Sigirino Parish, Ticino, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Sigirino 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
As of 1997, Sigirino has an area of 8.71 square kilometers (3.36 sq mi). The village is located in the Lugano district, on the right side of the mid-Vedeggio valley near the entrance to the Cusella side valley.

The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 3.6% - agricultural purposes
 * 79.1% - forested
 * 6.5% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 1.1% - rivers or lakes
 * 8.7% - unproductive land

The following municipalities merged on 21 November 2010 into the new municipality of Monteceneri:
 * Bironico
 * Camignolo
 * Medeglia
 * Rivera
 * Sigirino

History
The first mention of Sigirino is in 1335 as Sezelino.

The population history of Sigirino is: 1591 - 347 inhabitants 1801 - 234 inhabitants 1850 - 229 inhabitants 1950 - 212 inhabitants 2000 - 390 inhabitants

It is assumed that around the year one thousand, Bironico was the civil and religious center of Carvina, a community that included the localities of the middle and upper valley of the Vedeggio, which were part of the former parish of Bironico:
 * Camignolo
 * Isone
 * Medeglia
 * Mezzovico-Vira
 * Rivera
 * Robasacco
 * Sigirino

During the High Middle Ages, Bironico was first dependent on the diocese and then on the city of Como for spiritual needs. According to a land register from 1296, the Cathedral of Como in Sigirino owned lands, pastures, woods, fields and lots with houses. Fortifications probably existed at the same time. The Saint-André church, mentioned in 1296, was rebuilt in the 16th century and restored in the 18th century. After the separation from Bironico, the Sigirino parish was established in 1625.

According to records from 1571, Bironico Parish was part of the Agno Pieve. The Pieve was formed from the following parishes: In Swiss territory -

In what is now Italian territory. With the exception of Cremenaga, all these parishes were separated from Agno by 1633.

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

The 1808 Ticino census for Sigirino can be accessed here.

Surnames
The following surnames held citizenship in Sigirino prior to 1900, 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)