Uncovering the Life of a Beloved Saint
The 12th-Century Manuscript Behind the Legacy of Saint Lambert

Download various versions and translations of the Saint Lambert manuscript.

Read this article in French.

Saint Lambert holds a special place in the life of Vence. Remembered as a wise and compassionate bishop (he served from 1114 to 1154), he became a symbol of protection, stability, and moral guidance for the town during a formative period of its history. His memory has endured for centuries through local traditions, relics, and the stories preserved in both medieval and early-modern texts. Today, as one of the two patron saints of Vence (the other being Saint Véran), Lambert remains one of Vence’s most beloved figures, and an enduring link between the community and its deep Christian past.

A remarkable manuscript recounting the life of Saint Lambert, which had been held for many years in the Cathedral of Vence’s treasury, now resides in the parish archives of Vence, which are held in the Archives of the Diocese of Nice. Written in Latin by an unknown author, it is known in scholarly catalogues as “Vita sancti Lamberti Ventienensis episcopi” (“Life of Saint Lambert, Bishop of Vence”).

This manuscript is the oldest known version of Saint Lambert’s life, and one of the very few remaining biographies of bishops from 12th-century Provence. Based on the handwriting, it is though have been written comparatively soon after Lambert’s death, but it was not an eyewitness account. In his 1902 book Les Sources de L’Histoire de France, des origines aux guerres d’Italie (1494), Volume II: Époque féodale, les Capétiens jusqu’en 1180, Auguste Molinier dated the manuscript to no later than 1165 and concluded that its anonymous author, possibly a member of the clergy in Vence or someone at the Abbey of Lérins, where Lambert spent much of his early years, had not personally known Lambert. Molinier, a French medieval historian was an expert at identifying, dating, and evalutating medieval texts and manuscripts. He rather severely characterized the text as essentially a collection of miracles. It is therefore early evidence for what people in Vence believed about Lambert shortly after his death, but it does not automatically provide reliable documentation of his childhood, personality, conduct as bishop, or miracles.

This distinction is important. The Vita demonstrates that Lambert was already being remembered and venerated within approximately a decade of his death. That makes it much more valuable than a legend composed several centuries later. Nevertheless, it remains hagiography: its purpose was to present Lambert as a holy bishop and to encourage devotion, not to investigate his life critically.

Written in a clear southern Gothic script on seven parchment leaves, this manuscript presents a concise moral portrait of Bishop Lambert, including his birth at Bauduen, education at Lérins, election to the see of Vence, and many of the miracles attributed to him. A straightforward account of his life, it presents him as a model bishop known for his humility, charity, chastity, patience, pastoral care, defense of the poor, firmness against local abuses, and devotion to prayer.

Several miracles associated with him are described, as well as the circumstances of his death on May 26, 1154, and the veneration of his relics. It explains how his memory was honored in Vence after his burial. Everything is written in the simple, traditional style of a medieval hagiography (a biography of a saint or holy person, usually written to inspire devotion rather than to provide strict historical detail).

The Original Manuscript

The earliest known reference to this document is by Cardinal Caesar Baronius (1538–1607), an Italian church historian and member of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri. One of the most influential Catholic scholars of his time, he published his monumental work, the Annales Ecclesiastici (Ecclesiastical Annals), between 1588 and 1607, presenting a year-by-year account of Church history from the time of Christ onward and intended as a Catholic response to the Protestant Magdeburg Centuries. 

Baronius, in his Ecclesiastical Annals for the year 1154, number 7, writes: “In this same year, on the sixth day before the Calends of July [June 26], Saint Lambert, Bishop of Vence in Gaul, departed this life for heaven. Having been a monk of Lérins, he was called by God to govern that church and became illustrious for holiness; many miracles made his life and the church itself shine forth. His noble deeds were written down by one of his contemporaries who personally witnessed many of them.”

This reference shows that Baronius likely had access to the 12th-century manuscript, making him the earliest modern author to cite the text. We should note that Baronius explicitly dates Lambert’s death to VI Kalendas Julii (June 26). A later printed version of the manuscript, in the Acta Sanctorum (see below), corrects Baronius’s date and places Lambert’s death and burial on VII Kalendas Junii (May 26).

