Culminating at 1050 meters above sea level, Thiéry is an alpine village in the Alpes-Maritimes located at the top of a rocky peak surrounded by wooded mountains. The town dominates the Var valley, the Cians gorges, the Arzilagne valley and the valley of Thiéry.
After Villars-sur-Var, a 14 km winding road through the mountain gives you access to Thiéry. The road goes no further. The villages of Touët-sur-Var, Lieuche, Ilonse, Bairols and Pierlas are then only accessible on foot via marked trails.
Previously there was a castle at the top of the village, it was destroyed around 1650 after the war between the county of Savoie and the Grimaldis of Beuil. There are still some traces behind the inn and below the road under the wash house. Walking the streets of Thiéry, below the hostel, you will discover a steep village with old stone houses and winding alleys with many arched passages. We find in some facades stones of the castle.
The Notre-Dame chapel is located at the Col de la Madone. It is the place of a pilgrimage on the first Sunday of September each year. That day, a mass is celebrated followed by a procession around the church and a blessing of the countryside.
The parish church of Saint-Martin is located in the upper western part of the village. Built in the 11th century, this church may be older, because the cult of its patron Saint Martin spread in the region from the 7th century. It has been restored many times. It is a Romanesque style church, which has 2 bells under 2 arcatures on the roof, in a bell tower of the "comb" type.
The panoramic viewpoint over the Arzilagne with its 360° orientation table is near the cemetery. It is a picturesque place with a bird's eye view of the Arzilagne.
Going down to the bottom of the village, you can stop at the place du four, called "Dar Fourn" in local patois, with its communal oven where bread is still made at least once per year. This oven was rebuilt around 1930 and served until the war.
Descending a little further down, we find the traditional village square, the "Place deï Tubans" with its coat of arms embedded in the ground. This is the meeting place for summer events. On August 15, the feast of Thiéry is the most important party of the year: we meet up with friends, we dance, we have fun and we play la mourra!
The central bell tower, with its clock, can be admired up close from Place deï Tubans, but can be seen from almost anywhere since it is perched. It was an old dovecote which was transformed in 1935 to install a weight clock.
On August 15, the feast of Thiéry, feast of Saint Roch, is the most important feast of the year.
