This article is the second in a series about the history of Vence. You can find links to the other articles at the bottom of the page. Have any of the buildings or structures from the very early days of the Middle Ages survived? Are the winding streets still laid out basically the same? Are the small sunny squares full of restaurant tables and chairs still in the same location as they were so long ago? Did the same ramparts we see today protect and defend the inhabitants of Vence when invaders approached?
In truth there is very little about our city that remains from these early years, though some remnants can still be seen. Portions of the current Cathedral are certainly from as early as the 11th century. As we will see shortly, two of the existing gates into the old town date from these early years.
Vence was still undergoing a considerable amount of turmoil and unrest during this time. It would be many centuries before life here reached any semblance of stability and security. Many wars, plagues, transitions and shifts in power were on the horizon. Vence was still growing, changing, adapting and adjusting to the world around it. In terms of actual historical accounts, very little has survived from this period in time. Some historians believe the inhabitants of Vence deserted the city and fled to fortifications in Saint-Laurent while others are convinced that the city was never completely abandoned.
After the defeat of the Saracens in the lands of eastern Provence were divided between Guillaume and Roubaud. Somewhere around this time it is likely that Vence gained a new life and the city once again became fully inhabited. The people who now called this village home were a mix for Frank , Burgundian , Lombard , Visigoth and Ostrogoth. Virtually nothing was left of the Gallo-Roman culture that was so dominant for hundreds of years except for some stone ruins.
Records from the dark ages are far and few between. There are no records whatsoever of bishops from to From Spain to Italy new customs, new clothing, new architecture and new literature took root in the Mediterranean sun and Provence was born. While it is true that much of south eastern France bears the heavy influence of Italy, in truth Vence itself never saw much influence from its Italian neighbors. Italian was never spoken in Vence and a close examination of the various local dialects show virtually no influence of the Italian language.