The original manuscript consists of just seven pages of beautiful, handwritten Latin text. However, these seven original pages were at some point bound together with a cover (created from another old document), some blank pages, and a page with information on Saint Hilary and Saint Véran. The story of Lambert’s life is divided roughly into the following sections:

Origins & Formation: Lambert is presented as Lambert(us) of Bauduen, orphaned of his mother at birth, raised from age twelve at Lérins, where he acquires learning, virtue, humility, and love of the poor.
Election & Episcopate: Chosen bishop of Vence in 1114, more for his character than learning. The Vita lists his pastoral virtue (zeal, humility, almsgiving, justice, mildness, defense of orthodoxy) rather than any administrative details.
Death & Feast: He dies in 1154 on May 26th; his relics are venerated at Vence. Later tradition in Vence kept his memory alive, including processions alongside Saint Véran.
Miracles: Numerous miracles attributed to Lambert, both during his life and after his death, are recounted in detail.

Today, the manuscript is housed at the Archives diocésaines de Nice (Diocesan Archives of Nice). The catalog number is Diocèse de Nice – Archives FR AEC / 06 – 67 N 07 – Paroisse de Vence – 38/ Manuscrit de la Vita de Saint Lambert, évêque de Vence [XIVe siècle]. It is kept in a cardboard box, which also contains several other archival pieces from Vence (36 and 37). Inside the box is a simple folder with the same identification that holds the manuscript. Note that the archives date this to the 14th century, which appears to be a mistake, because, as noted above, it is considered to be from the 12th century.

A Page by Page Breakdown

1. The cover: The cover was fashioned from recycled pages of what appears to be a 13th-century canon-law codex, most likely a copy of Gratian’s Decretum. This dense two-column leaf, complete with marginal glosses and alternating red-and-blue initials, once formed part of a scholastic handbook used for teaching and interpreting church law. Long after the legal volume was discarded, its parchment was cut up and reused to create the covers of the Vita Sancti Lamberti Episcopi. Its presence offers a fascinating glimpse into the medieval practice of repurposing valuable writing material. At the top of the first column, the title, Vita Sancti Lamberti Episcopi, is written, and a box is drawn around it.
2. The inside of the cover: Another page from the canon-law codex, which has been repurposed to create the cover for this manuscript.
3 and 4. Blank pages.
5. A mostly blank page. A handwritten note appears at the top as an introduction to the Lambert biography. It appears to have been added centuries after the original manuscript was written. Note: I am not 100% certain of the words in brackets:

Cette vie de Saint Lambert a été publiée par Barralis
[dans] le Chronologia Sanctorum et aliorum virorum
illustrium sacræ insulæ Lerinensis Tom. I p. 180–183
(il y aurait [lieu] de [collationner])

On trouve également une vie de Saint Lambert à la Biblio
thèque nationale [sources someone’s name?] 12606. 16733–17006
et 17558 – (c’est probablement la même que celle-ci.

Translated, this would mean:

Barralis published this life of Saint Lambert
in the Chronologia Sanctorum et aliorum virorum
illustrium sacræ insulæ Lerinensis, vol. I, pp. 180–183.
(it would be worth collating it)

One also finds a Life of Saint Lambert at the National
Library, under the numbers 12606, 16733–17006,
and 17558 — (it is probably the same as this one.

6. A blank page.
7. Page 1, the first page of our manuscript. The first paragraph begins with a large, red dropcap “C.”
8. Page 2 of our manuscript. A second paragraph begins near the top of the page with a large red dropcap “B.” This paragraph will continue until the end of the document. There appear to be some notes in the top left margin that are completely unreadable. It’s impossible to say whether they were part of the original document or added later.
9. Page 3 of our manuscript.
10. Page 4 of our manuscript. It contains a handwritten note in the bottom left corner, composed of two sections, both with boxes drawn around them. These passages were clearly written by a different author than that of the original manuscript. The writing is very faint here and almost impossible to read in certain parts. Here’s my best transcription of what they say:

The first box (very difficult to read):
In tumulo ??? hos versus perlege ???,
??? ??? confusos ??? multos.

It is saying something along the lines of:
On his tomb is written the following,
Which will teach those who do not know.

The second box
This is the epitaph engraved on Saint Lambert’s tomb and the year of his death. It is quite difficult to read here, but we know what it says because we know what is engraved on his tomb.
Discat qui nescit, quod episcopus his requiescit
Nomine Lambertus multa bonitate refertus
Quique quaterdenis huic sedi præfuit annis
Non hunc erexit res blanda nec aspera flexit
Parcat peccatis illius fons pietatis
Et lucescat ei lux perpetuæ requiei
1154

It translates to English as:
Let those who do not know learn that a bishop rests here,
By name Lambert, filled with great goodness,
Who presided over this see for forty years.
Neither prosperity elevated him nor adversity swayed him.
May the fountain of mercy pardon his sins,
And may the light of eternal rest shine upon him.
1154

