Lauretius Parisiesis aureficus fecit anno MCCCCLXXXXV die X mesis octobris.” (Laurentius of Paris, goldsmith, made this in the year 1495, on the 10th day of the month of October.)

In 1698, the then-current bishop of Vence, François de Bertons de Crillon (bishop of Vence from 1697 to 1714), authored a report of the Vence cathedral where he noted a slightly different inscription on the base: “Caput Beati Verani episcopi Venciensis fabricatum per magistrum Laure anno millesimo quadringentesimo nonagesimo quinto.” (The head of Blessed Véran, bishop of Vence, made by Master Laure in the year 1495.) It seems possible that the first inscription, as noted by Barcillon, was a maker’s inscription left by the man who created the bust, and the second, as indicated by Crillon, was a dedicatory inscription. Or perhaps Barcillon and Crillon were simply not very exact in how they described the inscription.

In his 1914 book Vence – Ses Monuments – Ses Saints – Ses Évêques – Ses Curés – Son Église – Son Trésor – Ses Reliques – Ses Chapelles, Jacques Daurelle, a noted historian of Vence, writes that Bishop Monso commissioned a Parisian artist to create a gilded silver bust of Saint Véran. Dailliez gives the artist’s name as Paridis and claims he was from Nice, not Paris. In his book, Monographie de l’Ancienne Cathédrale de Vence, M.G. Doublet, a 19th-century historian and writer, dates Monso’s commission specifically to 1468. However, since the bust was not created for almost thirty years, this seems unlikely.

If we take Barcillon and Crillon’s accounts, this bust would date from the episcopate of either Jean de Vesc (bishop of Vence from 1491 to 1494)or his brother Aymar de Vesc, not Raphaël Monso. Perhaps it was Monso who first proposed the idea, and maybe even commissioned the bust, but he clearly died before the bust was finished.

In his seminal History of Vence from 1860, Abbé Tisserand states that the bust was delivered to Vence and inaugurated by Bishop Jean de Vesc on October 10, 1491. However, he contradicts himself in his Study on Godeau when he says it was inaugurated by Jean’s brother and successor, Aymar de Vesc, on October 10, 1495. Based on the reported inscriptions, 1495 would seem to be the correct date. Barcillon says the bust was “made” on October 10, 1495, but it is possible this has been misinterpreted and could actually be referring to when it was “inaugurated.”

At this time, the remains of Saint Véran were removed from the Roman sarcophagus in which they had rested for a thousand years. Doublet writes that “almost all the relics were taken out and placed in a cypress chest, except for the skull.” According to Barcillon, the skull was “set in a silver reliquary, raised on the chest, gilded on the upper part, and adorned with a mitre.”

The word “almost” is important here. According to Barcillon, there was “…a long-standing religious custom throughout the Church, [whereby] the tombs of saints are never left entirely empty of their relics. This ensures that the devotion of the faithful who come to venerate them is not misplaced.”

A bust of Saint Lambert was commissioned shortly after that of Saint Véran, but records indicate it was not as lavish, made from gilded copper (not silver). We have much less information about this bust than we do about the one for Saint Véran. Dailliez notes that the Canon Christophe Malamaire, using his own funds, paid for this statue of Saint Lambert and that Laurent de Paridis also created it. Doublet says that the artist is unknown. We have no information about when it might have been inaugurated.

(Note: Ghiraldi says that two busts were created in 1466, a copper one for Saint Lambert, offered by Canon Christophe Nalamaire, and a silver one for Saint Véran commissioned by Bhsiop Monso from the goldsmith Laurent de Pardis. He says that at this time the relics of both saints were transferred to these reliquaries. Based on all the other evidence and accounts, this seems to be wrong.)

It was thought that at that time, Saint Lambert’s entire body was removed from his tomb. The head was placed in the reliquary, and the rest of the remains were said to have been placed in a cypress box. At least this is what was believed to be true for hundreds of years.

We should also note that in his book Vence – parcourue pour vous…, published in 2001, Daniel Petite (a more recent historian of Vence) offers a slightly different account of the two original busts. He says that the remains of the saints “were exhumed and then displayed in metal reliquaries topped with wooden busts.” It’s hard to explain why Petite makes no mention of the gilded silver and copper busts described in every other account we have. Perhaps he was confusing the gilded silver and copper busts with a set of wooden busts discovered in 1914 (see below)?

