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56-589: Onsernone is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Ticino , near the city of Locarno . The river Isorno , known as the Onsernone River in Italy, runs through the valley with which Onsernone shares its name. The municipality was created in 1995 by a merger of Comologno , Crana and Russo . On 10 April 2016 the former municipalities of Vergeletto , Gresso , Mosogno and Isorno merged into Onsernone. Comologno

112-448: A bishop) is divided into parishes. Normally, a parish consists of all Catholics living within its geographically defined area. Within a diocese, there can also be overlapping parishes for Catholics belonging to a particular rite, language, nationality, or community. Each parish has its own central church called the parish church, where religious services take place. The parish church is the center of most Catholics' spiritual life since it

168-471: A certain time in Switzerland are also allowed to participate in municipal politics. As at the cantonal and federal level, citizens enjoy political rights, including direct democratic ones, in their municipality. Municipalities are financed through direct taxes (such as income tax ), with rates varying more or less within a framework set by the canton (see Taxation in Switzerland ). As among the cantons, there

224-459: A geographically extensive rural parish) or mission church . Often the parish church will be the only one to have a full-time minister , who will also serve any smaller churches within the parish. (For example, St. Peter's Church in St. George's Parish, Bermuda, is located on St. George's Island ; hence, a chapel-of-ease, named simply Chapel-of-Ease , was erected on neighbouring St. David's Island so that

280-568: A population (as of December 2020) of 663. As of 2008, 5.1% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of -11.2%. Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks Italian (79.5%), with German being second most common (14.9%) and French being third (4.0%). Of the Swiss national languages (as of 2000), 48 speak German , 13 people speak French , 256 people speak Italian . The remainder (5 people) speak another language. As of 2008,

336-456: A steady decline in population since the late 19th century. Auressio is first mentioned in 1233 as Oraxio . Until the 19th century, the village had much closer ties to Piedmont than to the rest of the Onsernone valley. The construction of the road through the valley in the 19th century brought it closer to the rest of the valley. The church of S. Antonio Abate was finished in 1526 and became

392-462: A time, emigration. Most of the population is elderly, the few younger residents have either moved away or commute to Locarno . Mosogno is first mentioned in 1277 as Mosogno . In 1352 it was mentioned as Muxognio . In the Middle Ages , it was one of the five Squadre that made up the community of Onsernone. It became an independent municipality in 1803. The church of S. Bernardo was built along

448-460: Is consecrated . If there is no parish church, the bishop licenses another building for worship, and may designate it as a parish centre of worship . This building is not consecrated, but is dedicated, and for most legal purposes it is deemed to be a parish church. In areas of increasing secularisation or shifts in religious belief, centres of worship are becoming more common, and many larger churches have been sold due to their upkeep costs. Instead

504-402: Is a permanent exhibition on the grain milling in the area. Casa Shira (built in the 19th century, now owned by the community) has a small public library and a hostel. At the beginning of the 21st century, the majority of the workers commuted to Locarno. After the 2016 merger Onsernone had an area of 105.38 km (40.69 sq mi). Before the 2016 merger, Onsernone had an area, (as of

560-449: Is a tax transfer among the municipalities to balance various levels of tax income. Switzerland has a relatively high number of small municipalities, with a population of 1,000 or less, especially in rural areas. Because of the increasing difficulty in providing professional government services and in finding volunteers for political offices in small municipalities, the cantons tend to encourage voluntary mergers of municipalities. This led to

616-582: Is also the home of a Last Supper painting by the Flemish painter Godefridus Maes from 1683. In the hamlet of Niva, there is a late baroque chapel of St. John Nepomuk. The chapel in Sassello is from the late 17th century and is dedicated to the Madonna of Re. In the 19th century, Loco was a center of the straw braiding for hats, bags and other articles. The straw braids that were used for this purpose were produced in

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672-491: Is concerned, there is also a system of civil parishes , which represent the smallest tier of administrative units. However since the 19th century these have not shared the same boundaries, or often the same names. (In other territories arrangements may differ, e.g. in Bermuda civil and church parishes still share the same boundaries, see Anglican Church of Bermuda ). Most ecclesiastical parishes have an Anglican parish church , which

