Collonges-sous-Salève
Encyclopedia
Collonges-sous-Salève is a commune
in the Haute-Savoie
department in the Rhône-Alpes
region
in south-eastern France
. It is located very closely to Geneva
, Switzerland
. Its population is about 3000 (1998). The name of Collonges (from the Latin colonica) designates a colony of farmers situated on land granted, along with certain liberties, by the land owner. The town dates from the fourth or fifth century. The modern commune has its roots in the Ancien Régime, arising out of a parish
whose existence is recorded from the twelfth century.
The Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi
and the singer Giuseppina Strepponi
were married in secret in the parish church of Collonges-sous-Salève which then lay in the territory of the Kingdom of Piedmont. Collonges-sous-Salève was also the ancestral town of the ancestors of the French composer, Maurice Ravel
.
Although the town, and Haute Savoie generally, is traditionally Catholic
, Collonges-sous-Salève is the location of Saleve Adventist University
and Maurice-Tièche comprehensive school, both owned by the Seventh-day Adventist church
.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Haute-Savoie
Haute-Savoie
Haute-Savoie is a French department in the Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France. It borders both Switzerland and Italy. The capital is Annecy. To the north is Lake Geneva and Switzerland; to the south and southeast are the Mont Blanc and Aravis mountain ranges and the French entrance to the Mont...
department in the Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes is one of the 27 regions of France, located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the Rhône River and the Alps mountain range. Its capital, Lyon, is the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris...
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
in south-eastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is located very closely to Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, 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....
. Its population is about 3000 (1998). The name of Collonges (from the Latin colonica) designates a colony of farmers situated on land granted, along with certain liberties, by the land owner. The town dates from the fourth or fifth century. The modern commune has its roots in the Ancien Régime, arising out of a 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...
whose existence is recorded from the twelfth century.
The Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
and the singer Giuseppina Strepponi
Giuseppina Strepponi
Clelia Maria Josepha Strepponi was a nineteenth century Italian operatic soprano of great renown and the second wife of composer Giuseppe Verdi...
were married in secret in the parish church of Collonges-sous-Salève which then lay in the territory of the Kingdom of Piedmont. Collonges-sous-Salève was also the ancestral town of the ancestors of the French composer, Maurice Ravel
Maurice Ravel
Joseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
.
Although the town, and Haute Savoie generally, is traditionally Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, Collonges-sous-Salève is the location of Saleve Adventist University
Saleve Adventist University
Le Campus Adventiste du Salève, or Saleve Adventist University in English, belongs to the global educational system of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and is affiliated with Partnership of Adventist Colleges in Europe . The university is located about five miles from Geneva across the...
and Maurice-Tièche comprehensive school, both owned by the Seventh-day Adventist church
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
.