11. Page 5 of our manuscript.
12. Page 6 of our manuscript. This page features a famous handwritten note in Latin from Pierre Abou at the very bottom, which references the relics of Saint Véran and Saint Lambert. He left it on this manuscript in 1793 when he and two others hid the relics of the two saints during the French Revolution. It reads:

Fidem facio et testor quod ad majorem omnipotentis Dei gloriam die
Xbris 1793 extraxi sacras reliquias SS. Verani et Lamberti, positas in
teca argentea et reverenter collocavi in arca lignea deaurata, præ-
sente Paulo Pons presbytero et Petro Geoffroy, in quorum fidem manuum
nos signavimus Vincii die 10 Decembre 1793
Paulus Pons Pbr. B. Geoffroy
Petrus Abouy Pbr. et Procurator hujus Ecclesiæ

Which translates into English as:

I affirm and testify that, for the greater glory of Almighty God, on December 10, 1793, I removed the holy relics of Saint Véran and Saint Lambert placed in a silver reliquary, and respectfully gathered them in a gilded wooden chest, in the presence of Paul Pons, priest, and Pierre Geoffroy, who also act as witnesses, and we have signed with our own hand in Vence on December 10, 1793.
Paul Pons, Priest, B. Geoffroy
Pierre Abou, Priest and Procurator of this Church

You can read a more in-depth account of the relics of Saint Véran and Saint Lambert in this article: Devotion, History and Art: The Relics, Reliquaries and Busts of Saint Véran and Saint Lambert of Vence.

13. Page 7, the last page of our manuscript. There is a stamp of what appears to be a Bishop near the center of the page with 1577 written underneath it. Why this date is being referenced is unclear. At least one scholar has suggested that this manuscript is not from the 12th century, but was written much later, in 1577, as this date indcates. It is an intriguing theory, yet all other sources indicate the manuscript is indeed from the 12th century. There are three lines of handwritten text at the bottom, which are extremely worn and faded, making them illegible. That said, it could be the same text printed at the end of the Barralis version (see below).
14. A blank page.
15. This page is not part of the original manuscript, but a later addition. It contains several paragraphs of text about Saint Hilary and Saint Véran. Why they were added, we don’t know. Here’s the Latin, as written:

De Sancto Hylario

Quae sequintur desumpta fuerunt, partim ex Martyrlogio, partim ex vita Sancti Honorati Arelatensis Ep̄i

In Galliis ciuitate Arelatense, iiiᵒ Nonas Maij, Natale Sancti Hylarii Ep̄i magni, ex discipulatu Honorati cuius præfessoris, qui Vitas Hylarium efficiat sensu politam composuit. Hic quidem est magnus Honoratus Lyranensis Monasterij toto orbe celceberrimus fundator olim, & Rector egregius, postmodum uero Arelatensis Antistes, de eius uirtutibus & sanctitate ne dubites, Sabet siuigmagis ex Harmonia Magnum Gregorium & ipsum Hylarium predictum, atque Cesarium Arelatensem post ipsum Ep̄os, aliosq̃ plures, ipsa prætens & doctrina Brasilisignes. Nam in omnibus Concionis solemnnis de cōsentio. Floruit sub Romanis Imperatoribus Theodosio Iuniore & Valentiniano, qui similiter regnauer coepuerunt, Anno Domini. 428. Vel ut alij volunt 431. Ab Initio mundi quinqᵐ milia sexcentum triginta, olimpia de Trecentesima. Et regnaueunt annis 34. vel ut alij 27. per quod tempus sanctes Roman pontifices suo ordine extiterunt, Celestinus primus, Sixtus Tertius, & Leo primus.

De Sancto Verzano
Epo Vencien.
10 Septembris

Infrascripta desumpta fuerunt Ex Martyrlogio Ecclesiæ
Venciensis folio 119. In margine b.

In Galliis ciuitate vencien. depositio Beati Verzani Epi Vencien. qui fuit Monachus
Insulæ Lyrinen Discipulus beati Hylarii Abbatis dictæ Insulæ, & postea Epis̄
Arelatensis, Qui beatus verzanus sepultus est, In eadem Ecclesia vencien̄ Inᵒ
Sarcophago marmoreo In parte dextra, Qui multis virtutibus & miraculis claruit,
Ac de Nobili prosapia ortus In pace quieuit IIIIᵒ Idus Septembris.

Here’s the English translation:

On Saint Hilary
What follows was taken partly from the Martyrology and partly from the Life of Saint Honoratus, Bishop of Arles.

