The Ramparts of Vence
Protecting the City for Almost 800 Years

Riding my bike through the streets of Vence for the very first time I came to a small square with a large fountain. (I would later learn this was Place Anthony Mars and the Fontaine Basse). I stopped to take a short break and to fill my water bottles with the cold, clear water from the fountain. Leaning my bike against it I gazed across the street at the large “porte” (gate/door) that allowed access to the “old town,” the original medieval village that is now the heart and soul of the modern town. It all looked like something out of a history book or travel magazine.

The old stone walls running alongside the road on either side of the gate reached high into the sky forming a massive barrier. You’ll sometimes see these types of villages referred to as a “walled” or “fortified” city. Traces of old arrow slits and crenelations could still be seen in various places. These are the ramparts of Vence, totally enclosing the old town and sealing it off from the rest of the world. They were meant to protect the town and its inhabitants from invasions, attacks and disease, and for at least 800 years they have been doing just that, with varying degrees of success.

We are all familiar with the saying, “You can’t see the forest for the trees.” Sometimes, when we are in the midst of something, we pay so much attention to the details that we lose our perspective and don’t really understand or appreciate the the larger, overall situation or condition. So it is with the ramparts of Vence.

When most people visit this old town for the first time they usually focus all their attention on the many charming things to see inside the walls. They pass through one of the old portes (usually Porte du Peyra) and then spend all their time exploring the maze of narrow streets, small squares, fountains, houses and ancient monuments inside the old town. Very few visitors pay much attention to the outside walls that surround the old town. They are usually far too busy with the sites inside to take much notice of the ramparts which hold everything together. The ramparts really are worth some time and exploration. These walls have a lot of stories to tell and they also still hide a lot of secrets.

The ramparts form something of rectangular enclosure with very rounded corners. It’s not really a rectangle and not really an ellipse. Something sort of in-between. From the west end of the old town to the east is only about 200 meters. From the north to the south is just over 150 meters. The southern-most two-thirds of the ramparts are situated on a small plateau, but as we move north the ground begins to descend in a slope towards the Lubiane River and the ramparts follow the slope.

There are currently a total of five portes which allow entrance to the old town from a variety of locations. Except for these portes (and a few small – and much more recent – street entrances) there’s no easy way to get inside the old town. Which is exactly why these ramparts exist.

Throughout France, and all of Europe for that matter, you’ll find many, many medieval villages protected by ramparts. In most cases these ramparts consist of one or more fortified walls that completely surround the village. The walls are separate from, and entirely independent of, the buildings within the village. Some of the most well known, and most well preserved ramparts can be found in Avignon, Carcassonne, Aigues-Mortes and nearby Saint-Paul-de-Vence.

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The ramparts of Vence are a little different. Originally they were much the same as these other examples. But, as time passed, they evolved into something quite distinct. Not long after the ramparts were originally built the inhabitants of Vence were given permission to build their houses directly against the inside walls of the ramparts, in essence using the ramparts as one of the walls of their dwellings. With the houses came roofs. Some time later they were then granted permission to open windows on the outside walls, so long as these windows were reinforced with iron grates.

Over time many of the houses grew taller as more space was needed. The rampart walls thereby grew along with them. Whereas the original wall was once most likely a uniform height from one end of the village to the other, it gradually became divided into segments of differing heights. Eventually the walls were swallowed up and consumed by the houses and buildings built against them until they became what we see today: a series of tall structures that encircle the old town and essentially act as a barricade against everything that lays outside of them.

In many ways the evolution of the original ramparts into a series of houses has altered the the original walls. We will never know exactly what they looked like when they were first constructed. In other ways the fact that these houses now “contain” the original walls has allowed the walls to be preserved over the centuries, something that might not have happened otherwise.

The northern side of the ramparts border on the small Lubiane Valley and effectively dominate any approach from this direction. The other sides open onto the small plateau on which Vence is situated. The people of Vence lived almost exclusively inside these rampart walls until the 15th century when some began to build houses and small neighborhoods outside of the walls.

