Géronde
Origin of the name Géronde
Géronde is the name of a vine-covered hill and a monastery south of Sierre, in German as in French. The origin of the name is unknown.[1]
Founding of Géronde
The hill of Géronde, in the municipality of Sierre, has been frequented since the Neolithic. It overlooks two lakes, former arms of the Rhône. In Roman times, buttressed walls perhaps indicate a public building. In the 5th century the church of Saint-Martin, Sierre's first parish church, was built on the hill. The present monastery stands on its site, on the west side of the hill. In the 13th century Augustinian canons from the abbey of Abondance founded a convent there, and many communities followed them. Since 1935 the place has been home to a community of Bernardine nuns: it is a religious site, without a village.[1][2][3][4]
History of Géronde
Neolithic. A polished stone axe is left on the hill.[2][3]
Bronze Age-early Middle Ages. The hill yields abundant finds, mostly from graves: Bronze Age weapons and ornaments, ankle rings from the late Iron Age, Roman inscriptions, vessels, ornaments and coins, and an early medieval soapstone pot. A gold signet ring bearing the name Graifarius, perhaps from the 6th century, was also found.[2]
Roman period. Buttressed walls reportedly point to a public building. A Gallo-Roman villa, turned into an oppidum during the first barbarian incursions, is said to have occupied the hill.[2][3]
5th century. The oldest remains of the parish church of Saint-Martin date from the middle or second half of the 5th century (from the 6th century according to another source).[1][2][3]
5th or early 6th century. The chapel of Saint-Félix is built (Carolingian in origin according to another source).[1][2][3]
1233. Augustinian canons from the abbey of Abondance, in Haute-Savoie, found a convent. They stay until the 14th century.[1][3]
1331. The Carthusians settle at Géronde.[1][3]
mid-14th century. The castle on the hill is destroyed, like those of Vieux-Sierre and Plantzette. A « new » castle, built at the same time, is ravaged in 1384 and levelled in 1415.[2][3]
1425-1644. A Carmelite friary occupies the site (from 1445 according to another source).[1][3]
17th century. Jesuits stay at Géronde, from 1652 to 1688.[1][3]
1748-1780. The seminary of the bishop of Sion is housed at Géronde (until 1818 according to another source).[1][3]
1804-1806. Trappists from the community of Augustin de Lestrange settle there.[1]
1808-1817. The episcopal seminary returns there for the final year of studies.[1]
1831-1834. Trappists in exile stay there again.[1]
after 1870. Dominicans fleeing French anticlericalism take refuge there.[1]
1893-1929. Under an agreement with the canton of Valais, Géronde is an institute for the deaf (from 1894 according to another source).[1][3]
1935. At the request of Bishop Victor Bieler, Bernardine nuns from Collombey move into the dilapidated buildings and revive monastic life (1934 according to another source).[1][3][4]
1980. A fire ravages the living quarters. The monastery is then fully restored with the help of the people of Valais.[4]
Historic sites in Géronde
Monastery of Géronde. A complex of medieval origin on the west side of the hill. Its church stands on the remains of the old parish church of Saint-Martin. The Bernardines have lived there since 1935, and the community numbered about thirty sisters in 1984.[1][3][4]
Lakes of Géronde. The large lake and the small lake, now cut in two, are former arms of the Rhône. The large lake is a major feature of Sierre's landscape.[2][3]
Remains in Géronde
Chapel of Saint-Félix. The ruined walls of this chapel stand on the eastern slope of the hill.[1][2][3]
Fortifications. On the same slope are the ruins of an early medieval fortification and the site of the « new » mid-14th-century castle, levelled in 1415.[1][3]
Archaeological finds. Two Roman altars, one dedicated to Mercury, and five epitaphs are kept in Sierre, including at Géronde.[2]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse (version allemande), « Géronde » (version du 14.11.2005)
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Sierre (commune) » (François Wiblé, David Rey, version du 02.05.2013)
- Office fédéral de la culture, ISOS, « Sierre » (commune de Sierre, 2e version, 03.1998)
- Maxime Morand, « Contemplatives en Valais : les Bernardines à Collombey et à Géronde », Les Échos de Saint-Maurice, t. 80, 1984 (édition numérique de l'abbaye de Saint-Maurice)
- geo.admin.ch, recherche de lieux (coordonnées)
Other villages near Géronde
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