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Coat of arms of Mex

Mex

Canton of Valais · District: Saint-Maurice · 106 inhabitants (2000, former municipality of Mex, last figure before the merger)
Part of the municipality of Saint-Maurice
View of Mex
Photo: Werner Friedli, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons · Coat of arms: Public domain
Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Legends Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Mex

Old form « Meys » attested in 1298. The etymology is unexplained.[1]

Founding of Mex

Mex is a street village at an altitude of 1'146 m, on a ledge on the left bank of the Rhône, east of the Dents du Midi. It is not known how or by whom the village was founded. The place belonged to Savoy until 1476. The seven Valais dizains then entrusted it with guarding the Salanfe and La Balmaz passes. A municipality independent of Saint-Maurice between 1338 and 1362, it had an unclear status from 1802 to 1811, was united with Saint-Maurice and separated from it again after 1816. Relations with its neighbours were marked by conflicts with Saint-Maurice in the 14th, 16th, 17th and 19th centuries and with Vérossaz in the 16th and 17th centuries. The village has always belonged to the parish of Saint-Maurice. Mex is now in the municipality of Saint-Maurice (merger of 2013).[1]

History of Mex

1298. First attestation of the name, in the form « Meys ».[1]

1338-1362. Mex forms a municipality independent of Saint-Maurice.[1]

1476. End of Savoyard rule; the seven Valais dizains then entrust Mex with guarding the Salanfe and La Balmaz passes.[1]

1802-1811. Unclear municipal status; Mex is united with Saint-Maurice and separates from it again after 1816.[1]

1906. The village has a chapel dedicated to Saint Florentin.[1]

1928. Founding of a Raiffeisen savings bank.[1]

1930. Opening of a road passable by vehicles.[1]

1931. Opening of a hotel.[1]

1945. After this date the economy, mainly based on alpine pasture, declines.[1]

1961. Closure of the primary school, reopened in 1983.[1]

1987. Opening of a library.[1]

2013. Mex merges with the municipality of Saint-Maurice.[1]

Population of Mex

Sources and references: [1]

Population of Mex
1850124
1900151
1950109
2000106

Historic sites in Mex

Chapelle Saint-Florentin. Village chapel dedicated to Saint Florentin, attested since 1906. Mex has always depended on the parish of Saint-Maurice.[1]

Salanfe and La Balmaz passes. After 1476 the seven Valais dizains entrusted the people of Mex with guarding these crossings.[1]

Slate quarry. Quarry worked on the territory of the former municipality, alongside a mainly alpine pastoral economy that declined after 1945.[1]

Legends of Mex

The three heroes and the monster. According to a legend, three heroes are said to have rid the place of a monster and then founded three families. The three houses on the coat of arms of Mex, adopted in 1935, are said to recall this.

Sources

  1. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Mex (VS) » (Pascal Dubey, version du 23.12.2016)
  2. geo.admin.ch, recherche de lieux (coordonnées)

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