Savosa Paese Parish, Ticino, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Savosa Paese 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, Savosa has an area of 0.74 square kilometers (0.29 sq mi). The municipality is situated in the Lugano district, and forms the north-west part of the agglomeration of Lugano. It includes the village of Savosa, the hamlet of Crocifisso, and since 1804 part of the former municipality of Rovello.

The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 60.8% - agricultural purposes
 * 17.6% - forested
 * 73.0% - settled (buildings or roads)

History
The first mention of Savosa was in 1335 as Savoxa.

The population history of Savosa is: 1747 - 145 inhabitants 1808 - 125 inhabitants 1850 - 196 inhabitants 1900 - 275 inhabitants 1950 - 589 inhabitants 2000 - 2061 inhabitants

In the Middle Ages Savosa and Rovello were two separate Vicinanza, which belonged to the Pieve of Lugano. The cathedral of San Lorenzo in Lugano possessed extensive estates in Rovello in the 11th and 12th Centuries. In the 14th century, the Bishop of Como had feudal rights in Savosa and Rovello. The complex of S. Maurizio in Rovello, which is now located in the Lugano urban area, consists of a farm, a 1203 chapel, and a cemetery and was founded by the Humiliati order. In 1365, it was controlled by the Bishop of Como and the Hospital of S. Maria in Lugano. In 1906, the sugar magnate Emilio Maraini purchased the complex. Savosa was part of the parish of Lugano until 1801 when it moved to the Porza parish. It became an independent parish in 1825 and in 1927, was joined by Rovello and Crocifisso. The parish church of Beata Vergine Annunciata was first recorded in 1578, was rebuilt several times in the 18th and 19th Centuries and refurbished in 1993.

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

The 1808 Ticino census for Savosa Paese can be accessed here.

Surnames
The following surnames held citizenship in Savosa Paese 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)