We have numerous accounts and descriptions of the bust of Saint Véran, left by various bishops over the years. Just over a century since its creation, in a report from 1604, Bishop Pierre du Vair (bishop of Vence from 1601 to 1637) mentioned the “head of Monsignor Saint Véran,” noting that one of the pendants on the mitre needed repair. Fifty years after that, in 1654, Bishop Antoine Godeau (bishop of Vence from 1638 to 1672) described the bust as gilded silver and urged the chapter to acquire a lead reliquary to contain the remainder of Saint Véran’s relics. In 1673, Bishop Louis de Thomassin (bishop of Vence from 1672 to 1681) wrote that the bust was “of gilded silver with a matching mitre; the skull of the said Saint Véran is inside, and the rest of the bones are in a gilded and sealed wooden chest.” A decade later, in 1683, Bishop Théodore Allart (bishop of Vence from 1681 to 1687) gave an identical description.

The bust of Saint Lambert is also well documented through pastoral reports. In 1604, du Vair refers to “the head of Monsignor Saint Lambert.” A few years later, Godeau notes that “the head is silver, the rest is copper.”

According to Doublet, in another report from 1698, Crillon added to the description of the bust, saying that the mitre was adorned with false stones. He also claimed that the Saint’s skull lacked authentication! Considering that the relics of Saint Véran are considered quite possibly the most precious in the Vence collection, this assertion is astounding. It should be noted that it does not seem to appear anywhere else in the literature or local tradition.

Confusion About the Relics

Some confusion about the relics of both Saint Véran and Saint Lambert arose in 1634 when a relic of Saint-Lambert was promised to his hometown of Bauduen. Believing that the remains of both Saints were kept in the same cypress chest, the chest was opened, and to everyone’s dismay, it appeared as if, through a lack of proper care or simple oversight, the relics of the two saints had become mixed together over time. As a result, no one could say with certainty which bones belonged to Saint Véran and which to Saint Lambert.

This confusion created a dilemma for Bishop du Vair for which there seemed to be no good solution. On the one hand, it seemed cruel to refuse the people of Bauduen a relic after they had been promised one and had celebrated the announcement. On the other hand, giving them a relic which could not be definitively said to be of Saint Lambert would have caused confusion and dismay.

It was Barcillon who suggested that perhaps some bones remained inside Saint Lambert’s tomb. And indeed, on May 18, 1634, when the tomb was opened, it was discovered that Lambert’s entire body still rested within it. Only his skull had been removed when it had been placed in a reliquary in the 1400s. The rest of his body was wrapped in two bundles of cloth, one containing the larger bones and another containing the smaller bones. Both bundles were sealed in three places with a red wax seal, which bore the impression of a castle with three towers and a rock, the coat of arms of Bishop Raphaël Monso, the man responsible for commissioning the gilded silver reliquary bust of Saint Véran in the late 1400s.

Several days later, the relics inside the cypress chest were laid out on an altar and examined by physicians and surgeons from Vence. They determined that the remains were indeed those of Saint Véran (and his alone), and his relics were then returned to the chest. The body of Saint Lambert was next placed on the same altar, examined, and transferred to a new chest beside that of Saint Véran. Some of the smaller bones were placed in a small box and reburied in his tomb. One bone from his right arm was set aside, carefully wrapped in white taffeta. This was the relic that would be given to the people of Bauduen.

It was later determined that when Lambert’s tomb was opened in the late 1400s, to remove the skull and move it to the newly created reliquary, Bishop Monso had arranged the sacred relics in the fashion in which they were found almost two hundred years later. He had planned to move them to a new location, but had unfortunately died before being able to do so, and so they remained in his tomb.

