Supersaxo is the surname of a number of unrelated families of the

Upper Valais Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the 26 cantons forming the Sw ...

. It is a latinized locational surname, from Latin ''super'' "above" and ''saxo'' (ablative) "rock"; as such it is a direct translation of German ''auf der Fluh'' (''Fluhe, Flüe, Flühe'' etc.) The most notable bearers of the name are the ''Supersaxo auf der Flüe'' of

Naters Naters is a municipality in the district of Brig in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. On 1 January 2013 the former municipalities of Birgisch and Mund merged into the municipality of Naters, which also includes the villages of Hegdorn, Geime ...

. They are descended from the ''Manegoldi'', a family of episcopal ministeriales originally of

Ernen Ernen is a municipality in the district of Goms in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. In 2005 Ernen incorporated the formerly independent municipalities of Ausserbinn, Mühlebach, and Steinhaus. In 1979, Ernen was awarded the Wakker Prize for ...

. They renamed themselves ''ab der Flue'' or ''de Saxo'' in c. 1340 (''Rudolph Super Saxum'') after their seat in

, the castle ''Uff der Flüe''. After 1352, the castle was occupied by the ''castellanus'' of Naters and it intermittently served as residence of the prince-bishops of Sion in the 15th and 16th centuries. Three members of the family served as prince-bishops of Sion. The residence of the early modern Naters residence of the family, known as ''Supersaxo Haus'', was built in 1597. This family was extinct in the male line in 1734. Other (unrelated) families called ''Supersaxo'' are found in Jeizinen (

Gampel Gampel is a former municipality in the district of Leuk in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. Gampel should not be confused with the municipality Gampelen in the canton of Bern. It was an independent municipality until January 1, 2009, when ...

Saas-Grund Saas-Grund is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It lies east of Lenzspitze and Dom. History Saas-Grund is first mentioned in 1438 as ''grunderro''. Geography Saas-Grund has an area, , of . Of thi ...

(extinct) and ''Michel-Supersaxo'' of

Brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...

. Notable people with the surname include: * Georg (Jörg) Supersaxo auf der Flüe (ca. 1450–1529), leader of the

Seven Tithings The Republic of the Seven Tithings (German: ''Republik der Sieben Zenden'', French: ''République des Sept-Dizains'') was a state in what is now the Swiss canton of Valais during the early modern period, and an associate of the Old Swiss Confede ...

, diplomatic envoy to Milan for the treaty of 1495. * Walther II. Supersaxo von der Fluhe (ca. 1402–1482), prince-bishop of Sion r. 1457–1482. *Georg I. Michel-Supersaxo (ca. 1550–1625/26), castellanus of and

Landeshauptmann Landeshauptmann (if male) or Landeshauptfrau (if female) (, "state captain", plural ''Landeshauptleute'') is the chairman of a state government and the supreme official of an Austrian state and the Italian autonomous provinces of South Tyrol an ...

of the Seven Tithings 1593–1595. *Georg II. Michel-Supersaxo (1601–1676), castellanus of Brig and Landeshauptmann 1664–1670. * Bartholomeu Supersaxo von der Fluhe (1602–1640), prince-bishop of Sion r. 1638–1640. * Franz Josef Supersaxo von der Fluhe (1665–1734),prince-bishop of Sion r. 1701–1734. * Franz Georg Michel-Supersaxo (1661–1705), castellanus of Brig * Franz Ignaz Michel-Supersaxo (d. 1734), castellanus of Brig * Aloys Supersaxo of

Saas-Fee Saas-Fee () is the main village in the Saastal, or the Saas Valley, and is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. The village is situated on a high mountain plateau at 1,800 meters (5,900 feet), surrounded ...

, alpinist, first ascent of

Nadelhorn The Nadelhorn (4,327 m) is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland. It is the highest point on the Nadelgrat, a high-level ridge running roughly north–south above the resort of Saas-Fee to the east, and the Mattertal to the west. Its th ...

(1858) * Ambros Supersaxo of Saas-Fee (1853–1932), alpinist, first ascent of

Aiguille Blanche de Peuterey The Aiguille Blanche de Peuterey (4,112 m) is a mountain of the Mont Blanc massif in Italy. It is considered the most difficult and serious of the alpine 4000-m mountains to climb. There are three tops to the mountain: *''Pointe Güssfeldt'' ( ...

(1885) and of Obermominghorn (1886).

References

* * *{{HLS, 23588, Michel-Supersaxo, author=Philipp Kalbermatter Swiss families History of Valais