Vira (Gambarogno) Parish, Ticino, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Vira (Gambarogno) 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 Vira is in the Locarno district and the Ticino canton. It is located on the Gambarogno Riviera which included the hamlets of Corognola, Fosano and Scesana. Vira has an area of 11.99 km² (4.63 square miles). The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 4.4% - agricultural purposes
 * 86.7% - forested
 * 4.7% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 1.2% - rivers & lakes
 * 4.3% - non-productive

History
In 1305, Vira was first mentioned. Vira is in the Locarno district and the Ticino canton. Vira merged into a new municipality of Gambarogno on 25 April 2010. Other former municipalities merged include:
 * Caviano
 * Contone
 * Gerra (Gambarogno)
 * Indemini
 * Magadino
 * Piazzogna
 * San Nazzaro
 * Sant'Abbondio

The population history of Vira is: 1683 - 563 inhabitants 1795 - 601 inhabitants 1850 - 617 inhabitants 1900 - 455 inhabitants 1950 - 454 inhabitants 1960 - 530 inhabitants 1970 - 589 inhabitants 1980 - 579 inhabitants 1990 - 531 inhabitants 2000 - 616 inhabitants

Per the 2000 census:
 * 74.0% were Roman Catholic
 * 12.7% were Swiss Reformed Church
 * 9.1% belong to another church

Since the 8th century, the church of Saints-Pierre-et-Paul operated. Until 1556, Saints-Pierre-et-Paul was the mother church of all Gambarogno. Then the parishes of Indemini (1556), Sant'Abbondio and San Nazzaro (1558), Piazzogna (1837) and Magadino (1846) were created. The church of Saints-Pierre-et-Paul was rebuilt in 1613-1615.

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

The 1808 Ticino census for Vira can be accessed here.

Surnames
The following surnames held citizenship in Vira 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)