728-513: Is first mentioned in 1438 as Comolognium . Crana is first mentioned in 1228 as Grana and in 1265 it was mentioned as Crana . Russo is first mentioned in 1231 as de Ruxi . In 1277 it was mentioned as Rusio . Isorno was formed in 2001 by a merger of Auressio , Berzona and Loco . During the Ancien Régime , Comologno belonged to the Squadra of Crana, which together with the other villages of

784-659: Is from the Remonda family, who in the second half of the 18th century, became wealthy in France. Another notable mansion is the Palazzo (or Castello) della Barca which was acquired in the 1930s by Vladimir Rosenbaum for his wife Aline Valangin, a writer and artist. It soon became a haven for artists and well-known anti-fascists, including Ignazio Silone , Ernesto Rossi , Kurt Tucholsky , Hans Marchwitza , Ernesto Bonaiuti, Max Terpis , Elias Canetti , Wladimir Vogel and Jean-Paul Samson. Since

840-472: Is known for the over 5,000 holders of heimatrecht in the village. The heimatrecht is similar to place of birth in other countries, and the heimatort is used on Swiss passports. A person maintains their heimatort regardless of whether they have ever lived in the municipality. The reason for the high number of heimatrecht holders is that the village sold the heimatrecht , which conferred local citizenry (and thus Swiss citizenship) to help make up for

896-470: Is located in the Locarno district, in the lower Onsernone valley, about 25 km (16 mi) from Locarno. Before 2016, Onsernone consisted only of the villages of Comologno, Crana and Russo as well as the settlements of Vocaglia, Corbella, Cappellino and Spruga . That municipality was formed in 1995 from the three formerly independent villages. The drawn out merger process began in the 1970s. Onsernone has

952-519: Is part of one of the Swiss cantons , which form the Swiss Confederation . In most cantons, municipalities are also part of districts or other sub-cantonal administrative divisions. There are 2,131 municipalities as of January 2024 . Their populations range between several hundred thousand ( Zürich ), and a few dozen people ( Kammersrohr , Bister ), and their territory between 0.32 km² ( Rivaz ) and 439 km² ( Scuol ). The beginnings of

1008-501: Is the Villa Edera, which was built in 1887, for the Paris impresario Paolo Antonio Calzonio. It was restored in the early 1990s by the municipality and is now used as a hostel. Berzona is first mentioned in 1265 as Berzona . The village section of Seghelina is located directly on the main road, while the main village of Berzona is above the road. During the Middle Ages it was part of

1064-399: Is the one, where members of the parish must go to, for baptisms and weddings , unless they are permitted by the parish priest (US ' pastor ') for celebrating those sacraments elsewhere. One sign of that is the parish church being the only one to have a baptismal font . Some larger parishes or parishes that have been combined under one parish priest, may have two or more such churches, or

1120-547: Is there that they receive the sacraments . On Sundays and perhaps also daily, Mass is celebrated by a priest resident in the parish. Confession is made available and perhaps Vespers in the larger or more progressive parishes. There are also laity-led activities and social events in accordance with local culture and circumstances. Roman Catholics are not obliged to worship only at the parish church to which they belong, but they may for convenience or taste, attend services at any Roman Catholic church. However, their parish church

1176-798: The Bürgerrecht (citizenship), regardless of where they were born or where they may currently live. Instead of the place of birth , Swiss legal documents, e.g. passports, contain the Bürgerort (place of citizenship, or place of origin ). The Bürgergemeinde also often holds and administers the common property in the village for the members of the community. Each canton determines the powers and responsibilities of its municipalities. These may include providing local government services such as education, medical and social services, public transportation, and tax collection. The degree of centralization varies from one canton to another. The federal constitution protects

