The first occupants of the area were located at the Col de Collebasse, the highest point of the communal territory. It was primarily a Roman observation camp. After defeating the Ligurians on the banks of the Apron (the former name of the Siagne), the Romans set up a lookout at L’Eouvière (which is now used to monitor forest fires).
After the fall of the Roman Empire, there was a complete regression; the lands were abandoned in the face of raids and attacks by the Saracens. The chapel of the old Tignet dates back to 1200, and the Castrum d’Antinhaco, later known as Antiuniets, was developed by the Abbey of Lérins.
At the Oppidum du Castellaras, there are ruins from the 13th and 14th centuries, evidence of human activity. With the great plague of 1350, the Tignet, like the entire region, was devastated by the plague. It took longer than elsewhere to repopulate the village.
In 1711, the Tignet was detached from Cabris, evidence of renewal. The village is irrigated by the Siagne and the Vernatelle stream. Located at just over 400 meters above sea level, its main resources are olives and aromatic plants. In July, one should not miss the festival of Saint Hilaire, the patron saint of Tignet. The parish church is dedicated to him.
According to some authors, including Adolphe Joanne and his 1882 dictionary of the Alpes Maritimes, Tignet was dependent on Saint Vallier de Thiey and was a Templar commandery. Spéracèdes, Cabris, Peymeinade, Saint Cézaire, and Saint Vallier de Thiey were once supposed to have formed a single commune.
With the revolution, in the effort to permanently dismantle fiefdoms and lordships, the old seigneurial entities were divided into several towns or villages. Since the late 20th century, we have been witnessing the opposite phenomenon with metropolitan areas and communities of communes or agglomerations, bringing together the future and destinies of communes under a single authority.
Tignet does not have any remarkable monuments. This commune, perched on the hillside, is a residential village where city dwellers love to come to recharge and enjoy the tranquility and fresh air of the countryside.
Thierry Jan