History of the Ramparts

Over a period of at least 800 years the ramparts of Vence have undergone many, many changes. They have been damaged, repaired, altered, raised, expanded and rebuilt in many places. Even a quick, cursory examination of the stones that make up the walls will show a large discrepancy in the styles and building techniques. They have clearly evolved and developed from the original walls into what we see today.

Some historians suggest that portions of the ramparts may date back as far as Roman times. In his book Vence et ses Monuments (Vence and its Monuments), published in 1934, Jacques Daurelle states that: “An infinitely precious document already allows us to know that they date from the Romans. In a memorandum addressed to the King by the Community of Vence to obtain the quashing of a judgment of the Parliament of Aix, rendered on June 30, 1762, and which attributed the ownership of the “regales mineures” to the Lord Bishop and the Lord Baron of Vence, we read: ‘The following year (1590) the Community ordered repairs to be made to a building called La Crotte. It was a vault that served as an attic in Roman times. The top of this vault was a terrace supported on the ramparts and a magnificent tower formerly called the citadel of the city.’ Thus, there is no possible doubt: the ramparts existed in Roman times. Of course, they have undergone destruction and repairs over the centuries. One can presume, however, that their base, up to a certain height, is a Roman work.”

In his book Vence, Une Commune, Une Évêché, published in 1954, historian Raymond Bessan says, “… to protect this city of undeniable importance, Rome did not hesitate to have it surrounded by a wall, whose foundations were used multiple times as the base for reconstruction, following successive demolitions caused by the wars and sieges the city endured over the centuries.”

Other historians disagree noting that the Romans in this area had little need for the kind of protection that ramparts such as these would provide. For the most part the Roman city of Vintium enjoyed over 400 years of peace, prosperity and growth. Furthermore, there is no actual evidence to support the theory that the ramparts have their origins in the Roman city.

It is more likely that the ramparts first began to take shape in the years immediately after the decline and fall of the Roman Empire when marauding invaders first began to appear on the horizon (the Visigoths, the Ostrogoths, the Lombards near the end of the 6th century and the Saracens to name just a few). It’s quite possible, though there is no conclusive evidence, that some of the foundations of the current ramparts date back to these days of the Dark Ages.

The 2010 Architectural Analysis

By analyzing the different types of stones now present in the ramparts, as well as the sizes of the stones, how they are joined and connected and how they are laid together, archaeologists are able to tell a great deal about the ramparts and how they evolved. The walls were primarily built with large, roughly hewn stones and feature a mix of regular and irregular masonry. The use of bossed stones (stones that project outward) in some places and irregular joints suggests a construction phase that utilized available local materials.

In 2010 Jean-Claude Poteur carried out an architectural analysis of the ramparts, the Peyra Tower and the two oldest portes into the old town (the Portail Levis and the Porte du Signadour). His findings were published in an essay entitled “Vence, l’Enceinte Médiévale et la Tour du Peyra” by the Congrès Archéologique de France – Nice et Alpes-Maritimes. He concluded that there is an homogeneous nature to the construction of these elements which would indicate they were all built within a fairly short time span. Citing evidence such as the implementation of large bossed stones at the base of the Peyra tower and the Porte du Signadour, the presence and location of certain arrow slits, the uniform nature of most of the walls and other factors, Poteur believes that everything was constructed together as part of one project.

There is really only one period of time when the financial means were available for such a large project: when Romée de Villeneuve was the owner of the city of Vence. Our first accounts of Romée come from 1223 when he appeared as part of the entourage of Count Raymond Bérenger V. He held an important position with Bérenger from the mid-1230s onward. Romée served as the first Lord of Vence between 1230, when Bérenger gave him “the city of Vence itself and all that he possesses there, as well as dominion over each of the lords of the city,” and his death in 1250. When he came into possession of the city in 1230 Romée would have then had access to the money needed to build these ramparts and the Peyra Tower.

Poteur bases his conclusions on a wide range of evidence which clearly indicates that the Vence ramparts must have been built before the second half of the 14th century: a castle built within the ramparts (as we have in Vence) was rarely done after this time period; reinforcing a porte by simply thickening the walls (as we can see in Vence) is another technique that pre-dates the 14th century; there is no evidence that anything about the walls was constructed to accommodate the use of firearms (which became common near the end of the 14th century); from the second half of the 14th century onwards most ramparts were often “flanked,” meaning that they were supported or surrounded by other structures or elements, and this is not the case with the Vence ramparts.