Over the years, various relics of both Saint Véran and Saint Lambert have been gifted to multiple churches and individuals. We have a record that on July 3, 1431, Louis de Glandèves (bishop of Vence from 1427 to 1445) was given some of Lambert’s bones. On December 21, 1841, Abbé Jean Pierre Chaix, the parish priest of Vence from 1827 until 1852, had presented a reliquary containing relics of Saint Véran and Saint Lambert to the Marquis de Panis, his son and his daughter-in-law. The relics were given as a thank you for the Panis’ gift of a gold cloth veil for the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. A note left by Father Bruny in the 1800s reveals that he had taken a relic of Saint Lambert and sent it to the priest of Vidauban. Almost certainly, other small transfers of the relics occurred over the years.

The Siege of 1592

Over the following centuries, the busts of Saint Véran and Saint Lambert continued to play an important role in the history of Vence. They became inseparable from several key events, the first being the terrible plague that inspired their creation. Later, in 1592, when the town came under siege by François de Bonne (known as Seigneur de Lesdiguières), the commander of King Henry IV‘s Protestant army in southern France, the busts again figured prominently in the town’s survival.

By the mid-1500s, France was swept up in the religious and political turmoil of the Protestant Reformation. The spread of Calvinism inspired many among the French nobility to convert, creating the powerful Protestant minority known as the Huguenots. Their growing influence alarmed the Catholic monarchy and by the 1560s the country was engulfed in nearly forty years of religious civil wars. Like much of Provence, the small town of Vence suffered deeply during these conflicts. Lives were lost, homes destroyed, and the countryside left in ruins as armies and shifting alliances tore through the region.

Tension also ran high within Vence itself. Claude de Villeneuve, Lord of Vence from 1556 to 1592, embraced the Protestant cause, following the example of two earlier bishops who had also broken with Rome. His conversion alienated the town’s predominantly Catholic population and eventually led to his exile. In 1592, he joined Lesdiguières, who was advancing through southern France under orders from King Henry IV. Villeneuve drowned that May while crossing the Argens River, leaving his son Scipion to succeed him. Determined to reassert his authority over Vence, Scipion demanded the town’s surrender and, when refused, called on Lesdiguières to attack. On June 2, 1592, an army of nearly eight thousand men encamped on the Plateau Saint-Michel and began bombarding the town.

Outnumbered and desperate, the people of Vence rallied under Canon Dominique Laure of the cathedral. Inside the cathedral were the two silver-plated busts of Saint Véran and Saint Lambert. As morale waned and hope faded, Canon Laure took the statues and climbed to the top of the bell tower. He placed the statues on the tower for the entire town to see. The people gathered in the square below. “Have faith!” cried Laure. “These are your patron saints. Saint Véran and Saint Lambert will not desert you. Together, they will protect the town from all invaders. You must believe! You must fight! You must not surrender! Your saints are with you!”

Everyone in Vence knew how the two saints had often protected the town during the past centuries. They had repeatedly saved the town from invaders, plagues, disasters, and other catastrophes. Laure’s unwavering conviction and passionate plea restored the people’s faith. Their determination solidified, and everyone in the town vowed to fight with every last drop of resolve they could find.

According to legend, the renewed faith of the defenders turned the tide. From that moment on, cannonballs either flattened harmlessly against the walls or rebounded on the attackers killing them in droves. Lesdiguières, declaring the siege not worth his effort, quickly withdrew. The inhabitants celebrated their miraculous survival, attributing it to the intercession of their saints. Saint Vèran and Saint Lambert had once again saved the town of Vence.

You can read a more in-depth account of the 1592 Siege of Vence in this article: Faith, Fire, and Betrayal in the French Wars of Religion.

The Siege of 1592 wasn’t the only time that Saint Véran and Saint Lambert were credited with saving the townspeople of Vence. It seems that during the years of 1629 through 1631, an outbreak of the plague, known as the Italian Plague of 1629-31, reached the Côte d’Azur and Provence, though historical evidence of its impact on Vence and its neighbors is scarce. Doublet, however, declares that “the plague once again ravaged the surroundings of Vence” and that “the relics again seemed to protect the faithful.”

A Second Bust of Saint Lambert

A second bust of Saint Lambert, said to have been larger and more beautiful than the earlier copper one from the late 1400s (and even the vermeil one of Saint Véran from the same time period), was commissioned in 1654 by Canon Jacques Barcillon (author of the two unpublished manuscripts on the lives of the Saints) and crafted by Thomas Merlin, a goldsmith of Louis IV.