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1232-605: The Squadra of Onsernone. The church of S. Defendente was built in 1564 and became a parish church when it separated from Loco in 1777. The section of Seghelina has the chapels of Santa Maria (1682) and S. Maria Lauretana (1766). The political municipality was created at the same time as the Canton of Ticino in 1803. After World War II, much of the village population emigrated and sold their properties to outsiders. Many people who bought houses in Berzona were well known personalities from

1288-578: The 19th century, the population of Comologno increased rapidly. However, in the following century, the decline of farming, animal husbandry and straw craft led to a rapid population decline. Most of the working population works in industrial or service enterprises in the valley or commute to work in the agglomeration of Locarno. Many residents emigrated to other countries in search of work. Several families became wealthy in foreign countries, and used that wealth to build stately mansions in Comologno. The largest

1344-455: The 2004/09 survey) of 29.88 square kilometers (11.54 sq mi). Of this area, about 5.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 83.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.4% is settled (buildings or roads) and 9.7% is unproductive land. Over the past two decades (1979/85-2004/09) the amount of land that is settled has increased by 3 ha (7.4 acres) and the agricultural land has decreased by 63 ha (160 acres). The municipality

1400-472: The arts and culture, such as Alfred Andersch , Golo Mann and Max Frisch . Today, the village is shrinking as few jobs in farming and grazing remain and most of the working population have moved to Locarno. Loco is first mentioned in 1224 as Loco and was also known as Luogo . Loco also contained the hamlets of Niva and Rossa . From the Middle Ages until the end of the Ancien Régime Loco

1456-403: The autonomy of municipalities within the framework set out by cantonal law. Municipalities are generally governed by an executive council headed by a president or mayor . Legislative authority is exercised by a town meeting of all citizens, or by a municipal parliament, depending on the size of the municipality, and on cantonal and municipal law. In some cantons, foreigners who have lived for

1512-489: The center of an independent parish in 1792 after it separated from Loco. After World War II farming and grazing were almost abandoned and replaced by short-term, seasonal emigration. The improved transport links to the nearby town of Locarno increased Auressio's attractiveness as a place to live for those that were employed in Locarno. This led to a clear population increase in recent years. One notable building in Auressio

1568-463: The church may use community centres or the facilities of a local church of another denomination. While villages and small towns may have a single parish church, larger towns may have a parish church and other smaller churches in various districts. These other churches do not have the legal or religious status of a parish church, and may be described by a variety of terms, such as chapel of ease (this term more often refers to an additional church in

1624-444: The construction rate of new housing units was 0 new units per 1000 residents. The historical population is given in the following tables: Municipalities of Switzerland Municipalities ( German : Gemeinden , Einwohnergemeinden or politische Gemeinden ; French : communes ; Italian : comuni ; Romansh : vischnancas ) are the lowest level of administrative division in Switzerland. Each municipality

1680-594: The early 1970s, at the suggestion of the Associazione Amici di Comologno, various artists have decorated houses in the village with frescos. During the Ancien Régime, Crana belonged to the Squadra of Crana which included the territory of Vocaglia, Comologno and Spruga, and was part of the old municipality of Onsernone. The modern village was created during the institutional changes of the Act of Mediation in 1803. Crana

1736-697: The exercise of political rights for everyone except the members of the Bürgergemeinde . In the Regeneration era (1830–1848), the liberal revolutions of the common people helped to restore some rights again in a few cantons. In other cantons, the Bürgergemeinden were able to maintain power as political communities. In the city of Zürich it was not until the Municipal Act of 1866 that the political municipality came back into existence. The relationship between

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1792-415: The gender distribution of the population was 47.5% male and 52.5% female. The population was made up of 134 Swiss men (45.4% of the population), and 6 (2.0%) non-Swiss men. There were 145 Swiss women (49.2%), and 10 (3.4%) non-Swiss women. In 2008 there were 5 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 5 while the foreign population remained

1848-481: The island's residents need not cross St. George's Harbour .) In cities without an Anglican cathedral , the parish church may have administrative functions similar to that of a cathedral. However, the diocese will still have a cathedral. The Church of Scotland , the established Presbyterian church also uses a system of parish churches, covering the whole of Scotland . In Massachusetts , towns elected publicly funded parish churches from 1780 until 1834, under

