Besazio Parish, Ticino, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Besazio Parish, Ticino, Switzerland, ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, parish census, civil census, family history, area history, and military records.



Geography
The former municipality of Besazio is in the Mendrisio district and the Ticino canton. It is located to the west of Mendrisio. Before the 2013 merger, Besazio had an area of 0.9 km² (0.35 square miles). The land use was divided up as follows:
 * 64.8% - agricultural purposes
 * 31.8% - forested
 * 21.6% - settled (buildings or roads)

History
In 1254, Besazio was first mentioned with the name of Besatio. Besazio is in the Mendrisio district and the Ticino canton. Besazio merged into the municipality of Mendrisio on 14 April 2013. Other former municipalities merged include:
 * Ligornetto
 * Meride

The population history of Besazio is: 1591 - 100 inhabitants 1643 - 111 inhabitants 1801 - 158 inhabitants 1850 - 259 inhabitants 1860 - 217 inhabitants 1870 - 295 inhabitants 1880 - 277 inhabitants 1888 - 288 inhabitants 1900 - 258 inhabitants 1910 - 288 inhabitants 1920 - 267 inhabitants 1930 - 235 inhabitants 1941 - 246 inhabitants 1950 - 230 inhabitants 1960 - 250 inhabitants 1970 - 325 inhabitants 1980 - 390 inhabitants 1990 - 449 inhabitants 2000 - 501 inhabitants

Per the 2000 census:
 * 82.4% were Roman Catholic
 * 7.2% were Swiss Reformed Church
 * 8.2% belong to another church

In 1579, Besazio became a parish when it split from the Pieve of Riva San Vitale. Before 1579, the first parish church of Saint-Antonin was built. In 1654, the parish church of the Immaculate Virgin was built. It was rebuilt at the end of the 18th century and then renovated in 1964.

Census
(See here for information regarding Ticino census records.)

The 1808 Ticino census for Besazio can be accessed here.

Surnames
The following surnames held citizenship in Besazio prior to 1875, along with any known soprannomi. For more information about soprannomi, click here.

Related sources
The town's website (in Italian) can be found here.

Libraries and archives
State Archives of Ticino

Societies
Società Genealogica della Svizzera Italiana (SGSI)