Additionally, there are strong similarities between the Peyra Tower and the master tower of the Villeneuve-Loubet castle which was built by Romée de Villeneuve between 1230 and 1234 just a few kilometers away from Vence. Both structures utilize bossed stones, a sloped base and display innovative aspects of military architecture that were new at the time.

All of this evidence lead Poteur to conclude that the original ramparts of Vence were most likely constructed between 1230 and 1245. The crenelated upper sections that still exist in some places (though mostly filled in now by windows and other stones) were most likely added in the 1300s.

During the early years a ditch is presumed to have existed around the southern portion of the ramparts to further strengthen and protect the town. This ditch was not necessary on the northern section because of the steep slope of the ground. Due to the large amount of limestone which exists underground it is unlikely that this ditch was filled with water to create a moat, as the water would simply drain away very quickly. The ditch was probably filled in around the end of the 15th century when the inhabitants began to feel a bit more secure. Today a ring-road (Avenue Marcellin Maurel) encircles the old town where the ditch once was.

The Ramparts Today

If you walk along the northern ramparts from the Portail Levis heading east along Boulevard Paul André you have an excellent view of the old walls that were part of the original ramparts. Though they have now been incorporated into the various houses we see today, they are remarkably well preserved.

If you look carefully along the tops of the houses in some places you can see the remains of a line of crenels and merlons which once formed the uppermost portion of the ramparts. These crenelations use different stones than the wall itself, cut more squarely and often bonded together with smaller vertical stones. An arrow slit, each of which is about 40 centimeters high, is placed near the bottom of every other merlon. The walls have all been raised to accommodate the houses connected to them so these crenelations no longer run across the very top. Most of them have also now been filled in with windows, or in some cases, stones.

The northern wall can be divided into three separate sections: we have the east and west sections which follow the slope of the ground down towards the Lubiane River and then a level section that connects the two sides. Several parts of the western section display an inclined base, a protective aspect designed to make the wall even harder to breach. While these inclined bases are now only visible in this one area, it is thought that the entire wall once featured them. When work was done in the early 2000s along the southern walls it was found that these sloped bases were indeed still present, just below the street level.

It’s fascinating to look closely at the differences in the size and shape of the stones, how they were stacked and arranged and how the mortar was applied. In a few places along the west and northern ramparts there are remarkable sections where the lower stones are not arranged horizontally. They run at an angle, sloping downwards, parallel to the ground. This odd arrangement is corrected a few meters up where the stones suddenly begin to align horizontally. Is this perhaps an indication of what is left from some original parts of the ramparts that existed long before the other sections?

Arrow slits, crossbow loopholes and bolt holes (or boulins) can also be seen here and there. The bolt holes were probably used to construct small defensive platforms or scaffolds (known as hourds or machicolations) that protruded out from the walls, allowing those guarding and protecting the city to drop boiling oil or water, hot sand, stones or other materials on attackers at the base of the wall. Over the years the vast majority of these slits, loopholes and bolt holes have also been filled in.

On the southern side, along Avenue Marcellin Maurel, there are fewer traces of the original walls and especially any of the defensive aspects of the ramparts. Many of these houses were covered with plaster in the late 1800s or early 1900s when it was considered fashionable to do so. Most of the houses on the ground level of the southern walls are also now used by retail businesses such as pharmacies, bakeries, real-estate agents, restaurants, etc.

Ownership of the Ramparts

Over the years the question of the ownership of the ramparts has arisen many times. Did they belong to the Lords or the Bishops who shared power in Vence for many centuries? Were they the property of the King? Or were they the property of the community itself?

In medieval France, feudal rights and privileges that were granted to local lords or seigneurs were divided into two categories: regales majeures and regales mineures. Examples of the regales majeures would be powers related to taxation, justice or military obligations. The less significant regales mineures would pertain to everyday, localized governance exercised by a feudal lord over their domain. These regales mineures included matters related to the ramparts.

In 1333 and again in 1450 courts declared that the ramparts and the towers belonged to the town of Vence, not to the Lords, the Bishops or the King. The Trial of the Régales in 1760s would once again tackle this question.

