Sauge () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the Jura bernois administrative district in the

canton Canton may refer to: Administrative divisions * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and entertainment * Canton (band), an It ...

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. It is located in the French-speaking

Bernese Jura Bernese Jura (, , German: Berner Jura) is the name for the French-speaking area of the Switzerland, Swiss canton of Bern, and from 2010 one of ten Administrative divisions of Switzerland, administrative divisions of the Cantons of Switzerland, cant ...

(''Jura Bernois''). On 1 January 2014 the former municipalities of Plagne and

Vauffelin Vauffelin () is a former Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Jura bernois (administrative district), Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura (''Jur ...

merged into the municipality of Sauge.Nomenklaturen – Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz
accessed 13 December 2014

History

Plagne

Plagne is first mentioned in 1311 as ''Blenn'', though this comes from a 1441 copy of the original document. In 1610 it was mentioned as ''Plaentsch''. The municipality was formerly known by its German name ''Plentsch'', however, that name is no longer used. In 1311 Plagne was part of a

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

owned by the Basel Cathedral that was granted to Bourkard de La Roche. It was part of the

seigniory In English law, seignory or seigniory, spelled ''signiory'' in Early Modern English (; ; ), is the lordship (authority) remaining to a grantor after the grant of an estate in fee simple. '' Nulle terre sans seigneur'' ("No land without a lord") ...

Erguel Erguël is a medieval seigniory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Basel, and under protectorate of Biel/Bienne, under military jurisdiction from 1335, in the now called valley of St.-Imier, in the now Bernese Jura, Switzerland. The Sire of the ...

which was owned by the

Prince Bishop A prince-bishop is a bishop who is also the civil ruler of some secular principality and sovereignty, as opposed to ''Prince of the Church'' itself, a title associated with cardinals. Since 1951, the sole extant prince-bishop has been the Bis ...

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

. After the 1797 French victory and the

Treaty of Campo Formio The Treaty of Campo Formio (today Campoformido) was signed on 17 October 1797 (26 Vendémiaire VI) by Napoleon Bonaparte and Count Philipp von Cobenzl as representatives of the French Republic and the Austrian monarchy, respectively. The trea ...

, Plagne became part of the French

Département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...

Mont-Terrible Mont-Terrible () was a department of the First French Republic, with its seat at Porrentruy. The Mont Terrible for which the department was named is now known as , a peak of near Courgenay (now in the canton of Jura, Switzerland). The toponym ...

. A few years later, it became part of the Département of

Haut-Rhin Haut-Rhin (); Alsatian: ''Owerelsàss'' or '; , . is a department in the Grand Est region, France, bordering both Germany and Switzerland. It is named after the river Rhine; its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less pop ...

. After

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's defeat and the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...

, Plagne was assigned to the Canton of Bern in 1815. In 1862 a fire destroyed the village core and it had to be rebuilt in the following years. During the Early Modern Era, in addition to agriculture, some of the residents mined a small ore deposit south of Les Ferrières or mined white pottery clay. At the end of the 18th Century many residents began making watch parts in home workshops. Beginning in the 1970s the village's population grew rapidly as commuters to

Biel/Bienne Biel/Bienne (official bilingual wording; German language, German: ''Biel'' ; French language, French: ''Bienne'' ; Bernese German, locally ; ; ; ) is a bilingual city in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. With over 55,000 residents, it is the ...

moved out to Plagne.

Vauffelin

Vauffelin and its

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

is first mentioned in the Lausanne Chartular of 1228 as ''Vualfelim''. It was formerly known by its German names ''Füglistal'' or ''Füglisthal'' though this name is no longer used. The village of Frinvillier was first mentioned in 1393 as ''Frunwelier''. Frinvillier was located at the intersection of two important

Roman road Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...

s, one leading from

Petinesca Petinesca is an archeological site on the territory of Studen, a community of the Canton of Bern, in Switzerland, where Celtic and Roman vestiges were found. Celtic and Roman vestiges The site lies at the SE edge of the Jensberg mountain. Celt ...

(now Studen) over the Pierre Pertuis pass to

Augusta Raurica Augusta Raurica is a Roman archaeological site and an open-air museum in Switzerland located on the south bank of the Rhine river about 20 km east of Basel near the villages of Augst and Kaiseraugst. It is the site of the oldest known Ro ...

(near

Augst Augst (Swiss German: ''Augscht'') is a municipality in the district of Liestal in the canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland. It was known as Augusta Raurica in Roman times. History Augst is first mentioned in 615 as ''Augustodunensem prae ...

) and the road from Eburodunum (now

Yverdon Yverdon-les-Bains () (called Eburodunum and Ebredunum during the Ancient Rome, Roman era) is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Jura-North Vaudois District, Jura-Nord vaudois of the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It ...

) over the Plateau de Diesse to Salodurum (

Solothurn Solothurn ( ; ; ; ; ) is a town, a municipality, and the capital of the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. It is located in the north-west of Switzerland on the banks of the Aare and on the foot of the Weissenstein Jura mountains. The town is ...

). A watch tower was built on at Rondchâtel to guard the road. In 1364, Count Thierstein granted the patronage rights of the village church to the Church of St. Benedict in

Biel Biel/Bienne (official bilingual wording; German language, German: ''Biel'' ; French language, French: ''Bienne'' ; Bernese German, locally ; ; ; ) is a bilingual city in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. With over 55,000 residents, it is the ...

