Sant'Antonio
Encyclopedia
Sant'Antonio is a municipality
in the district of Bellinzona
in the canton
of Ticino
in Switzerland
.
(750-400 BC) has been discovered in the village. The so-called Squadra or part of the village made up the medieval
municipality of Vallemorobbia. In 1803 it became a part of the political municipality of Vallemorobbia. Sant'Antonio became an independent municipality in 1831. Before 1600 the village part of the parish
of Bellinzona
, followed by the parish of Pianezzo until 1680. The first mention of the parish church
of SS Antonio Abate e Abbondio is in 1371, and the church was rebuilt in the 16th Century. The inhabitants of the village lived on grazing and farming or many emigrated. In 1464, iron ore mining began in Carena, which was operated with varying success and various owners until 1831. The alpine pasture of Giumello, which belongs to the Canton and the cantonal Agricultural School at Mezzana, is located in the municipality. In 2000, over three quarters of the workforce were commuters, especially to Bellinzona.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.4% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.2%. Out of the forested land, 55.7% of the total land area is heavily forested, while 22.1% is covered in small trees and shrubbery and 1.6% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 0.9% is used for growing crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, 8.9% is unproductive vegetation.
The municipality is located in the Bellinzona district on the heights above the right side of the upper Morobbia valley. It includes the Carena mountain, which is 958 m (3,143 ft). It consists of the village of Sant'Antonio and the several hamlets
.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Per pale Azure St. Anthony stantant clead as a Monk haloed Or holding a staff and a book argent and behind him a Pig proper and Gules a Snake Argent. Saint Anthony is the protector of animals, also known as Saint Anthony of the pig due to the classical iconography which always depicts him surrounded by animals, in particular by a little pig whose snout sticks out from the saint's clothes as on the coat of arms of Sant'Antonio."
Most of the population speaks Italian
(76.8%), with German
being second most common (20.8%) and Romansh being third ( 0.6%). Of the Swiss national languages , 35 speak German
, 129 people speak Italian
, and 1 person speaks Romansh. The remainder (3 people) speak another language.
, the gender distribution of the population was 52.2% male and 47.8% female. The population was made up of 95 Swiss men (46.8% of the population), and 11 (5.4%) non-Swiss men. There were 91 Swiss women (44.8%), and 6 (3.0%) non-Swiss women.
In there was 1 live birth to a Swiss citizen and in same time span there were 4 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 3 while the foreign population remained the same. There was 1 Swiss man who immigrated back to Switzerland and 1 non-Swiss man who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was a decrease of 2 and the non-Swiss population change was a decrease of 1 people. This represents a population growth rate of -1.5%.
The age distribution, , in Sant'Antonio is; 11 children or 5.4% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 22 teenagers or 10.8% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 12 people or 5.9% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 25 people or 12.3% are between 30 and 39, 33 people or 16.3% are between 40 and 49, and 33 people or 16.3% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 36 people or 17.7% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 19 people or 9.4% are between 70 and 79, there are 12 people or 5.9% who are over 80.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.47 which is less people per room than the cantonal average of 0.6 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43.1 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 59.8% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage
or a rent-to-own agreement).
, there were 88 private households in the municipality, and an average of 1.9 persons per household. there were 303 single family homes (or 93.2% of the total) out of a total of 325 inhabited buildings. There were 11 two family buildings (3.4%) and 2 multi-family buildings (.6%). There were also 9 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose).
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0%. there were 335 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 3 room apartment of which there were 139. There were 21 single room apartments and 34 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 87 apartments (26.0% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 247 apartments (73.7%) were seasonally occupied and 1 apartments (0.3%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 0 new units per 1000 residents.
The historical population is given in the following table:
.
the most popular party was the FDP
which received 49.63% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(23.32%), the SP
(11.01%) and the SVP
(6.34%). In the federal election, a total of 69 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 40.4%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 165 registered voters in Sant'Antonio, of which 110 or 66.7% voted. 2 blank ballots were cast, leaving 108 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT
which received 39 or 36.1% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the SSI (with 25 or 23.1%), the PS
(with 15 or 13.9%) and the PPD
+GenGiova (with 12 or 11.1%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, there were 2 blank ballots, which left 108 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT which received 38 or 35.2% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the SSI (with 22 or 20.4%), the PS (with 15 or 13.9%) and the PPD (with 13 or 12.0%).