In 1759 the then Bishop of Vence, Gabriel François Moreau, opened a breach in the ramparts to create a more direct path between the Grand Seminary (which lay outside the city walls) and the cathedral. Some of the people of Vence who lived close to this new breach were not happy about this, as they felt that another opening in the walls compromised their safety and security. Thefts in the neighborhood increased. Additionally, one of the houses next to the new opening had been structurally damaged by the breach and was in danger of collapsing. Two years later the General Council decided, on September 6, 1761, to close up the opening with “lime and sand.” This was the beginning of what came to be known as the “Trial of the Régales” which lasted for almost 25 years.

On June 20, 1762 the Parliament of Aix sided with the Bishop. However, the city appealed to the King and on July 26, 1763 at a King’s Council held in Compiègne the city was declared to be the rightful owners of the ramparts. Later in 1763 Gabriel François Moreau was replaced by bishop Michel-François de Couët du Vivier de Lorry. The new bishop, wanting to show conciliation and make peace with the citizens of Vence agreed with the King’s verdict. However, the Lord of Vence at the time made clear that he contested the royal judgement.

[click on any image to enter the gallery – more info after the photo gallery]

The Peyra Tower

The Peyra Tower, the only remaining tower from what were probably many such defensive structures along the ramparts of Vence, stands just outside the Porte de Peyra, very close to the point at which the small plateau that Vence is built on begins to slope into the Lubiane Valley. It is believed that at one time up to six such watchtowers existed at various points along the ramparts. In fact, the motto of Vence, attached to its coat of arms says “Turris Civitatio Venci.” It can be translated as “Vence, City of Towers.” Sadly, all of them except for the Peyra Tower were torn down over the centuries for one reason or another.

Standing approximately 20 meters high (or 4 stories), the Peyra Tower is square shaped, with each side being about 4 meters long. Constructed with large bossage stones it has an inclined base on two sides to make it more difficult to attack. The inclined bases differ from the rest of the tower in that they are constructed not from bossage stones but from stones with a smooth surface. The walls are about 2 meters thick, providing substantial stability and protection. There is a barrel vault at the top.

This tower was an integral part of the city’s defense system, most likely used as both a lookout and a stronghold. It is possible that the Lords of Vence used it as a dwelling before their château was built in the 17th century. When the chateau was constructed the tower was annexed to it, despite the protests and complaints from the city. Little is known about its original creation, in part because the inside walls have been completely covered in plaster making it very difficult to analyze the construction.

We do know that the foundations for this tower go down several meters below the ground. There are a variety of small openings and slots in the walls, one on the northern side and three more on the western side. Some of these were certainly used as “shooting slots,” but others may have been intended to provide light into the tower. There is no evidence of any openings, for defense or for light, along the eastern wall of the tower.

A staircase once existed on the inside, most likely one that wrapped around the inner sides, but today no traces of it remain. A wooden gallery almost certainly sat on the top which provided a powerful vantage point from which to defend the city. Where the original door to the tower was located is a mystery.

Over the years the tower has certainly seen some renovations, some of which had to do with the windows which are part of the south and east walls. The two mullioned windows on the southern side were probably added sometime in the 20th century and may have replaced older arrow slits.

It’s possible that this tower may have actually not been a part of the ramparts originally, but may have instead been a separate structure standing on its own, just outside the walls. Historians seem divided on this theory. In a book titled Romée de Villeneuve, published in 1995 by the Friends of the Local History Museum of Saint-Paul, we find the following, “Erected by Romée de Villeneuve in 1235 and later incorporated into the ramparts, the tower once had a dwelling situated at its northeast corner.”

For several years a butcher shop was permitted to operate on the ground level of the tower. You can see it in old postcards and photos. In 1979 the shop was removed and the stones were carefully replaced. Today there is no trace the shop ever existed.

Château des Villeneuve

The Château des Villeneuve, home to the Lords of Vence for several hundred years, is one of the many buildings which today comprise the ramparts. Most historians agree that the castle was probably built sometime in the 17th century.

