A 7-page letter written by the Bishop of Nice and published in La Semaine Religieuse, inviting the public to the upcoming celebrations to commemorate the discovery of the “lost” relics of Saint-Véran and Saint Lambert.
In the spring of 1914, the town of Vence was preparing for what would become one of the most important religious events in its history. A major ceremony was planned for Easter Thursday, April 16, 1914, to celebrate the discovery of the “lost” relics of Saint Véran and Saint Lambert, the town’s patron saints. An official letter published shortly beforehand invited the faithful and the wider public to attend these exceptional celebrations.
The relics (the bones of the saints) had been missing from Vence for more than a century. They were believed to have vanished in 1793, during the most radical phase of the French Revolution, when churches were stripped of their contents, and countless religious objects were seized and/or destroyed.
The question of what had become of the relics resurfaced only much later. In 1913, the Bishop of Nice at the time, Henri‑Louis Chapon, opened an investigation into their fate. The task was entrusted to Father Marius‑Émile Baude, archpriest of the cathedral of Vence, who began a careful examination of local archival material.
His research led him to a series of handwritten notes suggesting that the relics had not left the cathedral at all, but had instead been concealed within it for safekeeping. Acting on this information, a search was carried out on June 7, 1913, in the presence of the mayor of Vence, Mr. Bougearel, and several witnesses. A painting was removed from the Chapel of the Sacred Heart, revealing a hidden cupboard set into the wall. Inside were several wooden chests and two very old wooden busts of Saint Véran and Saint Lambert.
A few days later, on June 10th, the chests were opened during a public ceremony attended by civil officials, church authorities, and local residents. One of the chests contained silk pouches holding the relics of Saint Véran and Saint Lambert. The others held relics of additional saints, likely gathered from dismantled reliquaries during the revolutionary period, as well as documents certifying the authenticity of the remains.
With the rediscovery confirmed, plans were immediately made to mark the event with solemn public celebrations the following year. The ceremonies scheduled for Easter Thursday, 1914, were to be presided over by the Archdiocese of Aix and were expected to draw high-ranking members of the clergy, including bishops, abbots, and many priests, as well as pilgrims from across the region.
This letter, titled “Lettre Pastorale de Monseigneur l’Evêque de Nice à l’occasion des fêtes de l’Invention des Reliques de St-Véran et St-Lambert, à Vence” (“Pastoral Letter from His Lordship the Bishop of Nice on the occasion of the celebrations of the Discovery of the Relics of Saint Véran and Saint Lambert, in Vence”) was published in the small local Catholic magazine La Semaine Religieuse on March 27, 1914. It served as both an announcement and an invitation, calling the faithful to gather in Vence to witness the formal return of the long-lost relics.
In his letter, Chapon offers a brief overview of the lives of the two saints, touching on the essential elements of their stories. He recalls episodes across the centuries in which the saints were believed to have saved the town of Vence, whether from invading forces or outbreaks of plague. He then expresses his concern and perplexity over the disappearance of their relics and recounts the circumstances of their rediscovery. The letter concludes with an invitation to the faithful to attend the forthcoming celebrations, along with a detailed outline of the ceremonies and a list of the dignitaries expected to be present.
Original copies of this magazine are fairly hard to come by today. I found one in the Alpes-Maritimes Archives. I was allowed to photograph the pages and have created a downloadable PDF of the letter, along with an English translation.
Download a high-quality PDF reproduction of the original letter in French (12mb)
Download a high-quality PDF reproduction of the English translation of this letter (5mb)
You can read a more in-depth account of these relics in this article: Devotion, History and Art: The Relics, Reliquaries and Busts of Saint Véran and Saint Lambert of Vence
You can download a copy of a small booklet detailing these ceremonies in this article: Fête de l’Invention des Reliques de Saint Lambert et de Saint Véran
[click on any image to see sample pages of the original and English versions]