In Gaul, in the city of Arles, on the third day before the Nones of May, is the feast of Saint Hilary, a great bishop. He was a disciple of Honoratus, whose successor he was, and who composed his Life with a polished style and sound judgment. This Honoratus, founder of the monastery of Lérins, renowned throughout the world, and formerly its outstanding abbot, was afterwards Bishop of Arles. If you do not wish to doubt his virtues and holiness, you will learn even more from the writings of the great Gregory, from Hilary himself, and from Caesarius of Arles, who succeeded him, and from many others whose authority and teaching are noteworthy. All agree in their solemn sermons. He flourished under the Roman Emperors Theodosius the Younger and Valentinian, who began to reign together in the year of the Lord 428, or, as others say, 431, five thousand six hundred and thirty years from the beginning of the world, in the three-hundredth Olympiad. He governed for 34 years, or, as others say, 27. During that time, the Roman pontiffs who held office in order were Celestine I, Sixtus III, and Leo I.

On Saint Véran, Bishop of Vence
10 September
What is written below was taken from the Martyrology of the Church of Vence, folio 119, in the margin “b.”

In Gaul, in the city of Vence, the commemoration of the death of the blessed Véran, Bishop of Vence. He had been a monk of the island of Lérins, a disciple of the blessed Hilary, abbot of that island, and later Bishop of Arles. This blessed Véran was buried in that same church of Vence, in a marble sarcophagus on the right side. He was renowned for many virtues and miracles, and, being born of noble lineage, he fell asleep in peace on the fourth day before the Ides of September.

16. A blank page.
17. A blank page.
18. A blank page.
19. The inside of the back cover. A continuation of the old manuscript used for the cover.
20. The back cover. A continuation of the old manuscript used for the cover.

Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina

BHL stands for Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, which translates as The Latin Hagiographic Library.
 It’s a massive scholarly catalogue, a reference index created by the Bollandists, a scholarly group of Jesuit scholars in Belgium who study and publish critical editions of saints’ lives and compile historical accounts of saints arranged by their feast days. The BHL lists every known Latin text about saints (vitae, passiones, miracula, etc.) written in the Middle Ages and assigns each a unique identifying number (a “BHL number”), like a library catalogue number, but for medieval saints’ lives.

The number 4695 is the specific catalogue entry in the BHL for the text titled Vita sancti Lamberti episcopi Ventensis. It’s a unique scholarly ID for the manuscript and how the academic world keeps track of this specific text across all manuscripts and printed versions. When a scholar writes “BHL 4695,” we know for certain that they are referring to this manuscript. Because many saints share the same name (“Lambert” is a good example; there’s also Saint Lambert of Maastricht, and several others), the BHL number removes any confusion. If you say “BHL 4695,” any medievalist knows you’re referring to Saint Lambert of Vence, not one of the others.

Version Chronologia sanctorum et aliorum virorum illustrium, ac abbatum sacrae insulae Lerinensis

We know that the original medieval manuscript of the Vita sancti Lamberti episcopi Ventensis was still preserved in the archives of the Cathedral of Vence at the end of the 16th century. In 1596, four church officials from Vence, Antoine Isnard (Vicar General), Dominique Laureau (Precentor), Maurice Vian (Curate), and Pierre de Guigonis (Notary), verified and compared the original manuscript with a copy made later. After authenticating the text, they sent the copy to Vincent (Dom) Barralis, a monk of Lérins Abbey, who published it in 1613 as part of his Chronologia sanctorum et aliorum virorum illustrium, ac abbatum sacrae insulae Lerinensis (Lyon, 1613, pp. 180–183a), a Latin chronicle that records the saints, notable figures, and abbots of the Abbey of Lérins, preserving important accounts of early Provençal saints.

The Barralis reprinting covers just over four pages. It begins with the following headline: 

Incipit prologus vitæ beati Lamberti Episcopi Venciens & Monachi sacræ Insulæ
Lerinensis. Floruit anno Domini 1154. (Beginning of the prologue to the life of the blessed Lambert, bishop of Vence and monk of the holy island of Lérins. He died in the year of the Lord 1154.)

As with the original manuscript, the entire text is divided into the same two paragraphs. A relatively short introduction to begin with, which takes up about two-thirds of the first page. The rest of the entire manuscript, the story of Lambert’s life, is contained in the second paragraph over the following three plus pages. There are several small “notes,” between two and eight per page, in the left or right margin of each page, which serve as “markers” for various events in Lambert’s life.  

The text ends with three distinct passages that are not part of the original manuscript:

1. A short paragraph regarding Lambert’s death: “Præfactus verò Episcopus per quadraginta annos Vencien­sem rexit Ecclesiam (vt dictum est.) Et Anno Incarnationis no­stri saluatoris Millesimo, Centesimo, quinquagesimo quarto, suum suo reddidit spiritum creatori.” (This same bishop governed the Church of Vence for forty years (as has been said). And in the year of the Incarnation of our Savior 1154, he returned his spirit to his Creator.) It’s possible that this is the same text added later to the bottom of the last page of the original manuscript (see above).

