Bagnes
Origin of the name Bagnes
The name appears in 1150 as « Banie ». The old German name is « Bangis ». It referred to the municipal territory, roughly the Val de Bagnes, and not to a village. The meaning of the name is unknown.[1]
Founding of Bagnes
First held by the Savoys, the lordship of Bagnes belonged from 1150 to the abbey of Saint-Maurice. The castle of Verbier, mentioned from 1287 and probably destroyed in 1476, protected it. A former municipality of the district of Entremont, bordering the Aosta Valley, Bagnes had Le Châble as its main village and included Villette, Bruson and Verbier among others. Until 1957 it functioned as a confederation of villages (quarters or sections). Its history was marked by floods of the Dranse, above all the Giétro outburst of 1818, and by the sporadic working of silver mines. In the 20th century the Mauvoisin dam and mass tourism around Verbier replaced the old farming structure. In 2021 Bagnes merged with Vollèges: it is now part of the municipality of Val de Bagnes.[1]
History of Bagnes
1150. First mention, « Banie ». The lordship passes from the Savoys to the abbey of Saint-Maurice.[1]
1178. First mention of the parish.[1]
1287. First mention of the castle of Verbier, which protects the lordship.[1]
1344. Start of the sporadic working of the silver mines, continued until 1723, then resumed in 1852 and 1855.[1]
1469. Flood of the Dranse.[1]
1476. The castle of Verbier is probably destroyed.[1]
1488-1534. Construction of the bell tower of the church of Le Châble.[4]
1519-1525. Construction of the nave of the church of Saint-Maurice in Le Châble.[4]
1595. Flood of the Dranse; a Giétro outburst devastates the Val de Bagnes on 25 May, a day still to be confirmed.[1]
1686. Construction of the chapel of Verbier, which becomes a rectorate in 1915 and a parish in 1962.[1]
1798. Bagnes becomes part of the district of Entremont.[1]
1818. Outburst of the Giétro glacier, the worst of the Dranse floods.[1]
1844. The rivalry between Radicals and Conservatives culminates at Corberaye, where three Conservatives are killed.[1]
1900. Creation of a free, liberal-radical school without religious teaching, closed in 1943.[1]
1957. End of the municipality as a confederation of villages. Councillors represent their sections until 1971.[1]
1958. Completion of the Mauvoisin dam; rise of mass tourism.[1]
2019. On 10 February the merger with Vollèges is accepted in a popular vote.[5]
2021. Bagnes merges with Vollèges to form the municipality of Val de Bagnes.[1]
Population of Bagnes
Sources and references: [1]
| 1850 | 4'278 |
| 1900 | 4'127 |
| 1950 | 3'609 |
| 2000 | 6'536 |
| 2010 | 7'726 |
| 2020 | 8'238 |
Historic sites in Bagnes
Church of Saint-Maurice in Le Châble. Three-aisled parish church of the municipality: nave of 1519-1525, bell tower of 1488-1534, choir with a polygonal apse rebuilt in 1534 and closed by a wrought-iron screen dated 1684. An ossuary of about 1560 stands beside it. With the ossuary and the former presbytery, a cultural property of national importance (federal PCP inventory).[3][4]
Abbey of Le Châble. Building from the early 15th century, altered in the 17th century, which reportedly served as the summer residence of the abbot of Saint-Maurice.
Village chapels. Chapels of Montagnier (14th century), Sarreyer (after 1639), Lourtier (1659), Vernays (1661), Médières (1679), Champsec and Versegères (1684) and Verbier (1686).[1]
Mauvoisin dam. Dam completed in 1958; together with mass tourism it accompanied the shift from a farming economy to the service sector.[1]
Remains in Bagnes
Silver mines. Mines worked sporadically from 1344 to 1723, then in 1852 and 1855.[1]
Castle of Verbier. Castle mentioned from 1287, which protected the lordship, probably destroyed in 1476.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Bagnes » (Jean-Yves Gabbud, version du 21.07.2021)
- geo.admin.ch, recherche de lieux (coordonnées du Châble)
- Inventaire fédéral des biens culturels (PBC), objet 6603 « Église St-Maurice, ossuaire, ancienne cure », Le Châble, catégorie A (geo.admin.ch)
- Inventaire PBC, fiche 6603, Le Châble, église Saint-Maurice, ossuaire et ancienne cure, texte de la Société d'histoire de l'art en Suisse (Guide artistique de la Suisse)
- Walliser Bote (1815.ch), « Zersiedelungsinitiative | Mit fast 90 Prozent im Oberwallis », 10.02.2019 (oui à la fusion Bagnes-Vollèges)
Localities of the municipality with a page
Other villages near Bagnes
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