Plan-Conthey
Origin of the name Plan-Conthey
The place appears in 1146 in the Latin phrase « ecclesiam de Plano Contesio », the church of the Plan de Conthey. The name joins that of Conthey to a « plan » (flat ground), with no further known explanation.[1]
Founding of Plan-Conthey
Plan-Conthey is a locality in the municipality of Conthey. A Roman villa stood on the first spurs of the hillside. In 515, King Sigismund gave this estate to the abbey of Saint-Maurice, which kept its rights there until the 12th century. In the 13th century, the settlement on the Plan was gradually abandoned in favour of the borough of Conthey, which was easier to defend.[2]
History of Plan-Conthey
4th century. At the western end of the Roman villa, a vaulted burial chamber receives lead coffins, placed in two tanks and covered with reused 1st-century slabs. Twelve glass vessels, mostly made in Asia Minor, are found there.[1]
1146. First mention of the church of Plan-Conthey, a dependency of the abbey of Saint-Maurice.[1][3]
12th century. The Romanesque church of Saint-Séverin is at first a chapel of ease of the Plan-Conthey church.[1]
1690. The chapel is restored and dedicated to Notre-Dame des Douleurs.[3]
1883-1930. More lead sarcophagi are found in the same area. They contain a silk and wool cloak, oak leaves from a wreath and coins, including one of Constantius II (337-361).[1]
1900-1901. The remains of the villa rustica are located.[1]
1946. A strong earthquake damages the church. A new, larger church is built and dedicated to Saint Theobald.[3]
Historic sites in Plan-Conthey
Former church of Notre-Dame des Douleurs. Chapel mentioned in 1146 and restored in 1690. Mass is said there on Sundays in summer.[3]
Church of Saint-Théobald. Church built after the 1946 earthquake to replace the old one, which had been damaged.[3]
Remains in Plan-Conthey
Roman villa and mausoleum. The villa and its private mausoleum belonged to a wealthy local family in the late Roman Empire. The vaulted chamber and the lead sarcophagi are its main remains.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Conthey (commune) » (François Wiblé, Maurice Terrettaz), version du 11.08.2005
- Inventaire fédéral des sites construits (ISOS), « Conthey-Bourg / Saint-Séverin », commune de Conthey, 2e version, novembre 1997
- Office du tourisme Conthey-Région, « Les églises & chapelles »
- Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS), STATPOP, chiffres provisoires au 31.12.2025, via citypopulation.de
- geo.admin.ch, recherche de lieux de swisstopo (Plan-Conthey)
Other villages near Plan-Conthey
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