The walls of the château are not uniform. The lower sections feature medium sized squared stone blocks, but the upper sections are constructed with random stone rubble. There is a small section towards the center of the building where the stones are arranged at an angle like similar sections along the northern and western walls. The remnants of an inclined base, similar to what we see on the Peyra Tower, are also visible in one section. Poteur feels that this provides evidence that at least some of the château’s walls were part of the original ramparts.

These abnormalities strongly suggest that an existing medieval house (then part of the ramparts and likely connected to the Peyra Tower) was renovated and enlarged to create the château.

Both the Peyra Tower and the Villeneuve Castle were purchased by Émile Hugues who was the mayor of Vence from 1945 to 1959. Upon his death he bequeathed both structures to the city of Vence. In 1992 the space was developed into an art center, the Fondation Émile Hugues. In 2014 it was renamed as the Museum of Vence. Today it serves as a contemporary and modern art museum with rotating exhibitions and a small permanent collection devoted to one-time Vence resident Henri Matisse.

[click on any image to enter the gallery – more info after the photo gallery]

The Portes (Gates) to the Old Town

It stands to reason that if you are going to enclose a city within fortified walls you are going to have to provide some type of access. Today one can enter the old town via one of the five portes that currently exist. The Porte du Peyra is the most well-known due to its proximity to the Grand Jardin. Moving in a clockwise direction around the old town we then encounter the Portail Levis, the Porte d’Orient, the Porte du Signadour and finally the Porte du Faubourg. Each of these portes was constructed at a different time and for a different reason. All but one (the Porte du Peyra) have also had numerous names over the centuries.

A text that survies from 1392, written in Occitan, speaks of only two portes in the ramparts of Vence: la torre del pont levadis and portal de Sanct Paul (the Portail Levis and the Porte du Signadour). They were the only two ports for most of the middle ages. Today they are both listed as Historical Monuments. They are very similar and were both constructed at approximately the same time.

The Portal Levis featured a vertical sliding door, known as a portcullis, which was lowered down grooves on each side of the gateway jamb. It once had a drawbridge that reached across the ditch outside the village as well as a tower which was demolished in 1819.

The Porte d’Orient dates back to 1787. It was first opened by the then current Bishop of Vence to facilitate movement between the cathedral and the nearby seminary. It was closed soon after that by the city which prompted a long legal battle known as the “Trial of the Règales” (see above) but then later reopened.

The Porte Signadour is somewhat unique in that it protrudes slightly from the walls around it. It too had a tower and possibly a drawbridge and/or barbican. The tower was torn down during the French Revolution as it was considered to be an affront to the concept of equality among all men. The entire porte was almost demolished in the mid 1800s to make way for a larger opening that could accommodate large carts and horse-drawn carriages, but fortunately this never came to pass.

The Porte du Faubourg was created in 1863. Despite the fact that Vence at that time already had four portes many felt that the city center was still too difficult to access by cart or carriage. In 1810 the city council authorized a small pedestrian crossing to be created. This was used until a vaulted passage, known as a “pontis,” was finally created through the houses on this side of town.

The Porte de Peyra, in its current states, dates from 1810, though an earlier version existed as far back as 1441. It’s a simple arch structure that connects the Peyra Tower with a nearby house.

In addition to these five portes there are currently three other small entrances into the old town. Created in 1824 to assist in the removal of debris from the work done on the Cathedral, these three rudimentary openings exist at the ends of Rue Sainte-Luce, Rue Pisani and Rue Sainte-Elisabeth along the northern ramparts.

You can read a more in-depth account of the old town portes in this article: The Old Town Portes of Vence – Gateways Through the Ramparts of the Medieval Village

Take Time to Discover the Ramparts of Vence

Because the ramparts of Vence are not as obvious as those in some other cities and villages they are often overlooked by visitors and tourists, which is a shame. If you take a little time to explore these ancient walls they will reveal a myriad of interesting aspects about the history and heritage of Vence. Take a slow walk around the old town and pay special attention to how the walls are built: how the stones are laid together, where it is obvious that changes and updates have been made, what’s been covered up and filled in. You won’t be disappointed.

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.

The Vence Office de Tourisme is just across the street from the Grand Jardin. The old town and its ramparts are just a very short walk from any of these parking lots. While you can visit the old town at any time, 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.