1904-467: The low village income. The parish was created in 1787 when the village split away from the Russo parish. The Church of SS Peter and Paul was built in 1676. The present population is made up of retirees and commuters who work in the Onsernone valley and in the agglomeration of Locarno. During the Ancien Régime, Russo belonged to the Squadra of Russo, part of the old municipality of Onsernone. The parish

1960-567: The modern municipality system date back to the Helvetic Republic . Under the Old Swiss Confederacy , citizenship was granted by each town and village to only residents. These citizens enjoyed access to community property and in some cases additional protection under the law. Additionally, the urban towns and the rural villages had differing rights and laws. The creation of a uniform Swiss citizenship, which applied equally for citizens of

2016-462: The municipalities under cantonal or federal law. Municipalities are numbered by the Swiss Federal Office for Statistics (see Community Identification Number#Switzerland ). One or more postal codes (PLZ/NPA) can by assigned to a municipality or shared with other municipalities. Between 2011 and 2021 nine of the smallest municipalities merged into others as part of the effort to eliminate

2072-495: The municipality of Gresso, both municipalities separated into independent municipalities in 1882. Vergeletto was part of the parish of Russo until 1757, when it became an autonomous parish. The discovery of a Roman tomb from the 1st-2nd Century AD, with pottery and coins, proves that Gresso was part of the outer-most reaches of the Vicus of Muralto. The modern village of Gresso is first mentioned in 1316 as Agrassio . Until 1803, Gresso

2128-419: The municipality, and an average of 2. persons per household. In 2000 there were 337 single family homes (or 75.7% of the total) out of a total of 445 inhabited buildings. There were 61 two family buildings (13.7%) and 27 multi-family buildings (6.1%). There were also 20 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose). The vacancy rate for

2184-454: The municipality, in 2008, was 0.85%. In 2000 there were 582 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 3 room apartment of which there were 150. There were 86 single room apartments and 90 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 147 apartments (25.3% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 429 apartments (73.7%) were seasonally occupied and 6 apartments (1.0%) were empty. As of 2007,

2240-436: The number of municipalities dropping by 384 between the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2019. Some municipalities designate themselves as "city" ( ville or Stadt ) or as "village" ( Dorf ). These designations result from tradition or local preference – for example, several small municipalities designated as cities held city rights in medieval times – and normally do not impact the legal or political rights or obligations of

2296-525: The old towns and their tenants and servants, led to conflict. The wealthier villagers and urban citizens held rights to forests, common land and other municipal property which they did not want to share with the "new citizens", who were generally poor. The compromise solution, which was written into the municipal laws of the Helvetic Republic, is still valid today. Two politically separate but often geographically similar organizations were created. The first,

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2352-626: The other villages of the Onsernone valley. In addition to the typical houses with balconies, a number of aristocratic mansions are located in the village. These include the Casa Broggini (built 1708) in Rossa. The primary school for the area is located in Loco, along with the Onsernonese Museum (opened 1966) and the renovated retirement home of the Onsernone valley. Near Loco, in a restored mill, there

2408-506: The parish may be responsible for chapels (or chapels of ease) located at some distance from the mother church for the convenience of distant parishioners. In England and many British Overseas Territories as well as former British territories, the Church of England parish church is the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches. Parishes cover almost the whole area of England. In addition to ecclesiastic parishes , with which this article

2464-408: The political municipality and the Bürgergemeinde was often dominated by the latter's ownership of community property. Often the administration and profit from the property were totally held by the Bürgergemeinden , leaving the political municipality dependent on the Bürgergemeinde for money and use of the property. It was not until the political municipality acquired rights over property that served

2520-447: The political voting and electoral body rights from the Bürgergemeinde . In the cities, the percentage of members in the Bürgergemeinde in the population was reduced as a result of increasing emigration to the cities. This led to the Bürgergemeinde losing its former importance to a large extent. However, the Bürgergemeinde has remained, and it includes all individuals who are citizens of the Bürgergemeinde , usually by having inherited

