Ascona Parish, Ticino, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Ascona 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, Ascona has an area of 4.97 square kilometers (1.92 sq mi). The municipality is situated in the Locarno District, on the right bank of the Maggia delta. It includes the town of Ascona which includes the sections of Gerbi, Monescie, Monte Verità, Moscia, and Saleggi.

The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 35.8% - agricultural purposes
 * 33.4% - forested
 * 52.9% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 0.2% - rivers or lake
 * 4.0% - unproductive land

History
The first mention of Ascona was in 1224 as burgus de Scona.

The population history of Ascona is: 1591 - 1000 inhabitants 1801 - 772 inhabitants 1850 - 902 inhabitants 1900 - 942 inhabitants 1920 - 1118 inhabitants 1950 - 2923 inhabitants 1980 - 4722 inhabitants 2000 - 4984 inhabitants

A church in Ascona is mentioned for the first time in 1264 and was originally consecrated only as the Church of Saint Peter.. The church of Santi Pietro e Paolo is mentioned in 1330 as a parish church, and in 1332 as a collegiate church. However, there are no documents that prove the division from the mother church of San Vittore in Muralto and thus the existence of an early medieval parish. In 1703, the church of Santi Pietro e Paolo became a provost and in 1800 it was able to have an archpriest. The church building, enlarged in the 16th century, underwent far-reaching changes in the later years of the 18th century. In 1859, the outward appearance and the south side were renewed in neo-Gothic style. A new renovation began in 1948 but was aborted after the 18th-century central vault collapsed. Church of Santa Maria della Misericordia houses one of the most extensive late Gothic fresco cycles in Switzerland. Other important church buildings include the Romanesque church of San Materno and the church of Madonna della Fontana, built in 1617-1637 on the northern slope of Monte Verità, which became a pilgrimage destination.

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

The 1808 Ticino census for Ascona can be accessed here.

Surnames
The following surnames held citizenship in Ascona 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)