You can read an in-depth description of the Life of Saint Véran by Jacques Barcillon in this article: The 17th Century Unpublished Manuscript On The Life Of Saint Véran By Jacques Barcillon.

Barcillon presented the new bust to the church on May 26, 1654, during the feast of Saint Lambert. This also happened to be the day when Godeau was given his official welcoming ceremony as the new bishop of Vence.

This new reliquary was designed and built to be large enough to hold the entire remains of Saint Lambert. It was composed of two sections, the main chamber and a supporting base. Barcillon describes it as being “enclosed in beautifully carved woodwork.” On May 26th of that year, exactly five hundred years to the day since Saint Lambert had died, the old reliquary holding Lambert’s skull and the cypress chest containing the rest of his remains were opened. Bishop Antoine Godeau, in the presence of his clergy, transferred the bones himself to the new reliquary. The “Hymn of the Confessor” was sung by all present, and Godeau concluded the event with a blessing of the new reliquary.

The reliquary was then carried through the streets of Vence beneath a ceremonial canopy for all the townspeople to see. Barcillon described it as a jubilant event, saying, “It could be said that the body of the glorious Saint himself was passing in triumph through the town, a sight not seen since the day of his funeral, when he had been carried to his burial amid the tears and sorrow of all the inhabitants. From that same tomb, the Blessed Saint seemed to come forth once more, appearing again to the people of Vence as a sign that his protection would continue for as long as they kept their faith and devotion toward him.”

Godeau described this bust during his visit of 1666 as “the head of Saint Lambert, in finely crafted silver, a work from Paris, adorned with various false stones, the reliquary having been made a few years earlier by Messire Jacques Barcillon during his lifetime as a canon.”

The new bust of Saint Lambert was described in detail by Bishop de Thomassin in 1673, who wrote, “the mitre was supported by two angels,” and a short time later, in 1683, by Bishop Allart, who said it was “entirely of silver, adorned with gemstones.”

The miracles of Saint Lambert were listed on the drapery of the bust through eleven Latin verses illustrating his life. These included the following scenes:

Saint Lambert was delivered by Caesarean section after his mother’s death.
As a child he was clothed in the habit of Lérins.
Arriving in Vence as a benevolent shephered of the people.
Three times turning water into wine through a blessing.
Returning the sight to a blind woman from Nice.
His death.
A demon suddenly expelled from a possessed body.
A deaf man is healed through prayer and a blind woman by touch.
A paralytic walks again and a mute speaks.
A healing spring flows from Lambert’s tomb.
The sick find a cure at this tomb.

Engraved on the back of the bust were the names of both the goldsmith and Barcillon, the donor responsible for the funds needed to create it. A poetic description of the bust has survived. One account credits this work to Barcillon himself, while others believe it to be the words of an old, unnamed local poet.

Its base is shaped in an oval,
Its material is entirely silver,
Upon its firm support rests
A pedestal, at whose summit,
Between two crossed palms,
Beneath a fine crystal, one can see,
In humble and devout homage,
The relics of this great Saint.
When his image is venerated,
It is filled with love portrayed.
Upon this pedestal rests a half-figure,
Adorned with a mitre and a chasuble,
Whose clasp is a pectoral
Of gemstones shaped like a rose.
And the scenes displayed on both sides
Reveal to us true events,
Depicting moments from the history
Of this venerable prelate,
Which are most worthy of remembrance
And have brought him great renown.
But these two angels standing beside him,
With their gentle solemnity,
Framing this sacred, majestic body,
And seeming to bear it up,
Through their gesture and bearing,
Do they not, without speaking a word,
Through their respectful silence, declare
That in this vessel, now preserved
For the people of Vence,
Are the relics of Saint Lambert?
And from where does such a rich work emerge,
In its style, in its design?
What artist’s hand
Crafted such a captivating image?
The craftsman, with a stroke of his chisel,
At the back of the work and near the end,
Gives us knowledge
Of both the donor
And himself,
By engraving their names for posterity.

