Sierne
Origin of the name Sierne
The form « Syernez » appears in 1260. The name is said to be linked to a clearing technique in concentric circles, which would explain the circular layout of the main street, or to a former fortification that has since disappeared. Neither explanation is established.[1][3]
Founding of Sierne
The oldest known trace of settlement at Sierne is a 6th-century necropolis, found beneath one of the manor houses. The hamlet occupies a promontory above the Arve, away from the main roads. In the 13th century the Villette family gave it to the cathedral chapter of Genève, the main lord of the place in the Middle Ages. Sierne then formed a parish, with a church dedicated to Saint Peter. A crossing point on the Arve, it brings together manor houses and farms owned by burghers of Genève, among them the Pinault, Després, Mallet-Genoud, Schmidtmeyer, Macaire, Aubert and Bordier families. Sierne is today part of the municipality of Veyrier.[1][3]
History of Sierne
6th century. A necropolis is laid out on the promontory. It is discovered in 1960 beneath one of the manor houses.[3]
1260. First mention of the name, in the form « Syernez ».[1]
13th century. The Villette family gives Sierne to the cathedral chapter of Genève. The place forms a parish. Neither the date nor the donor is certain: the gift may date from the 12th century and have come from the counts of Genève.[1][3]
1357. A recognition of property counts nearly 75 inhabitants and mentions the parish church of Saint-Pierre with its cemetery, mills and a ferry on the Arve.[3]
1411. The parish of Sierne is attached to that of Troinex by this date at the latest.[1]
16th century. After the Reformation, Sierne becomes a Genevan enclave in Savoyard territory. The parish church of Saint-Pierre disappears during the century.[1][3]
17th century. Genevan merchants and craftsmen buy up the property of indebted farmers. Two manor houses complete the core of the hamlet.[3]
1754. End of the enclave: Sierne comes under Sardinian jurisdiction through the count of Veyrier. The inhabitants remain Genevan and pay taxes to the count.[1][3]
1770. Pierre-Claude de la Fléchère, count of Veyrier, buys the lordship of Sierne.[5]
1778. The Sierne bridge over the Arve is built. It may also date from 1782.[2][3][5]
1815. Sierne is attached to the municipality of Veyrier (or in 1816).[1][3]
1824. The Sierne bridge is rebuilt.[2][6]
1859. A fire leaves only one of the hamlet's mills standing.[3]
19th century. In the second half of the century, the Bordier family buys the whole hamlet.[1][3]
1983. The Sierne bridge is rebuilt once again.[2]
2021. Sierne is listed in the federal ISOS inventory as a site of national importance (in force from 1 May 2021).[3][4]
Population of Sierne
Sources and references: [3]
| 1357 | 75 inhabitants approximately |
Historic sites in Sierne
Historic core. Manor houses and clustered farms, mainly from the 17th and 18th centuries, along a main street with a circular layout.[3]
Sierne bridge. Bridge over the Arve built in 1778, rebuilt in 1824 and 1983. It replaced the ferry mentioned in 1357.[2][3]
Terraced gardens. Three terraced gardens, mainly from the 18th century, remodelled in the second half of the 20th century, and large private gardens with century-old trees.[3]
Remains in Sierne
Former mill. Mill from the end of the 18th century, remodelled in the 20th century, near the bridge. The mill area, fed by a canal and a dyke, served in particular tobacco processing and tanning.[3]
6th-century necropolis. Graves discovered in 1960 beneath one of the manor houses, the oldest trace of settlement in the hamlet.[3]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Sierne » (Corinne Walker), version du 19.11.2010
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Veyrier » (Isabelle Brunier), version du 08.07.2013
- Office fédéral de la culture, Inventaire fédéral des sites construits d'importance nationale à protéger en Suisse (ISOS), « Sierne » (3e version, février 2019)
- Office du patrimoine et des sites et Office de l'urbanisme de Genève, Pratique administrative « Inventaire fédéral des sites construits d'importance nationale à protéger en Suisse » (ISOS)
- Jean Plançon, « L'histoire de Veyrier à travers ses emblèmes, blasons et autres drapeaux. Chapitre 1 », La Mémoire de Veyrier (2016)
- Commune de Veyrier, Plan directeur communal, rappel historique
- geo.admin.ch, service de recherche de swisstopo (Sierne, Veyrier, coordonnées)
Other villages near Sierne
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