2. A longer paragraph stating the how Barralis received a copy of this manuscript: “This account was extracted and compared with the original copy preserved in the archives of the Cathedral Church of Vence, in the Province of Provence, by us, Antoine Isnard, Canon Theologian and Vicar General of Vence, acting for the most reverend father in Christ, Guillaume Blanc, Bishop of Vence and Grasse; together with Dominique Laurens, Precentor of the said Church; Maurice Vian, Beneficiary and Curate of the same; and Master Pierre de Guigonis, Royal Notary and Secretary of the Chapter of Vence. In witness and confirmation of the foregoing, we have signed our names. At Vence, on the 14th day of January, in the year of Our Lord 1596, the fourth year of the pontificate of our most holy Father in Christ and Lord, Pope Clement VIII, in the ninth indiction. (Signed) A. Isnard, Vicar General; Dominique Laurens, Precentor of Vence; Maurice Vian, Curate; and I, Pierre de Guigonis, Royal Notary and Secretary of the Chapter of Vence, in attestation of all the above, undersigned: P. de Guigonis, notary and secretary, signed as such.”

3. The inscription found on the tomb of Saint Lambert:
“Let those who do not know learn that a bishop rests here,
By name Lambert, filled with great goodness,
Who presided over this see for forty years.
Neither prosperity elevated him nor adversity swayed him.
May the fountain of mercy pardon his sins,
And may the light of eternal rest shine upon him.”

Version Acta Sanctorum

The Vita manuscript was later reprinted, almost unchanged, in Acta Sanctorum (Antwerp, 1688, Maii vol. VI, pp. 458–460), a monumental scholarly series begun in the 17th century by the Bollandists.

The Acta Sanctorum reprinting begins with a full column of text, two long paragraphs, where the editors provide an editorial introduction to the manuscript. It summarizes information drawn from Baronius (Annales Ecclesiastici), Pietro Ferrarius (Catalogus Generalis Sanctorum – General Catalogue of Saints – 1601), and André du Saussaye (Martyrologium Gallicanum – Gallican Martyrology – 1637), discussing Lambert’s origin, episcopate, sanctity, miracles, and relics. The passage also clarifies a feast-day discrepancy (May 26th vs. June 26th) and records the 1634 translation of his relics to Bauduen. It goes on to explain that they have reproduced Barralis’ version, almost unchanged. They end the introduction with the epitaph found on the front of Lambert’s tomb.

Unlike the Barralis reprinting, the Acta Sanctorum version divides the text of the manuscript into eight distinctly numbered paragraphs. Like the Barralis version, there are numerous “notes” in the side margins of each page corresponding to events in Lambert’s life. There are five “footnotes” in the margins (marked as a, b, c, d, and e) with information in an “Annotat” section at the end of the manuscript, which explains, clarifies, and corrects the historical and textual background. There are additional instances of letters acting as other types of markers (D, F, A, B, C, E, F, B, D & E), though it is unclear exactly what these letters mark or signify.

The letters “G.H.” in the upper left corner of the first page stand for Godfrey Henschen, one of the two men who collected, arranged, and illustrated this volume. We therefore know that he was responsible for this particular entry.

Modern References to the Vita

Modern scholarship, notably Eliana Magnani (2010), identifies the Vita Sancti Lamberti Episcopi Venciensis  as a genuine 12th-century Provençal hagiography composed shortly after Lambert’s death in 1154. Magnani notes that it portrays Lambert as a noble-born child oblate (a child dedicated to monastic life, offered [“oblatus”] to a monastery, usually permanently) of the monastery of Lérins who preserved chastity and humility throughout life before becoming bishop of Vence. In the early Middle Ages, noble families often offered one of their children to the Church both for spiritual reasons and to strengthen ties with important monasteries.

Magnani treats this vita as a key example of the “monk-bishop” ideal, an ecclesiastical model in which sanctity is rooted in early monastic formation. The text, she notes, reflects both enduring hagiographic conventions and the continuing reality of child oblation in Provence during the 11th–12th centuries, making Lambert’s life an emblem of that spiritual and institutional world.

Download various versions and translations of the Saint Lambert manuscript.

Access

The Archives diocésaines de Nice (Diocesan Archives of Nice) are located at 8 rue Vincent Fossat in Nice. Visitation is by appointment only. If you want to see this manuscript in person you can visit the archives and make a request.