Vella

Former municipality of Switzerland

Coat of arms

Vella

Location of Vella

Coordinates: 46°43′N 9°10′E / 46.717°N 9.167°ECoordinates: 46°43′N 9°10′E / 46.717°N 9.167°E

Country

Government

• Mayor

Daniel Blumenthal

Area

• Total

7.38 km² (2.85 sq mi)

Elevation

1,244 m (4,081 ft)

Population (Dec 2011)

• Total

438

• Density

59/km² (150/sq mi)

Postal code

7144

SFOS number

3605

Surrounded by

Cumbel, Degen, Morissen, Obersaxen, Suraua, Surcuolm

Website

www.vallumnezia.ch
SFSO statistics

Vella is a former municipality in the district of Surselva in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. The municipalities of Cumbel, Degen, Lumbrein, Morissen, Suraua, Vignogn, Vella, and Vrin merged on 1 January 2013 into the new municipality of Lumnezia.

While there is some evidence of a late Bronze Age settlement and coins from the 3rd and 4th Centuries have been found, Vella is first mentioned about 840 as ad sanctum Vincentium [...] in valle Leguntia. In 1290-98 it was mentioned as ad Ville, aput Villam. The village church was the center of a parish that covered the entire valley. However, about 1300 Vals separated from the parish due to the desire of Walser German speaking Walser immigrants to have their own religious leadership. Over the following centuries, most of the other villages in the valley also separated from the Vella parish (the most recent being Peiden in 1910). Due to the village's function as a religious center and the power of a local patrician family, de Mont, Vella grew to be the most powerful village in the valley. Since 1887, it has been home to the sub-district secondary school.

The description of the municipal coat of arms is Azure a Pelican in Piety Argent. The pelican, which according to legend feeds its young with its own blood, is a symbol for the death of Jesus. By extension, it can also represent the entire church. In this case, it stands for the parish church for the Lugnez valley, which is in Degen.

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Wikipedia