Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Vence

Since more than 20 years Vence hosts the festival "Nuits du Sud". Vence is a wonderful village in the hills between Nice and Antibes. The summernights there are warm and with the music they are really magic. Lucky Peterson´s father owned a club, where musician Willie Dixon saw a five-year-old boy performing. With Dixon´s support young Lucky recorded his first album and became a child organ prodigy. Meanwhile Lucky Person is a kind of "living legend" of blues, on stage since 5 decades. Here is Lucky Peterson´s sound www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkMtKJnlSSk&list=PLYc0FapKFwG...

The most colourful and surprising item inside the rather bleak Cathedral of Vence is this mosaic behind the baptismal font. It was created by russo-french artist Marc Chagall, who lived in nearby St.- Paul de Vence. Worldfamous Chagall has created many stained windows (Metz, Reims, Mainz, Chichester..) of which the most are very dark blue - in opposite to this light coloured scene, depicting Moses in a small craft of bulrushes, being rescued from the Nile. Maybe this was saying Chagall´s way of saying "Merci beaucoup" to Vence after he was awarded the honorary citizenship of the town.

As I was not able to see the interior of the "Chapelle du Rosaire" in Vence (you may remember it was "Fermeture Anuelle") I returned to the Matisse Museum, as I had seen a model here. I wanted to see the model and the sketches of that chapel again, as the "Chapelle du Rosaire" was regarded by Matisse himself as his "masterpiece. It was not only his "major work", but as well his last complex one. So here is the model, that was used. I am not sure, wether it was legal to take and upload this photo. I do respect the copyrighht of course. In case the model is protected - and will immidiately delete the photo, if there is a copyright-holder, who.. Homepage of the museum: www.musee-matisse-nice.org/ Homepage of the chapel: maison.lacordaire.pagesperso-orange.fr/index02.htm Here the photo of the chapel in Vence: www.flickr.com/photos/martin-m-miles/556063445/

Inside the Cathédrale de la Nativité-de-Marie, the Cathedral of Vence, bishopric seat upto 1801. Originally, dating back to the 11th/12th century, this was a basilica-style church, having one nave and two aisles. Probably only the pillars are still from that time, as the structure is renovated, changed and enlarged many times. Built in the pillars are some brownish reliefs. These stone carvings are from the carolingian church, that was here before the romanesque was built. Denis has a nice photo of one of these carvings: www.flickr.com/photos/89235234@N00/5041059868/

I took a photo here already, as this is just east of the "Cathedral of Vence", have a look: www.flickr.com/photos/martin-m-miles/5569508742/ This is the northern side of the former cemetry. In the center stands the grey basalt column, that was given to the Mars-temple of Vintium (Vence) from the population of Massalia (Marseille) in 230 aC. The residential building behind is from the 13th century. The arcade-window is not a fake. There are about 1000 years of history between the roman column and the romanesque house.

Standing on the place, that was the cemetery upto 1780, seeing the cathedral of Vence from the east. Now, the romanesque structure of the cathedral is obvious. The tower was, when it was constructed 12th/13th century not connected to the church structure. The "Tour de Lambert" to the west of the cathedral looked probably very similar, before it underwent a couple of "renovations". There is a grey basalt column in the center of the square, that is even older than the cathedral. It is one of two columns, given to the Mars-temple in Vintium (Vence) by people from Massalia (Marseille) in 230 aC. The second column exists as well - on another square in Vence. Here is the nothern side of the square: www.flickr.com/photos/martin-m-miles/5571990931/

Behind the market stalls on the "Place Clemenceau" towers the "Tour Saint-Lambert" that was built (much higher) next to the cathedral within the 12th century.Now the tower is part of the cathedral of Vence, that was a bishopric seat, upto 1801. Saint Lambert was bishop here 1114 -1154 - and so named the tower. Since 1879 the main entrance of the cathedral is on the right, just below the baroque Madonna. At least parts of the cathedral date back to early merovingian times. The first church, built over the foundation of a roman temple, was probably destroyed by the Lombards. It was rebuilt, damaged, destroyed many times over the century - and by now is mixture of different styles from carolingian to late baroque.

The old town of Vence on the hill to the right. The foothills of the Maritime Alps to the left. Nice in the distant. Brilliant weather - for December! The old town is still a medieval walled village. The church tower belongs to the old Vence Cathedral, the formerly the seat of the Bishopric of Vence, that existed from 374 (!) to 1801. Vence, only about 10 kms inland from the Mediterranian Sea, has been a very favourable spot for (tourists and) artists since the early 20th. century. Matisse, Dufy, Dubuffet, Chagall, just to name a few, have lived and worked here, as well as the authors D. H. Lawrence and R. Schickele.

Though I was early that day, I was too late. About three weeks too late. The "Chapelle du Rosaire" was closed. I learned from the paper, pasted onto the locked door: "Fermeture annuelle 15.11. - 20.12." So I could only see the building from the sidewalk of the street, what leaning over the fence, produces "slanted" photos like this one. This chapel was regarded by Matisse himself as his "masterpiece. It is a very complex work of art and has a wonderful background. Many of the artists around Matisse (e.g. Picasso) did not like what Matisse was doing here. Matisse started this "project" at the age of 77 - and spent more than 4 years. Please follow the whole story of the chapel on Wikipedia: english en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapelle_du_Rosaire_de_Vence french fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapelle_du_Rosaire_de_Vence german de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapelle_du_Rosaire_de_Vence Here are the opening hours: maison.lacordaire.pagesperso-orange.fr/index02.htm

Though I was early that day, I was too late. About three weeks too late. The "Chapelle du Rosaire" was closed. I learned from the paper, pasted onto the locked door: "Fermeture annuelle 15.11. - 20.12." So I could only see the building from the sidewalk of the street. The window (behind the altar) as seen from outside. This chapel was regarded by Matisse himself as his "masterpiece. It is a very complex work of art and has a wonderful background. Many of the artists around Matisse (e.g. Picasso) did not like what Matisse was doing here. Matisse started this "project" at the age of 77 - and spent more than 4 years. Please follow the whole story of the chapel on Wikipedia: english en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapelle_du_Rosaire_de_Vence french fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapelle_du_Rosaire_de_Vence german de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapelle_du_Rosaire_de_Vence Here are the opening hours: maison.lacordaire.pagesperso-orange.fr/index02.htm

Though I was early that day, I was too late. About three weeks too late. The "Chapelle du Rosaire" was closed. - I learned from the paper, pasted onto the locked door: "Fermeture annuelle 15.11. - 20.12." So I could only see the building from the sidewalk of the "Avenue Henri Matisse". This chapel was regarded by Matisse himself as his "masterpiece. It is a very complex work of art and has a wonderful background. Many of the artists around Matisse (e.g. Picasso) did not like what Matisse was doing here. Matisse started this "project" at the age of 77 - and spent more than 4 years. Please follow the whole story of the chapel on Wikipedia: english en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapelle_du_Rosaire_de_Vence french fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapelle_du_Rosaire_de_Vence german de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapelle_du_Rosaire_de_Vence Here are the opening hours: maison.lacordaire.pagesperso-orange.fr/index02.htm