Satigny is a municipality of the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It is the largest municipality of the canton by land area and the largest wine-producing municipality of the country. Its territory contains the majority of the Mandement area, a designated heritage site of national importance shared with the neighbouring municipalities of Russin and Dardagny.
Etymology
Satigny is first mentioned in 91 as villam Satiniatis, though this comes from a 12th Century copy of the earlier document. In around 1128 it was mentioned as de Satiniaco and in 1280 as Satignie. The name very likely origins in Gallo-Roman in reference of local Roman owners.
The etymology of Peney on the other hand is different and subject to different interpretations. The first one is that it could come from the Latin "pinetum", which stands for "forest of pine trees", but it could also come from the Celtic roots of "pen" (extremity) and "nec" (height).
Bourdigny's name, for its part, also has a different origin, from the German-language Burgundians and the root is a surname such as "Bürdin", which later became "Burdignus" with the romanisation of region.
Finally, Montfleury's name is more anecdotal. This old grouping of houses without a particular denomination was first called "The Shacks". It was only in 1829 that, to oblige to the demand of its inhabitants, the hamlet changed its official name to "Montfleury".
Coat-of-arms
Gules with a silver double-bladed key, alongside a sun to and a golden crescent.
This coat of arms was adopted by the municipality on the 8th of September 1924 and approved by the cantonal executive government on the 26th of September 1924. The municipality of Satigny, which corresponds to the old Mandement de Peney (see history), was owned by the bishop, and since 1536 by the Republic of Geneva, and it was the prime example of old Genevan countryside.
The coat of arms are derived from the seal of the prior of Satigny from 1340: this seal represents a hand holding a double-bladed key with a sun and a golden crescent. Satigny removed the hand, and gave to the shield the cantonal and federal colours: red shield and white key for the colours of the Swiss confederation, and the red shield and golden sun and crescent for the colours of the Republic and Canton of Geneva.
History
In its origins, Satigny fell under the jurisdiction of Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens, a dependency of the abbot of Ainay in Lyon, which grew rapidly with lands granted to it mainly by the lords of Gex. When the territory of the municipality formed part of the Peney castellany, the town had a priory devoted to St Peter. A chart from 912, the oldest surviving authentic document of Geneva's history, notifies the donation by Eldegarde, probably a countess, of part of the assets inherited from her husband to the monastery of St Peter. However, she reserved for herself the usufruct of the lands located in Satigny, Choully, Peissy, Challex, Crest, Logras, and Feigères, and she asked the bishop of Geneva to ensure that her donation was well executed.
In 1134 the bishop denounced the violation of the canonical rules and obtained by arbitrage from the archbishop of Vienna the priory of Satigny. The main town would develop around the convent and, in 1305, its inhabitants and those of the neighbouring hamlets created a community. The castle of Peney-Dessus, flanked by a fortified village, was the headquarters of the Peney castellany, also called land of Mortier.
In 1282, a monk of Satigny, in love with Léonette de Joinville, slipped disguised as a woman into the apartment of the wife of the lord of Gex. When she discovered him, she made him undress and be beaten by her people. Simon de Joinville turned this into a pretext to claim the rights of the Peney castellany, its castle, Saint-Gervais, and the bridge over the Rhône river. The bishop responded by reminding to Simon that he had forgot to pay his tribute and he requested a compensation. In the face of the growing power of the bishop, the lord of Gex renounced to his claims and he submitted to the demands of the bishop.