, there were 0 workers who commuted into the municipality and 47 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with all workers leaving the municipality. Of the working population, 3.3% used public transportation to get to work, and 70.5% used a private car.
, there were 2 hotels in Sant'Antonio.
. There are 25 individuals (or about 14.88% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 3 individuals (or about 1.79% of the population) did not answer the question.
).
In Sant'Antonio there are a total of 26 students . The Ticino education system
provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten
and in Sant'Antonio there are 5 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 4 students attend the standard primary schools and students attend the special school. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two year middle school followed by a two year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four year program to prepare for higher education. There are 6 students in the two year middle school and in their pre-apprenticeship, while 2 students are in the four year advanced program.
The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student). There are 4 vocational students who are attending school full-time and 5 who attend part-time.
, 29 students from Sant'Antonio attended schools outside the municipality.
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the district of Bellinzona
Bellinzona (district)
The district of Bellinzona is a district of Canton Ticino, Switzerland. It has a population of .-Geography:The district has an area, , of . Of this area, or 13.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 68.7% is forested...
in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
History
A grave from the Early Iron AgeIron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
(750-400 BC) has been discovered in the village. The so-called Squadra or part of the village made up the medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
municipality of Vallemorobbia. In 1803 it became a part of the political municipality of Vallemorobbia. Sant'Antonio became an independent municipality in 1831. Before 1600 the village part of the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Bellinzona
Bellinzona
Bellinzona is the administrative capital of the canton Ticino in Switzerland. The city is famous for its three castles that have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2000....
, followed by the parish of Pianezzo until 1680. The first mention of the parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of SS Antonio Abate e Abbondio is in 1371, and the church was rebuilt in the 16th Century. The inhabitants of the village lived on grazing and farming or many emigrated. In 1464, iron ore mining began in Carena, which was operated with varying success and various owners until 1831. The alpine pasture of Giumello, which belongs to the Canton and the cantonal Agricultural School at Mezzana, is located in the municipality. In 2000, over three quarters of the workforce were commuters, especially to Bellinzona.
Geography
Sant'Antonio has an area, , of 33.58 square kilometres (13 sq mi). Of this area, 0.44 km² (0.169884949780715 sq mi) or 1.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 26.63 km² (10.3 sq mi) or 79.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.22 km² (0.0849424748903577 sq mi) or 0.7% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.23 km² (0.0888034964762831 sq mi) or 0.7% is either rivers or lakes and 3.28 km² (1.3 sq mi) or 9.8% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.4% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.2%. Out of the forested land, 55.7% of the total land area is heavily forested, while 22.1% is covered in small trees and shrubbery and 1.6% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 0.9% is used for growing crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, 8.9% is unproductive vegetation.
The municipality is located in the Bellinzona district on the heights above the right side of the upper Morobbia valley. It includes the Carena mountain, which is 958 m (3,143 ft). It consists of the village of Sant'Antonio and the several hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
.
Coat of arms
The blazonBlazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
of the municipal coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is Per pale Azure St. Anthony stantant clead as a Monk haloed Or holding a staff and a book argent and behind him a Pig proper and Gules a Snake Argent. Saint Anthony is the protector of animals, also known as Saint Anthony of the pig due to the classical iconography which always depicts him surrounded by animals, in particular by a little pig whose snout sticks out from the saint's clothes as on the coat of arms of Sant'Antonio."
Demographics
Sant'Antonio has a population of . , 6.0% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 12.1%.Most of the population speaks Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
(76.8%), with German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
being second most common (20.8%) and Romansh being third ( 0.6%). Of the Swiss national languages , 35 speak German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, 129 people speak Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, and 1 person speaks Romansh. The remainder (3 people) speak another language.
, the gender distribution of the population was 52.2% male and 47.8% female. The population was made up of 95 Swiss men (46.8% of the population), and 11 (5.4%) non-Swiss men. There were 91 Swiss women (44.8%), and 6 (3.0%) non-Swiss women.