If we are to believe this poetry, it seems clear that some, if not all, of the relics of Saint Lambert were transferred to this new silver bust from the older copper one. Thomassin reported in 1673 that the bust was well cared for and covered in red lattice. In 1699, Crillon wrote that the bust contained the head and bones of Saint Lambert. At some point, it seems the bust must have incurred some slight damage, as in 1719, Bishop Flodoard Moret de Bourchenu (bishop of Vence from 1714 to 1727) directed that “the silver wing that had been removed” should be restored to it.

Even with the creation of this new bust, the older bust of Saint Lambert was still preserved and cared for. Both Thomassin, in 1673, and Allart, in 1683, wrote of “the old reliquary of Saint Lambert, made of gilded copper with stones all around.”

The French Revolution and the Lost Relics

The French Revolution brought turmoil across the nation, but probably no institution suffered more than the Catholic Church. Sacred treasures were seized and/or destroyed throughout France, and the priests of Vence worried that their beloved busts would be melted down and the relics lost forever. On March 3, 1791, a nationwide decree was issued to send church silver to the mints. This was followed by a confirming/organizing law on March 27. These texts ordered that silverware judged unnecessary for worship be sent by district directors to the nearest Hôtel des Monnaies (mints), with gilt pieces sent to Paris. Not too long later, likely between April and June of 1791, the last bishop of Vence, Jean-Baptiste Pisani de La Gaude, was expelled from the town following his refusal to publicly swear an oath of loyalty to the new Constitution.

The remaining clergy in Vence knew that there was little hope of saving the precious busts of Véran and Lambert. The relics, however, stood a better chance of surviving as they could be more easily hidden. A priest by the name of Pierre Abou, with the help of another priest, Paul Pons, and a layman, Pierre Geoffroy, gathered the relics, placed them in a gilded wooden chest, and hid the chest in a niche of the Chapel of the Sacred Heart (formerly the Chapel of the Holy Relics) within the cathedral. The niche was walled up and closed with a heavy metal grille weighing over 250 kilograms. A large painting was placed in front of the grille to conceal everything and deflect attention.

Daurelle writes that the bust of Saint Véran was sent to the Paris Mint to be melted in 1793, along with the 17th-century Lambert bust by Thomas Merlin. He continues that all the original silverwork, which once comprised the cathedral’s treasury, was also sent at this time.

As time passed, it seemed that the relics of Saint Véran and Saint Lambert had disappeared amid the chaos. No one seemed to know whether they had been seized by revolutionaries or hidden away for safekeeping. Rumors spread that anyone who found and touched the relics would die within a year. For more than a century, their fate remained a mystery.

In 1913, Abbé Marius-Émile Baude became the new parish priest of Vence. While reviewing old church documents, he discovered a 12th century Latin manuscript on the life of Saint Lambert. At the bottom was a handwritten note dated December 10, 1793, in which the two priests (Abou and Pons) along with another man (Geoffroy) swore that they had hidden the relics of both saints in a gilded wooden chest to protect them from destruction. Soon after, Baude found another document from 1814 confirming that the relics had been retrieved after the Revolution, but then once again placed safely behind a painting in the Chapel of the Sacred Heart. The document was signed by the parish priests Savornin and Baude.

Further evidence appeared in the parish records from 1839, showing that several priests and vicars, including Father Chaix and the Blacas brothers, had verified the relics and carefully rewrapped them in silk pouches, five for Saint Véran and three for Saint Lambert. Yet, for reasons no one understood, these men had kept their discovery secret, leaving the relics hidden for decades.

Determined to uncover the lost relics once and for all, Father Baude organized a search. On June 7, 1913, he and the mayor of Vence removed a large painting above the altar in the Chapel of the Sacred Heart and found the hidden cupboard. Inside were three wooden chests and two wooden busts of the saints.

Three days later, the chests were opened in a public ceremony attended by the Bishop of Nice, local dignitaries, and a large crowd of townspeople. Inside were the long-lost relics, carefully wrapped and accompanied by certificates of authenticity, as well as two wooden busts of the Saints and other relics and artifacts. The revelation caused great excitement in Vence. For weeks, the entire town was alive with talk of the saints and their rediscovery. Even skeptics were moved by the story and the sense of connection to Vence’s past.

