Saint-Germain
Origin of the name Saint-Germain
The village shares its name with the patron of its parish church, Saint Germanus (saint Germain). No early form of the village's own name is known.[1]
Founding of Saint-Germain
Saint-Germain, at 820 m, is the centre and main village of the municipality of Savièse, on the right bank of the Rhône above Sion. The other villages of the plateau, Chandolin, Granois, Drône, Roumaz and Ormône, are grouped around it. It includes the hamlets of La Crettaz and Prinzières. The parish church and the municipal hall are located here. When the village itself took shape is not known.[1][2][4]
History of Saint-Germain
12th century. The parish church is built.[2]
1475. During the war against Savoy, the church dedicated to Saint Germanus burns down.[1][2]
1520. A Gothic building replaces the burnt church (1525, by the Upper Valais architect Ulrich Ruffiner, according to another source).[1][2]
1568 or 1580. The municipal hall is built.[2]
1880. The church is enlarged.[1]
1934. The painter Ernest Biéler decorates the whole of the renovated church: stained glass, mosaic Stations of the Cross, keystones and organ gallery. One of the windows shows the Corpus Christi procession.[2][3][4]
2008. Renovation of the Maison de la Culture, a historic building in the village.[2]
2015. Renovation of the municipal hall.[2]
Historic sites in Saint-Germain
Church of Saint-Germain. Parish church of Savièse, rebuilt in Gothic style in the 16th century and enlarged in 1880. Its stained glass, mosaic Stations of the Cross and holy water stoups are by Ernest Biéler (1934).[1][2][3][4]
Municipal hall. It houses the burghers' hall and council chamber, the administration, the tourist office and the exhibition space of the municipal collection, devoted to the painters of the Savièse School. The museum is on the third floor.[2]
Maison de la Culture. Historic building renovated in 2008, with three floors of temporary exhibitions above a wine cellar.[2]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Savièse » (David Rey, version du 23.02.2011)
- Commune de Savièse, brochure d'accueil des nouveaux habitants
- Paroisse de Savièse, « Profitez de l'été pour (re)découvrir l'église de St-Germain à Savièse » (communiqué, 2018)
- État du Valais, magazine VIS-A-VIS, « En visite à Savièse avec Sylvain Dumoulin »
- Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS), STATPOP, chiffres provisoires au 31.12.2025, via citypopulation.de
- geo.admin.ch, recherche de lieux (coordonnées de Saint-Germain)
Other villages near Saint-Germain
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