CAGNES-SUR-MER – THE MOST FLOWERY MEDIEVAL VILLAGES IN FRANCE – A TRUE MIRACLE OF NATURE

CAGNES-SUR-MER – THE MOST FLOWERY MEDIEVAL VILLAGES IN FRANCE – A TRUE MIRACLE OF NATURE

The medieval village
Le Haut-de-Cagnes, a medieval village located at the top of the castle hill, is the historic part of the town of Cagnes-sur-Mer.

650 residents have chosen to live in this district, classified as a “historic site” in 1948, which has preserved the serenity of village life, outside the hectic pace of the Côte d’Azur.

Patina of centuries, stones full of history, shady, narrow and flowery alleys, unusual views of the Mediterranean and the Mercantour, all contribute to retaining the visitor in search of authenticity.

Unique site on the Côte d’Azur
Le Haut-de-Cagnes has managed to both preserve the mystery of the strongholds of Provence and open itself widely to the visitors who visit it.

A maze of steep cobblestone streets, vaulted passages, flower-filled staircases, eye-catching houses, unusual belvederes, artists’ studios, Haut-de-Cagnes reveals itself at every step…

The Church of Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul
The church, which had become too small to accommodate all its faithful, was restored and enlarged in the 16th and 18th centuries.
The work completed in 1762 doubled its proportions with the upper nave visible on the right side, a main entrance portal was also added. It is visible from the church square behind the building. At the time, the parish of Cagnes had 1,200 souls.

In the church, you can admire some religious paintings from the 18th century, including the canvas that adorns the high altar and represents the handing over of the keys to Saint-Pierre.
The paintings of the Stations of the Cross, created by the painter Charles Barkev on the occasion of the Jubilee 2000, have the particularity of representing Cagnois from Haut-de-Cagnes who agreed to pose to illustrate the Passion of Christ.

When “La Colline Arrondie”…
“Cagnes” is a name of Ligurian origin which means “inhabited place on a rounded hill”.

This rocky spur, which culminates at an altitude of 91 meters, offered our ancestors an ideal surveillance and defense position, close to a river and good land.

This place was first occupied by the Celto-Ligurians then by the Gallo-Romans.

When Provence united with France in 1483, Cagnes became a border town on the only road leading to France from the States of Savoy.

From the 16th century, this border area, which entered a cycle of major European wars, was often pillaged and ransacked.

The reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV brought back wars and multiple invasions of the border area.

At the time of the French Revolution in 1790, Cagnes still had only 1,388 inhabitants, most of them peasants who lived from growing vines, olive trees, hemp, citrus fruits and early vegetables.

At the beginning of the 20th century, when Renoir came to settle in our town, from 1903 until his death in 1919, Cagnes was the capital of the canton with around 3,000 inhabitants.
Attracted by the celebrity of the Impressionist master, many painters in love with the Mediterranean light came to settle in this picturesque town nicknamed “The Montmartre of the Côte d’Azur”, and which attracted celebrities from the world of arts and entertainment until the 1960s.

Among the most famous, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Chaim Soutine, Foujita, Yves Klein, Georges Simenon (at 98, Montée de la Bourgade), Mouloudji (poet singer and composer), Suzy Solidor (singer and cabaret director), Georges Ulmer and Brigitte Bardot stayed or lived in Haut-de-Cagnes…

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