Euseigne
Origin of the name Euseigne
The name Euseigne has no known explanation. The nearby earth pyramids bear it too.
Founding of Euseigne
Euseigne is one of the hamlets of the municipality of Hérémence, together with Ayer, Mâche, Pralong, Riod and Cerise. When it came into being is unknown, but its Saint-Georges chapel dates from the 16th century. The hamlet is best known for the pyramids named after it, about ten columns 10 to 15 metres high carved by erosion out of the lateral moraines of the former Dix glacier. Together with the Grande Dixence dam, they are among the municipality's main tourist attractions.[1][2]
History of Euseigne
end of the last glaciation. After the glaciers retreat, erosion begins to free the pyramids from the moraines of the former Dix glacier, which had been compacted under 1'300 to 1'500 metres of ice.[2]
16th century. The Saint-Georges chapel of Euseigne is built.[1]
19th century. An earthquake brings down some of the boulders capping the pyramids. The mule track of the time already largely follows the route of today's cantonal road.[2][3]
late 19th century. The pyramids, also called « cheminées des fées » (fairy chimneys), become one of the valley's main tourist attractions.[2]
1923. On 23 April, Saint George's Day and the village's patronal feast, the villagers choose the present site of the chapel.[4]
1947. The tunnel under the pyramids is built. The same year the road becomes passable for cars.[3]
1983. The site is added to the Federal Inventory of Landscapes and Natural Monuments (IFP/BLN).[3]
2016. On 14 December the Grand Council of Valais unanimously agrees to consider the credit for a new tunnel behind the pyramids.[3]
2019. In July the expert panel of the competition held by the municipality of Hérémence to enhance the site names the winning project, « Loúye ».[3]
Historic sites in Euseigne
Pyramids of Euseigne. A federal inventory site covering 68 hectares. The gneiss or serpentinite boulders capping the columns, weighing up to 20 tonnes, come from the heads of the Hérens or Hérémence valleys and protect the moraine from erosion. Some pyramids have already lost their boulder and are eroding.[2]
Chapel of Saint-Georges. The hamlet's chapel, recorded for the 16th century and dedicated to Saint George, the village's patron saint.[1][4]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Hérémence » (Bernard Monnet, version du 09.04.2008)
- Office fédéral de l'environnement, Inventaire fédéral des paysages (IFP), objet 1708 « Pyramides d'Euseigne » (2017)
- Commune d'Hérémence, « Pyramides d'Euseigne, mandat d'études parallèles : rapport du collège d'experts » (juillet 2019)
- Val d'Hérens Tourisme, « The 8 chapels of the Val des Dix »
- Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS), STATPOP, chiffres provisoires au 31.12.2025, via citypopulation.de
- geo.admin.ch, recherche de lieux (coordonnées)
Other villages near Euseigne
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