The following spring, in April 1914, a grand procession celebrated the return of the relics. The Archbishop of Aix presided, joined by a cardinal, the Abbot of Lérins, and countless citizens. After more than a century of secrecy, the sacred remains of Saint Véran and Saint Lambert were once again honored publicly, restoring a vital link between the people of Vence and their two beloved patron saints.

The Medieval Wooden Busts

Inside the Vence Cathedral at the eastern end of the southern side nave is the Chapel of Saint Véran. Recessed into the wall next to the chapel is a showcase that contains two wooden busts of Saint Véran (gilded) and Saint Lambert (silvered), recovered in 1913 by Father Baude. Daurelle thinks it is possible, “given the crude sculpting,” that these busts predate the gilded silver and copper ones from the late 1400s. He says they were restored in the 1600s, with Lambert’s receiving a layer of silvering over plaster and Véran’s receiving a layer of gilding, also over plaster.

The wooden bust of Saint Lambert includes a mitre (the tall, pointed hat traditionally worn by bishops), while the bust of Saint Véran does not. A metal mitre was added later for Véran. It’s hard to explain why one bust was created with a mitre and the other was not. Though the busts are both very similar in size, the bust of Lambert is a bit larger. It seems plausible that one bust was created before the other, and the second was created later to match its size and style. It’s also possible, even likely, that different artists made the two.

Daurelle says that, “These busts are not mentioned in inventories or archives but are nonetheless old.” If these two wooden busts truly date back to the Middle Ages, it’s hard to understand why they were never mentioned in the numerous reports and inventories compiled by successive bishops over the years. Perhaps their wooden construction made them seem less valuable or noteworthy at the time.

As I mentioned earlier, it is possible that these two wooden busts are the ones referred to by Vence writer Daniel Petite as having topped the original late 1400s reliquaries. They clearly did not, and Petite is the only historian who has ever mentioned those reliquaries being topped with wooden busts.

The two wooden busts still play an important role in the current Vence traditions and heritage. Each year on Easter Monday, the city of Vence commemorates the Seige of 1592 with a procession in honor of its patron saints, Saint Véran and Saint Lambert. The event begins with a Mass at the cathedral in Place Clémenceau, after which the wooden busts of the two saints are placed on platforms and carried in dignified procession through the old town. 

A traditional Provençal marching band, La Brissaudo, leads the participants, followed by dancers, musicians and singers dressed in traditional Provençal costume, all moving from the cathedral to the Plateau Saint Michel where the besieging army of 1592 once camped.

Upon reaching the plateau, the busts are placed on tables and a short ceremony begins: speeches by local dignitaries, readings by young participants, songs in Provençal and some historical recollection of the 1592 siege. Afterwards the group retraces its steps back into the old town and the busts are returned to their enclosure in the cathedral. 

You can read a more detailed account of the current-day commemorations of the siege in this article: The Procession of Saint Véran and Saint Lambert – The Story of how Vence Was Saved in 1592.

The Modern Busts

In 1819, Father Antoine Blanc was appointed parish priest of Vence and soon restored the solemn celebrations honoring the feast days of both Saint Véran and Saint Lambert. In 1824, he commissioned a new bust of Saint Véran to contain the few relics that had survived the Revolution. The work was entrusted to the Parisian silversmith Choiselat-Gallien, whose workshop was located at 8 rue du Pot-de-Fer, near Place Saint-Sulpice.

Unfortunately, Blanc died on January 28, 1825, before the bust was completed. He was succeeded by Canon Pierre Blacas who brought with him considerable experience shaped by the difficult years of the Revolution. During that turbulent period, when Bishop Pisani had been forced into exile, Blacas had served secretly as his vicar general, the bishop’s principal deputy responsible for the administration of the diocese. Because the legitimate ecclesiastical hierarchy was suppressed by the revolutionary authorities, he carried out these responsibilities clandestinely, helping to maintain the continuity of the Church in Vence despite the dangers and restrictions of the time.

