Conthey
Origin of the name Conthey
Around 800 the place appears as « curtis Contextis ». In 1146 the church of Plan-Conthey is cited as « ecclesiam de Plano Contesio ». The name may come from the Latin « Contextus », the name of the owner of a rural estate, though this is not certain. In German, Conthey was reportedly once called Konters and Gundis.[1]
Founding of Conthey
The hillside has been frequented since the early Bronze Age: hundreds of graves, from that period up to the early Middle Ages, were uncovered during work in the vineyards, though no protohistoric settlement has been identified. The Morge of Conthey marked the boundary between the Seduni and the Veragri. In Roman times a villa rustica stood at Plan-Conthey. Its Late Empire tombs suggest a wealthy family of notables. The estate appears around 800 as a « curtis ». As seat of the vidomnat, Conthey became in 1254 the chief town of the Count of Savoy's lands in central Valais, at the head of a castellany that included Vétroz and Nendaz. The main settlement today brings together Plan-Conthey, La Place, Le Bourg and Saint-Séverin. Aven, Erde, Sensine, Premploz and Daillon lie on the hillside. Vétroz and Magnot belonged to the municipality until the 19th century.[1]
History of Conthey
Bronze Age. Start of a long series of burials on the hillside, from the plain to the mayens, with pins, torcs, bracelets, axes and daggers. In the Iron Ages, torcs, « Valais » rings, swords and painted pottery.[1]
4th century. Vaulted burial chamber of the Roman villa at Plan-Conthey, with lead coffins and twelve glass vessels made mostly in Asia Minor. Another grave yields a coin of Constantius II (337-361).[1]
Around 800. First mention of the estate, the « curtis Contextis ».[1]
1146. Mention of the church of Plan-Conthey, a dependency of the Abbey of Saint-Maurice.[1]
12th century. Construction of the Romanesque church of Saint-Séverin (second quarter of the century), first a chapel of ease of Plan-Conthey, then a parish before the end of the century.[1]
1254. Conthey becomes the chief town of the Count of Savoy's lands in central Valais: the castellany of Conthey comprises the borough and the dependencies of Vétroz and Nendaz.[1]
1324. Edward of Savoy authorises a market.[1]
1348-1475. As a border zone, the region sees conflicts between the House of Savoy and the Bishop of Sion (1348, 1384, 1416, 1475).[1]
1352. Amadeus VI grants the fortified borough its first franchises, extended in 1356, 1364, 1419, 1431 and 1457.[1]
1375. Destruction of the castle of the vidomnes.[1]
1475. Destruction of the castellan's castle; the borough declines. Until 1798 the region falls under the governorship of Saint-Maurice, subject to the dizains.[1]
1714. On 23 September a first rockfall at Derborence kills fourteen people, perhaps fifteen.[2]
1749. In spring a second rockfall, the largest in Switzerland in historical times (about 50 million m³), blocks the floor of the Derborence cirque and forms the lake.[2]
1815. Attached to the district of Sion in 1802, Conthey forms the district of Conthey with the neighbouring localities; a municipal council appears.[1]
1850. Start of the embankment of the Rhône, which frees new land in the hitherto marshy plain. During the 19th century vines spread below 800 m.[1]
1862. The Council of State makes Vétroz, with Magnot, an independent municipality.[1]
1900-1901. The remains of the Roman villa at Plan-Conthey are identified.[1]
1929. Establishment of the parish of Erde for the upper villages.[1]
1934. Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz publishes the novel « Derborence », inspired by the disaster.[2]
1961. Derborence, a federal game reserve since 1911, is declared a protected area. From 1950 small and medium-sized businesses settle in the municipality, which remains one of the largest wine-growing municipalities in the canton.[1][2]
Population of Conthey
Sources and references: [1][3]
| 1850 | 2'488 |
| 1900 | 2'920 |
| 1950 | 3'485 |
| 1980 | 4'828 |
| 1990 | 5'853 |
| 2000 | 6'261 |
| 2025 | 9'658 |
Historic sites in Conthey
Church of Saint-Séverin. Romanesque church built in the second quarter of the 12th century under the patronage of the bishop, which became a parish church before the end of the 12th century.[1]
Plan-Conthey. Church mentioned from 1146, a dependency of the Abbey of Saint-Maurice, and site of the Late Empire Roman villa.[1]
Le Bourg. Former fortified Savoyard borough, granted a market in 1324 and franchises from 1352, which declined after the destruction of the castellan's castle in 1475.[1]
Derborence. Alpine pasture at the southern foot of the Tour Saint-Martin in the Diablerets massif, marked by the rockfalls of 1714 and 1749. Its lake was formed by that of 1749. A federal game reserve in 1911 and a protected area in 1961, it inspired Ramuz's novel (1934).[2]
Hillside villages. Aven, Erde, Sensine, Premploz and Daillon. Under the Ancien Régime the majorie of the mountain, whose holder lived in Daillon, grouped Daillon, Aven, Erde and Premploz and commanded the troops.[1]
Remains in Conthey
Roman villa and burial chamber of Plan-Conthey. Remains of a villa rustica identified in 1900-1901, with a vaulted burial chamber holding lead coffins and twelve 4th-century glass vessels. Other lead sarcophagi, found between 1883 and 1930, contained a cloak of wool and silk, oak leaves and a coin of Constantius II.[1]
Prehistoric graves on the hillside. Hundreds of graves, from the early Bronze Age to the early Middle Ages, discovered between 1850 and 1950 when vineyards were planted or renewed.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Conthey (commune) » (François Wiblé, Maurice Terrettaz), version du 11.08.2005
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Derborence » (Maurice Terrettaz), version du 03.07.2008
- Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS), STATPOP, chiffres provisoires au 31.12.2025, via citypopulation.de
- geo.admin.ch, service de recherche de swisstopo (Conthey)
Localities of the municipality with a page
Other villages near Conthey
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