The Collegiate Church (14th-18th c)

The construction of the village church stretched from the 14th to the 18th century. The building thus harbours a blend of periods and styles. Four pillars and the arch bands in the nave, plus the entire choir, date back to the primitive Romanesque church. The aisles were added later, probably at the beginning of the 16th century to accommodate a growing population.
The 17th century marked the golden age of the church in Saint-Paul de Vence : in 1666, the Bishop of Vence raised it to the rank of collegiate church. It was embellished accordingly; the pulpit and the stalls with mercy seats were sculpted in 1668. The main attraction, however, is the chapel dedicated to Saint Clement containing relics from catacombs in Rome. This glowing example of baroque art was added at the beginning of the 1680s by the Bernardi family. Its abundance of stucco and frescoes constitutes a remarkable example of Counter-Reformation art.