Perly-Certoux
Origin of the name Perly-Certoux
The municipality brings together two villages. Perly appears around 1124 as « de Perliaco », Certoux in 1537 as « Sartoux ». The origin of both names has not yet been explained.[1]
Founding of Perly-Certoux
Nobody knows who founded Perly and Certoux. The area was nevertheless occupied in Roman times: a villa and an aqueduct have been found near the road from Genève to Lyon, and slab graves date from the early Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages several lords shared the land: the Lully, the Du Bois and above all the lord of Ternier, whose castle stood near Saint-Julien. For a long time the two villages belonged to Saint-Julien-en-Genevois, before passing to Genève and being joined into a single municipality named Perly.[1]
History of Perly-Certoux
Roman period. A Roman villa and aqueduct stand near the road from Genève to Lyon.[1]
Early Middle Ages. Slab graves are laid out in the municipality.[1]
around 1124. First mention of Perly, as « de Perliaco ».[1]
Middle Ages. The territory is divided among several lords: the Lully, the Du Bois and above all the lord of Ternier, whose castle stood near Saint-Julien.[1]
1536. Bern conquers the bailiwick of Ternier.[1]
1537. First mention of Certoux, as « Sartoux ».[1]
1567. The bailiwick of Ternier is returned to Savoy.[1]
1814. The Treaty of Paris assigns Saint-Julien, to which Perly and Certoux belong, to France.[1]
1815. A protocol gives Saint-Julien and its dependencies to the canton of Genève.[1]
1816. The Treaty of Turin joins Perly and Certoux definitively to Genève but returns Saint-Julien to Sardinia. The two villages are annexed to the municipality of Compesières.[1]
1820. Perly and Certoux become an autonomous municipality under the name Perly. The parish of Confignon replaces that of Saint-Julien, which had served them.[1]
1841-1851. The marshy Aire plain suffers many floods, notably in 1841, 1847 and 1851.[1]
1899-1900. Construction of the Chapelle de la Persécution, known for its stained-glass windows by Alexandre Cingria.[1]
1920s. Market gardening launches the growth of the municipality.[1]
1940s. The Aire plain is drained and two collector channels are built.[1]
1960. Housing construction intensifies, with many social housing blocks (HLM) near the border. Infrastructure has to be adapted.[1]
1975. A new chapel replaces the Chapelle de la Persécution; 80 % of the municipal territory is still devoted to agriculture.[1]
1978. Opening of a new school complex.[1]
Population of Perly-Certoux
Sources and references: [1][4]
| 1850 | 225 |
| 1900 | 279 |
| 1950 | 398 |
| 2000 | 2'782 |
| 2025 | 3'294 |
Historic sites in Perly-Certoux
Perly and Certoux. The two villages that form the municipality. They belonged to Saint-Julien-en-Genevois until 1815 and became an autonomous municipality in 1820.[1]
Chapel of Perly. The Chapelle de la Persécution (1899-1900), known for its stained-glass windows by Alexandre Cingria, was replaced in 1975 by a new chapel.[1]
Aire plain. Marshy plain hit by many floods in the 19th century (1841, 1847, 1851) and drained in the 1940s. It carried the municipality's market-gardening growth from the 1920s.[1]
Vogue and Feuillu. Rural traditions still alive: the Vogue, originally a parish festival, takes place in mid-June. The Feuillu procession is also kept up.[1]
Remains in Perly-Certoux
Roman villa and aqueduct. Remains of a Roman villa and aqueduct near the old road from Genève to Lyon. The villa, known since the 1920s, underwent a rescue excavation completed in 2010, before two apartment buildings were built in the centre of the old village, and a new excavation in 2014-2015. Its first phase dates from the mid-1st century AD. It was enlarged in the 2nd century and probably abandoned in the 4th century.[1][2]
Slab graves. Early medieval burials discovered in the municipality.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Perly-Certoux » (Jean-Marc Membrez)
- Denis Genequand, Service cantonal d'archéologie (Genève), « La villa gallo-romaine de Perly : présentation des fouilles », juin 2014
- Service cantonal d'archéologie de Genève, Archéologie genevoise 2014-2015 (Patrimoine et architecture, série archéologie n° 3), préface de Jean Terrier et sommaire
- Office cantonal de la statistique (OCSTAT), Mémento statistique du canton de Genève 2026, tableau Population résidante par commune, en 2025
- geo.admin.ch, service de recherche de swisstopo (coordonnées)
Other villages near Perly-Certoux
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