. During the

Late Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...

and the

Early Modern Era The early modern period is a historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There is no exact date ...

it was part of the

under the

Prince-Bishop A prince-bishop is a bishop who is also the civil ruler of some secular principality and sovereignty, as opposed to '' Prince of the Church'' itself, a title associated with cardinals. Since 1951, the sole extant prince-bishop has been the ...

. After the 1797 French victory and the

, Vauffelin became part of the French

. Three years later, in 1800 it became part of the Département of

. After

's defeat and the

, Vauffelin was assigned to the Canton of Bern in 1815. Vauffelin converted to the new

Reformed Reform is beneficial change. Reform, reformed or reforming may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine Places * Reform, Al ...

faith in 1530, when Biel adopted the new faith. Originally the

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

Orvin Orvin is a municipality in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura (''Jura Bernois''). Above it, there is a small year round resort, called les "Prés-d'Orv ...

supported the church in Vauffelin. After 1798 the pastor in

Péry Péry is part of the municipality of Péry-La Heutte in the Jura bernois (administrative district), Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura (''Jura Bernois''). ...

took over that responsibility. In 1839 the Vauffelin parish was created with

Romont Romont (; ) is a municipality and capital of the district of Glâne in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. History Romont is first mentioned in 1177 as ''in Rotundo Monte''. In 1244 it was mentioned as ''Romont''. The municipality was f ...

. The parish was originally administered by a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

, but it received its own priest in 1860. The church was built in 1715-16 and renovated in 1932-34 and again in 1983. In 2010, Vauffelin, Péry-La Heutte and Orvin joined the parish of Rondchâtel. During the 1970s the village population increased as commuters who worked in Biel moved into the village. In 1971, the villages of Vauffelin, Romont and Frinvillier formed a school district.

Geography

The former municipalities that now make up Sauge have a total combined area of .

Demographics

The total population of Sauge () is .

Historic population

The historical population is given in the following chart: Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8) ImageSize = width: auto height:500 barincrement:45 PlotArea = top:20 left:35 bottom:90 right:35 Legend = columns:3 left:20 top:70 columnwidth:160 AlignBars = justify DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:840 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:200 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:40 start:0 Colors= id:PL value:yellowgreen legend:Plagne id:VA value:green legend:Vauffelin PlotData= color:yellowgreen width:30 mark:(line,white) align:center bar:1850 from: 0 till:262 text:"262" color:PL bar:1860 from: 0 till:286 text:"286" color:PL bar:1870 from: 0 till:258 text:"258" color:PL bar:1880 from: 0 till:273 text:"273" color:PL bar:1890 from: 0 till:256 text:"256" color:PL bar:1900 from: 0 till:292 text:"292" color:PL bar:1910 from: 0 till:258 text:"258" color:PL bar:1920 from: 0 till:266 text:"266" color:PL bar:1930 from: 0 till:224 text:"224" color:PL bar:1940 from: 0 till:232 text:"232" color:PL bar:1950 from: 0 till:240 text:"240" color:PL bar:1960 from: 0 till:239 text:"239" color:PL bar:1970 from: 0 till:277 text:"277" color:PL bar:1980 from: 0 till:310 text:"310" color:PL bar:1990 from: 0 till:347 text:"347" color:PL bar:2000 from: 0 till:393 text:"393" color:PL bar:1850 from: 262 till:517 text:"255" color:VA bar:1860 from: 286 till:547 text:"261" color:VA bar:1870 from: 258 till:509 text:"251" color:VA bar:1880 from: 273 till:495 text:"222" color:VA bar:1890 from: 256 till:538 text:"282" color:VA bar:1900 from: 292 till:550 text:"258" color:VA bar:1910 from: 258 till:529 text:"271" color:VA bar:1920 from: 266 till:562 text:"296" color:VA bar:1930 from: 224 till:494 text:"270" color:VA bar:1940 from: 232 till:501 text:"269" color:VA bar:1950 from: 240 till:477 text:"237" color:VA bar:1960 from: 239 till:517 text:"278" color:VA bar:1970 from: 277 till:744 text:"467" color:VA bar:1980 from: 310 till:658 text:"348" color:VA bar:1990 from: 347 till:725 text:"378" color:VA bar:2000 from: 393 till:838 text:"445" color:VA

Sights

The entire

Taubenloch Taubenloch (French: Gorges du Taubenloch) is a Canyon, gorge in the Canton of Bern, above Biel/Bienne in Switzerland. It crosses the first Jura Mountains, Jura Mountain chain, as considered from the Swiss Plateau. Location The gorge covers a leng ...

schlucht (Taubenloch Canyon), which is shared between Biel/Bienne, Orvin, Péry and Sauge, is designated as part of the

Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites The Federal Inventory of Heritage Sites (ISOS) is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage. Sites of national importance Types The types are based on t ...

Transportation

The Frinvillier-Taubenloch railway station is located on the western edge of the municipality. It is on the Biel/Bienne–La Chaux-de-Fonds line and has hourly service to , , and .

References

External links

Official site
* * * {{Authority control Municipalities of the canton of Bern