Robasacco Parish, Ticino, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Robasacco 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, Bironico has an area of 4.18 square kilometers (1.61 sq mi). The village is located south of the Monte Ceneri Pass and north of the district seat Lugano. It is bordered by the villages of Camignolo to the south, Medeglia to the north and Rivera to the west.

The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 11.2% - agricultural purposes
 * 77.5% - forested
 * 6.5% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 0.5% - rivers or lakes
 * 4.3% - unproductive land

district of Bellinzona, part of the municipality of Cadenazzo since 2005. The village is located on a terrace on the way to Monte Ceneri and also included the settlement of San Leonardo.

History
The first mention of Robasacco is in 1205 as S. Leonardi and then in 1719 as Robasacco.

The population history of Robasacco is: 1780 - 190 inhabitants 1850 - 227 inhabitants 1880 - 311 inhabitants 1900 - 201 inhabitants 1950 - 172 inhabitants 2000 - 108 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. In 1501-1503, Robasacco moved with Medeglia and Isone from the region of Lugano to the county of Bellinzona. Robasacco was subordinate to the parish of Bironico and later to the vice-parish of Medeglia, from which it broke away in 1809. Attested since 1205, the parish church of San Leonardo was rebuilt in 1593 and enlarged in 1870.

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 Robasacco can be accessed here.

Surnames
The following surnames held citizenship in Robasacco 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)