In there was 1 live birth to a Swiss citizen and in same time span there were 4 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 3 while the foreign population remained the same. There was 1 Swiss man who immigrated back to Switzerland and 1 non-Swiss man who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was a decrease of 2 and the non-Swiss population change was a decrease of 1 people. This represents a population growth rate of -1.5%.
The age distribution, , in Sant'Antonio is; 11 children or 5.4% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 22 teenagers or 10.8% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 12 people or 5.9% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 25 people or 12.3% are between 30 and 39, 33 people or 16.3% are between 40 and 49, and 33 people or 16.3% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 36 people or 17.7% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 19 people or 9.4% are between 70 and 79, there are 12 people or 5.9% who are over 80.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.47 which is less people per room than the cantonal average of 0.6 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43.1 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 59.8% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...
or a rent-to-own agreement).
, there were 88 private households in the municipality, and an average of 1.9 persons per household. there were 303 single family homes (or 93.2% of the total) out of a total of 325 inhabited buildings. There were 11 two family buildings (3.4%) and 2 multi-family buildings (.6%). There were also 9 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose).
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0%. there were 335 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 3 room apartment of which there were 139. There were 21 single room apartments and 34 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 87 apartments (26.0% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 247 apartments (73.7%) were seasonally occupied and 1 apartments (0.3%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 0 new units per 1000 residents.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1653 | 550 |
| 1761 | 300 |
| 1850 | 688 |
| 1870 | 763 |
| 1900 | 599 |
| 1950 | 346 |
| 2000 | 168 |
Heritage sites of national significance
The ancient mine at A Carena is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significanceSwiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
The Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...
.
Politics
In the 2007 federal electionSwiss federal election, 2007
Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007...
the most popular party was the FDP
FDP.The Liberals
FDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States....
which received 49.63% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
(23.32%), the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(11.01%) and the SVP
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
(6.34%). In the federal election, a total of 69 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
was 40.4%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 165 registered voters in Sant'Antonio, of which 110 or 66.7% voted. 2 blank ballots were cast, leaving 108 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT
FDP.The Liberals
FDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States....
which received 39 or 36.1% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the SSI (with 25 or 23.1%), the PS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(with 15 or 13.9%) and the PPD
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
+GenGiova (with 12 or 11.1%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, there were 2 blank ballots, which left 108 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT which received 38 or 35.2% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the SSI (with 22 or 20.4%), the PS (with 15 or 13.9%) and the PPD (with 13 or 12.0%).
Economy
, Sant'Antonio had an unemployment rate of 3.84%. , there were 15 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 4 businesses involved in this sector. 1 person is employed in the secondary sector and there is 1 business in this sector. 3 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 2 businesses in this sector. There were 61 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 42.6% of the workforce., there were 0 workers who commuted into the municipality and 47 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with all workers leaving the municipality. Of the working population, 3.3% used public transportation to get to work, and 70.5% used a private car.
, there were 2 hotels in Sant'Antonio.
Religion
From the , 127 or 75.6% were Roman Catholic, while 13 or 7.7% belonged to the Swiss Reformed ChurchSwiss Reformed Church
The Reformed branch of Protestantism in Switzerland was started in Zürich by Huldrych Zwingli and spread within a few years to Basel , Bern , St...
. There are 25 individuals (or about 14.88% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 3 individuals (or about 1.79% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Sant'Antonio about 70.4% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a FachhochschuleFachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
).
In Sant'Antonio there are a total of 26 students . The Ticino education system
Education in Switzerland
The education system in Switzerland is very diverse, because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system mainly to the cantons...
provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
and in Sant'Antonio there are 5 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 4 students attend the standard primary schools and students attend the special school. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two year middle school followed by a two year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four year program to prepare for higher education. There are 6 students in the two year middle school and in their pre-apprenticeship, while 2 students are in the four year advanced program.
The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student). There are 4 vocational students who are attending school full-time and 5 who attend part-time.
, 29 students from Sant'Antonio attended schools outside the municipality.