Liddes
Origin of the name Liddes
The name appears in 1177 in the form « Leides ». No explanation has yet been found for this name.
Founding of Liddes
Liddes was born in 1228 when it separated from Orsières. A parchment of the same year shows that the territory of the parish almost coincides with that of the municipality. The municipality groups several hamlets along the Great St Bernard road: Liddes-Ville, Chandonne, Fontaine, Rive-Haute, Dranse, Fornex, Les Moulins, Vichères, Chez-Petit and Palasuit. The church, dedicated first to Saint Stephen and then to Saint George, belonged to the episcopal mensa until the bishop gave it to the Great St Bernard community in the second half of the 12th century. The d'Allinges family, one branch of which took the name of the place, held seigneurial rights here, which later passed to Amadeus VI of Savoy. The lordship reportedly also depended on the Bishop of Sion until 1475. At the beginning of the 19th century about 90 % of the inhabitants lived from farming and timber, organised in alpine pasture communities or consortia, and some worked as day labourers in the vineyards of Martigny, Aigle and Bex.
History of Liddes
12th century. In the second half of the century the bishop gives the church of Liddes to the Great St Bernard community.
1177. Mentioned as « Leides ».
1228. The municipality is born by separating from Orsières. A parchment shows that the parish almost coincides with the municipality.
1308. Liddes obtains franchises.
1376. The seigneurial rights of the d'Allinges family pass to Amadeus VI of Savoy.
15th century. From this century each hamlet has its own chapel.
1798. Liddes becomes part of the Helvetic Republic.
1800. In May the passage of the French Reserve Army causes enormous expenses for the municipality. Impoverished, part of the population emigrates.
1802-1810. Liddes belongs to the Rhodanic Republic of Valais, then to the French department of Simplon until 1815.
1899. Start of concessions for hydroelectric power stations, which feed the municipal funds.
2001. The village of Dranse receives an oratory, replacing a first place of worship built in 1758 to protect the inhabitants from floods.[2]
Population of Liddes
Sources and references: [3]
| 1802 | 1'243 |
| 1850 | 1'347 |
| 1900 | 1'076 |
| 1950 | 720 |
| 2000 | 659 |
| 2025 | 790 |
Historic sites in Liddes
Parish church. Church placed first under the patronage of Saint Stephen, then of Saint George. It depended on the episcopal mensa before being entrusted to the Great St Bernard community in the second half of the 12th century.
Chapels of the hamlets. From the 15th century each hamlet has its own chapel, notably at Rive-Haute and Chandonne. North of the village stands the chapel of Saint-Laurent, built in 1502 and adorned with an outdoor fresco, and to the south the chapel of Saint-Étienne, dating from 1477.[2]
Vichères-Bavon. Resort created on the initiative of Edmond Joris, which launched winter tourism in Liddes.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Liddes » (Albano Hugon, version du 28.01.2008)
- Pays du Saint-Bernard (office du tourisme), « Church and chapels of Liddes » (chapelles Saint-Laurent 1502 et Saint-Étienne 1477, oratoire de Dranse 2001)
- Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS), STATPOP, chiffres provisoires au 31.12.2025, via citypopulation.de
- geo.admin.ch, recherche de lieux (coordonnées)
Localities of the municipality with a page
Other villages near Liddes
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