On August 10, the silversmith Choiselat notified Father Blacas that the bust had been shipped from Paris to Vence. In his letter, he explained:

“This bust, of life-size proportions is made of solidly silvered and chiseled copper. The pectoral cross is in gilded copper, and the reliquary in gilded silver. The price is, at its fairest, 940 francs, including the blackened wooden base on which it rests, adorned with palms, Saint Véran’s monogram, and rosettes in silvered copper, plus the crate and packaging for 22 francs, making a total of 962 francs. I would have liked to set it at a more moderate price, but since it was necessary to create the models specifically for it, I was unable to economize further. I trust, Sir, that you will be satisfied with the expression of the figure and the overall craftsmanship. When the silvering becomes tarnished by bad air, which unfortunately cannot be avoided, you may clean it with Spanish white diluted in water. Use a soft brush and worn cloths, and then take a bread crust with little crumb, which you will pass over the chiseling and the surface, removing all the black residue left by the Spanish white.”

The bulk of the cost for this bust, 500 francs, was paid by Bishop Pisani de la Gaude, the last bishop of Vence and at the time bishop of Namur. The Conseil de Fabrique (the parish administrative council) contributed 150 francs, the seminary 89 francs and 85 centimes, the Chapel of the Rosary 56 francs, and the Chapel of the Sacred Heart 48 francs and 65 centimes. A special collection raised an additional 113 francs.

A copper plaque affixed to the back of the base of the bust bears the following Latin inscription: “Hanc [imaginem] divo Verano, episcopo et patrono nostro gloriosissimo, Reverendissimi et amantissimi Caroli. Francisci-Josephi baronis de Pisani de la Gaude, Vinciensis episcopi ultimi, Namurcensis hodie episcopi, zelus munificentissimus imprimis posait, necnon cleri, populique Vinciensis pietas. Anno Domini MDCCCXXV”

Translated, it reads: “This image of the divine Véran, our bishop and most glorious patron, is primarily due to the generous zeal of the Most Reverend and much-loved Charles-François-Joseph, Baron Pisani de la Gaude, last bishop of Vence, now bishop of Namur, as well as to the piety of the clergy and people of Vence. In the Year of Our Lord 1825.”

On September 9th, the remaining relics of Saint Véran were placed in the reliquary. It appears that not all of the relics were hidden during the Revolution, but it’s also possible that a few were brought out from their hiding place specifically for this new bust. A record from the Vence diocese archives provides a detailed description:

“We, Pierre Blacas, honorary canon of Fréjus, delegate of Monsignor de Hichery, bishop of Fréjus, and parish priest of this parish of Vence, assisted by Messrs. Jean Pierre Chaix and Jean Baptiste Giraud, priests and vicars of the said parish, the undersigned witnesses, with the permission of Monsignor the bishop of Fréjus, which he granted to us by the letter that Monsieur Martel, canon and secretary-general of the bishopric, wrote to us dated the 29th of last August, have proceeded with the placement of the relic of Saint Véran in the reliquary of the new bust of the said Saint, as follows: Being in the apartment of the old episcopal residence, which we occupy, we took from the reliquary of the former bust a portion of the bones of the lower jaw, consisting of a few fragments and one tooth divided in two, and we placed it in the said reliquary, which is of gilded silver. The relics are held in place by a small piece of cardboard fastened with a red silk thread in the shape of a cross, and we affixed there the seal of Monsignor de la Gaude, bishop in Namur, former and last bishop of Vence, in red Spanish wax…”

Father Blacas blessed the bust of Saint Véran on September 10th, the Saint’s feast day. Daurelle likely exaggerates when he says that “the entire population” of Vence attended the ceremony. Still, we do know that Fathers Chaix and Giraud and all the vicars were present, and surely a sizable portion of the Vence townspeople. Another record from the archives provides more details:

“We, the undersigned honorary canon of Fréjus, parish priest of this parish of Vence and head of correspondence for the district, with the permission of Monsignor the bishop of Fréjus dated the 29th of August, have proceeded as follows to the blessing of the bust of Saint Véran. Before the first Mass, after having given an introduction on the ceremony, we sang Psalm 131, ‘Memento Domine David,’ then said the prayers and observed the other ceremonies contained in the Roman ritual for the blessing of statues of saints. Then we intoned the antiphon ‘Sacerdos et pontifex,’ said the verses and responses ‘Ora pro nobis beate Vérane’ and the prayer proper to the Saint, and finally we incensed the said bust and kissed the relics of the said Saint Véran. This was followed by the homage of Messrs. Jean Pierre Chaix and Jean Baptiste Giraud, vicars of the parish, signed also by several other clerics and by a great multitude of the faithful present at the ceremony.”

