Mugena is a village and former municipality in the

canton of Ticino Ticino ( ), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eight districts and its capital city is Bellinzo ...

, Switzerland. In 2005 the municipality was merged with the other, neighboring municipalities

Arosio Arosio ( Brianzöö: ; locally ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located about north of Milan and about southeast of Como. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 4,521 and an area o ...

, Breno, Fescoggia and Vezio to form a new and larger municipality

Alto Malcantone Alto Malcantone is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Lugano (district), Lugano in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Ticino in Switzerland. It was formed on 13 March 2005 from the earlier municipalities of Arosio, ...

.Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz
published by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 14 January 2010

History

Mugena is first mentioned in 1214 as ''Megiadina''. In 1270 it was mentioned as ''Migena''. A random discovery led to the excavation of a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

cremation cemetery. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

Como Cathedral Como Cathedral ( or simply ; ) is the Catholic cathedral of the city of Como, Lombardy, Italy, and the seat of the Bishop of Como. It is dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. History The cathedral, located near Lake Como, is ...

possessed property,

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in money, cash, cheques or v ...

s and rights to use alpine meadows over half of Nisciora Alp. Some documents mention a

castrum ''Castra'' () is a Latin language, Latin term used during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire for a military 'camp', and ''castrum'' () for a 'Fortification, fort'. Either could refer to a building or plot of land, used as a fortified milita ...

, probably a supply camp, but his determination remains controversial. In the 13th century, Mugena belonged to the ''Valle d'Arosio'' (upper Magliasina Valley), an economic and administrative unit, which included Arosio, Breno, Cademario, Mugena, Tortoglio and Vezio. The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

of S. Agata is first mentioned in 1361. In 1636 it was, after Mugena separated from Breno, promoted to a vice parish. The church was renovated and toward the end of the 17th century, completely rebuilt. The current church features valuable

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

work from the 18th century. The village has retained its rural appearance. Historically, farming and grazing in the alpine meadows of S. Maria and Cervello were the main source of income. At the beginning of the 21st century, most residents in the valley work in Lugano.

Historic population

The historical population is given in the following table:

References

Former municipalities of Ticino Villages in Switzerland {{Ticino-geo-stub