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Villages / Valais / Sierre district / Venthône
Coat of arms of Venthône

Venthône

Canton of Valais · District: Sierre · 1'310 inhabitants (2020, former municipality of Venthône, last figure before the merger)
Part of the municipality of Noble-Contrée
View of Venthône
Photo: Jérémy Toma, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons · Coat of arms: Public domain
Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Remains Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Venthône

The village appears in 1131 as « Venthona ». Its former German name is « Venthen ». The origin of the name remains uncertain: a Celtic suffix « -ona » (watercourse) combined with a river name, or Late Latin « venna », a fish trap, has been suggested.[1]

Founding of Venthône

Venthône lies on the right bank of the Rhône above Sierre. The former municipality included the village, the hamlets of Anchettes and Moulin and part of Darnona, whose other part belongs to Randogne. Iron Age graves attest early settlement. In the Middle Ages Venthône was a lordship of the bishop of Sion, enfeoffed to the Venthône family (around 1131-1390), whose tower, built in the late 12th or early 13th century, passed to the Raron family in 1421 before becoming the municipal house. Under the Ancien Régime the community belonged to the middle third of the large municipality of Sierre. In 1660 it left the parish of Saint-Maurice-de-Laques (Mollens) to form its own parish. Vineyards cover 43 % of the territory at the start of the 21st century, and the village has seen residential growth since the 1970s. Venthône is now in the municipality of Noble-Contrée (merger of 1 January 2021).[1]

History of Venthône

Iron Age. Graves attest early settlement.[1]

1131. First mention as « Venthona ». The Venthône family holds the lordship from the bishop of Sion (around 1131-1390).[1]

12th-13th century. Construction, in the late 12th or early 13th century, of the tower that was the seat of the Venthône family.[1]

1268. The seigneurial castle is recorded.[2]

1390. End of the lordship of the Venthône family.[1]

1421. The tower of the Venthône family passes to the Raron family.[1][2]

Ancien Régime. The community belongs to the middle third of the large municipality of Sierre.[1]

1609. A large wood-panelled hall is fitted out in the castle, owned by the burgher community from around 1600.[2]

1649. Construction of the chapel of Notre-Dame du Mont-Carmel; date uncertain.

1660. Venthône leaves the parish of Saint-Maurice-de-Laques and becomes a parish.[1]

1677. Construction of the church of Saint-Sébastien. The date is uncertain, as it is also placed in 1661-1667.

1880. The former fortified house known as La Tour is reportedly rebuilt in neo-Romanesque style.

1970s. Start of residential growth.[1]

2021. On 1 January Venthône merges with Miège and Veyras to form the municipality of Noble-Contrée.[1][3]

Population of Venthône

Sources and references: [1]

Population of Venthône
1850397 inhabitants
1900492 inhabitants
1950499 inhabitants
2000935 inhabitants
20101'173 inhabitants
20201'310 inhabitants

Historic sites in Venthône

Tower and municipal house. Tower built in the late 12th or early 13th century, seat of the Venthône family, passed to the Raron family in 1421 and later the municipal house. The burgher community, owner from around 1600, fitted out a large wood-panelled hall there in 1609.[1][2]

Church of Saint-Sébastien. Church of the parish created in 1660, in early Baroque style, with 17th-century furnishings. Its construction is dated to 1677 or to 1661-1667.

Anchettes castle. Building in the hamlet of Anchettes, cited among the notable buildings of the site. It reportedly dates back to the 12th century, and a panelled Renaissance hall is said to have been fitted out in 1667.

De Platea house and Vareilli tower. Two other old residences of the village, which is listed in the Federal Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites of national importance (ISOS).[1]

Chapel of Notre-Dame du Mont-Carmel. Chapel of 1649, reportedly restored in 1881 and 1979.

Remains in Venthône

Iron Age graves. Graves found on the territory attest early settlement, from the Iron Age onwards.[1]

Sources

  1. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Venthône » (Catherine Raemy-Berthod, version du 09.08.2021)
  2. Inventaire fédéral des biens culturels (PBC), fiche 7163 « Tour » (château seigneurial de Venthône), texte de la Société d'histoire de l'art en Suisse
  3. Commune de Noble-Contrée, « en commun », journal d'informations n° 1 (janvier 2021) (entrée en fonction du Conseil communal le 1er janvier 2021)
  4. geo.admin.ch, recherche de lieux (coordonnées)

Localities of the municipality with a page

Other villages near Venthône

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