2576-566: The population are between 0 and 9 years old and 23 teenagers or 7.8% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 30 people or 10.2% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 19 people or 6.4% are between 30 and 39, 34 people or 11.5% are between 40 and 49, and 61 people or 20.7% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 48 people or 16.3% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 34 people or 11.5% are between 70 and 79, there are 32 people or 10.8% who are over 80. As of 2000, there were 147 private households in

2632-498: The public (such as schools, fire stations, etc.) and taxes, that they obtained full independence. For example, in the city of Bern, it was not until after the property division of 1852 that the political municipality had the right to levy taxes. It was not until the Federal Constitution of 1874 that all Swiss citizens were granted equal political rights on local and Federal levels. This revised constitution finally removed all

2688-609: The road in 1596. It became parish church and center of its own parish after it separated from Loco in 1685. The settlement of Mosogno Sotto has had the Chapel St. Maria Addolorata since 1684. In 1657 the chapel of S. Maria della Natività was built in Bairon, while in Chiosso the chapel of S. Giacomo was built in the second half of the 17th century. The decline of the straw factory, emigration and recent migration to urban centers, have led to

2744-429: The same. There was 1 non-Swiss man and 1 non-Swiss woman who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was an increase of 1 and the non-Swiss population change was a decrease of 2 people. This represents a population growth rate of -0.3%. The age distribution, as of 2009, in Onsernone is; 14 children or 4.7% of

2800-402: The smallest communities. Only Bister has not merged into a new municipality although the smallest municipality is now Kammersrohr with a population of just 32. In addition to the municipalities as basic territorial political subdivisions, a number of other local subdivisions exist in several cantons. These include: Parish church Each diocese (administrative unit, headed by

2856-659: The so-called municipality, was a political community formed by election and its voting body consists of all resident citizens. However, the community land and property remained with the former local citizens who were gathered together into the Bürgergemeinde /bourgeoisie. During the Mediation era (1803–1814), and especially during the Restoration era (1814–1830), many of the gains toward uniform citizenship were lost. Many political municipalities were abolished and limits were placed on

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2912-594: The traditional seasonal migration . While the number of inhabitants had decreased consistently over the decades, it began increasing in the 1970s. In 1989, the opening of the Centro sociale onsernonese nursing home provided a few dozen jobs in the village. In the Middle Ages Vergeletto belonged to the Onsernone Vicinanza and to the squadra of Russo. In 1803 the municipality of Vergeletto also included

2968-418: The valley (with the exception of Auressio ) formed the medieval municipality of Onsernone. With the establishment of the Canton of Ticino in 1803, Comologno became an independent municipality. Comologno formed an independent parish in 1715, when it separated from Russo. The parish church of San Giovanni Battista, was built in 1668–1697. With the emergence and development of rye straw processing in

3024-418: Was part of the Squadra of Russo, one of five Squadre , that formed the medieval community of Onsernone. The village church has always been part of the parish of Vergeletto . The Chapel of S. Orsola was built in 1703 and rebuilt in 1730. It was renovated in the late 20th century. The village didn't have a drivable road until 1885. The local economy was based on agriculture, animal husbandry, and, for

3080-400: Was probably created in 1656, when it separated from Loco. It included Comologno until 1715, Vergeletto until 1757, and Crana until 1787. The parish church of S. Maria Assunta is first mentioned in 1365, and was renovated in 1995–2002. Until about the mid-20th century, agriculture, animal husbandry and straw plaiting were the main sources of income in the village. This was supplemented by

3136-532: Was the capital of the old Onsernone valley community. The parish church of San Remigio was the mother church of the valley and ancient seat of the Vicariate of Onsernone valley. It is first mentioned in 1228 (in the municipal archives), but is probably older. In the early 16th century it was rebuilt and acquired its current steeple. It houses the Holy Cross chapel with an ancient, venerated cross relic. The church

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