Sarreyer
Origin of the name Sarreyer
Recorded in 1282 as « Chisserey », then written « Serreyer » by the notary Fr. Moreyn from 1349, the name may come from Old French « sarter, sartir », to clear land. The territory would then have been won from the forest by clearing.[1]
Founding of Sarreyer
Sarreyer is a village of the former municipality of Bagnes, part of the municipality of Val de Bagnes since 2021. It lies on an intermediate terrace of the valley's north-eastern slope, above 1'200 metres, near a mountain stream. Its south-west orientation gives it exceptional sunshine. The site suggests early settlement, and by the early 14th century the village already had 28 households. In the 19th century it lived mainly from livestock farming, owing to its topography and altitude.[1]
History of Sarreyer
1282. A deed mentions the place as « Chisserey ».
1313. The village has 28 taxpayers, that is 28 households and about 150 inhabitants.[1]
1349. The notary Fr. Moreyn writes the name « Serreyer ».
1639. A cruel epidemic strikes the village and claims many victims. The Besse family loses the father, the mother and several sons.[2][3]
1646. The brothers Pierre and André Besse, survivors of the epidemic, have a chapel built at their own expense as a thanksgiving. Six years later they found 24 masses there in honour of the Blessed Sacrament, endowed with a vineyard at Fully.[2][3]
1664. Marie May founds four annual masses, one of them at Sarreyer, secured on property at Champcottin and Les Arolles.[2]
1787. During his visit, Bishop Zen-Ruffinen notes that the chapel keeps the Blessed Sacrament and asks for a new ciborium.[2]
1878. The Siegfried map shows a village limited to its historic core, with about 400 inhabitants, reached by a track barely passable for carts.[1]
early 20th century. M. Luisier of Saint-Maurice, a native of Sarreyer, has the chapel and its bell tower restored. By then the population has fallen to 377.[1][2]
1932. The architect Alberto Sartoris draws the plans for the new church, later adapted over five projects.[3]
1935. The new church replaces the old chapel on 8 September. Its tower carries the spire of the 1646 chapel (according to another source the whole old bell tower was kept).[1][3]
around 1950. Construction of the school next to the church and of a municipal building.[1]
1970s. A new road and the asphalting of the two main streets allow houses to be built on the edges of the village.[1]
1985. The church is restored and consecrated again on 8 September. Its choir is restored in January 2009.[3]
Population of Sarreyer
Sources and references: [1][4]
| 1313 | 28 hearths (households), about 150 inhabitants |
| 1878 | 400 inhabitants (approximately) |
| early 20th century | 377 inhabitants |
| 2023 | 231 inhabitants |
Historic sites in Sarreyer
Church of Saint-André. Church built to plans by Alberto Sartoris (1932) and inaugurated on 8 September 1935 in place of the old chapel. It keeps an entrance colonnade of serpentine stone. Its patron is Saint Andrew, and Saint Peter once was as well. It was restored in 1985, its choir in 2009.[1][3]
Historic core. Terrace village facing south-west, long limited to its old core around the church, listed in the Federal Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites (ISOS).[1]
Remains in Sarreyer
Spire of the 1646 chapel. The chapel of 1646 has been demolished, but its spire now crowns the tower of the present church.[1]
Mill. Old disused mill that still has its wheel.[1]
Legends of Sarreyer
The two surviving brothers. A village tradition holds that the epidemic of 1639 spared only two brothers, Pierre and André Besse, who built the chapel in thanksgiving. The authentic records only show that their family was very hard hit.[2]
Sources
- Inventaire fédéral des sites construits d'importance nationale (ISOS), « Sarreyer », commune de Bagnes, 2e version 1995
- Constant Rust, « La vallée de Bagnes et ses vieilles chapelles : histoire et coutumes », Annales valaisannes (numérisé par RERO DOC)
- Verbier Promotion, « Sarreyer Chapel »
- Commune de Val de Bagnes, Office de la population (Stéphane Michellod), « Statistique des habitants » au 1er janvier 2023
- geo.admin.ch, recherche de lieux (coordonnées)
Other villages near Sarreyer
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