Choiselat’s work was so well received that in October, he was commissioned to create a similar bust of Saint Lambert. Once again, Bishop Pisani de la Gaude contributed 500 francs toward the final cost of 985 francs, with the balance raised by the parishioners. An inscription on the back is identical to that found on the bust of Saint Véran. On March 17, 1826, Choiselat informed Canon Blacas that the bust had been shipped to Vence, writing:

“Sir, I have the honor to inform you that I have just shipped a crate addressed to you for your town, containing the bust of Bishop Saint Lambert, which you commissioned last October. I have tried to capture, as much as possible, the character you described, and I hope I have fulfilled your intentions.”

On May 23, relics of Saint Lambert were placed inside the new bust by Canon Blacas. Another archival document tells the story:

“Being in the apartment of the former episcopal residence, which we occupy, we took from the reliquary of the old bust a portion of a vertebra, which we placed in the said reliquary of gilded silver. The relics are held in place by a small piece of cardboard, over which we pasted a sheet of paper, and on top of it two strips of imitation silver braid in the shape of a cross, sealed at both ends with red Spanish wax upon which we affixed the seal of the late Monsignor de la Gaude, last of the bishops of Vence…”

On Lambert’s feast day, May 26, 1826, the new bust was blessed by Blacas and taken out in procession.

The style of both busts is unmistakably of the Restoration period, with a solemn and imposing character typical of early 19th-century religious works. In 1833, Father Chaix, Blacas’ successor, had two niches built into the sanctuary wall, one on either side of the altar, to house them.

Today, the busts no longer rest on their original bases. Instead, they are placed on glass cases containing the relics of the two saints. These cases were purchased in Nice by Canon Baude, archpriest of Vence at from 1913 to 1919 and later archpriest of Grasse, from Mr. Fougeret for 380 francs. On April 15, 1914, Dom Marie Patrice Leron, abbot of Lérins, blessed them before enclosing the relics of the saintly bishops within. The palms, rosettes, and plaques decorating the glass cases come from the original wooden bases.

The Enduring Legacy of the Relics of Saint Véran and Saint Lambert

Through centuries of devotion, loss, rediscovery, and renewal, the relics of Saint Véran and Saint Lambert have remained at the heart of Vence’s spiritual identity. They have stood as quiet witnesses to the history of Vence. They have survived wars, revolutions, and the slow passage of time, carried always in the hearts of the people, even when the reliquaries which held them were destroyed. From the medieval plagues to the sieges that threatened the city’s very survival, these relics have been a source of strength and comfort, a link between the past and present. Their story is not just one of sacred objects, but of faith enduring through change, a reminder that devotion can outlast even destruction, and that what truly matters is not what has been melted down or hidden away, but what continues to live on in the spirit of those who believe.

Access

Vence can easily be reached from just about anywhere in France by taking the A8 until you get to Cagnes-sur-Mer. If you are coming from the east, get off on Exit 48, and if you are coming from the west, you’ll want Exit 47. Take the M336, then the M36, and finally the M236 north into Vence. The most accessible parking is in the Parking du Grand Jardin, right next to the old town. Parking Toreille and Marie Antoinette Parking are both close by as well.

Two buses run from Nice to Vence: #9 and #655. Just be careful with the #9, it can be a bit confusing because it has two routes leaving from Grand Arenas in Nice. One route stops at the Shopping Promenade mall, which is still about 8 km from Vence. Look at the route displayed on the front of the bus at the top. It should say “L’Ara,” which is the last bus stop in Vence. All the #9 buses returning to Nice from Vence go all the way to Grand Arenas.

There is no train service directly to Vence. You can take the train to Cagnes-sur-Mer and then take either the #9 or #655 bus from Cagnes-sur-Mer to Vence.

The Vence Office de Tourisme is just across the street from the Grand Jardin. While you can visit the Vence Cathedral (where these relics and busts are currently held) on any day of the year, I would suggest that you try to come on any day but Sunday or Monday so that you might enjoy some of the shops and boutiques that will otherwise be closed.