History
"Cagnes" is originally a ligurian name meaning « living place on the rounded hill ». Lifted up at 91meters in the air, the Haut de Cagnes was firstly occupied by the Celt - Ligurian, and then the Gallo-Romans.
From the 16th century onwards, Cagnes, considered as the borderland between France and the States of Savoy, is involved in all the big Europeans wars.
The most glorious era for the citizens of Cagnes is under the reign of the king Louis XIII, when his castle is transformed by Jean-Henri Grimaldi to a wonderful seigniorial domain, around 1620.
The reign of Louis XIV and Louis XV brought out the wars and several invasions from the borderlands.
In 1790 during the French Revolution, Cagnes' population is estimated at 1388 citizens only, mostly peasants.
...Becomes the « Montmartre » of the French Riviera
Early in the 20TH Century when Renoir settled in our city from 1903 to 1919, Cagnes is estimated at 3000 citizens.
Attracted by the artist and its Impressionist artwork, a lot of passionate artists decided to come and settle in the area of the castle calling it the "Montmartre of the French Riviera".
Among all the famous people settled in the Haut-de-Cagnes, some famous names remain: Pierre Auguste Renoir, Chaim Soutine, Foujita, Yves Klein, Georges Simenon (address : 98, Montée de la Bourgade), Mouloudji (singer, poet and songwriter), Suzy Solidor (singer and Director of a cabaret),Georges Ulmer and even Brigitte Bardot...
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