La Sage
Origin of the name La Sage
Representatives of La Sage appear in the records from 1225, but the meaning of the name remains obscure.[1]
Founding of La Sage
La Sage is a village in the municipality of Evolène, created in 1882 when the municipality of Hérens was divided. Lying at 1'650 metres, it forms with Villa and La Forclaz the « Sur-les-Rocs » villages, on cliffs about 300 metres above Evolène. Its inhabitants already appear in 13th-century records, when family names were not yet fixed. How the village came into being is not known.[1][2][3]
History of La Sage
1225. Representatives of La Sage appear in the records, together with those of Evolène and Les Haudères.[1]
1621. The village provides 34 of the 306 soldiers from Evolène called up in Sion.[1]
1829. The census counts 65 inhabitants.[1]
1849. A chapel is built in La Sage.[2]
1850. Unlike Les Haudères and Villa, the village gains inhabitants: it has 82.[1]
1906. The Hôtel de La Sage opens, at a time when the roads cannot yet take vehicles. Tourism has been growing in the village since the start of the century.[3]
1914. Birth of Marie Quinodoz-Follonier, known as « des Collines », a mountain farmer who takes over the family business at 14.[3]
1960. Marie des Collines opens a literary and philosophical café, the Café des Collines, now the Restaurant des Collines.[3]
1970. La Sage has 94 of the municipality's 1'474 inhabitants.[1]
Population of La Sage
Sources and references: [1]
| 1829 | 65 inhabitants |
| 1850 | 82 inhabitants |
| 1970 | 94 inhabitants |
Historic sites in La Sage
Chapel of Saint-Christophe. The chapel owes its survival to Marie des Collines, who helped the villagers prevent it from being replaced by a restaurant. It hosts the La Sage music festival.[3]
Hôtel de La Sage. Historic hotel opened in 1906. The village has welcomed artists and musicians, among them André Levy and Henri Dutilleux. Its library holds nearly 4'000 books.[3]
Sources
- Olivier Clottu, « Les familles d'Evolène », communication présentée à l'assemblée de la Société d'histoire du Valais romand à Evolène le 4.10.1970 (RERO DOC)
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Evolène » (Bernard Monnet, version du 27.03.2006)
- Evolène Région, « Villages sur les Rocs »
- 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 La Sage
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