[3] With an area of 282 km2 (108.88 sq mi), Bagnes used to be the largest municipality of Switzerland until the formation of Glarus Süd in 2011.

Verbier castle (also called the abbaye) is first mentioned in 1287 in Le Châble and was presumably destroyed in 1476.

One consequence of this political discord was the founding of the liberal-radical free school in 1900.

Other chapels are located in Montagnier (14th century), Sarreyer (after 1639), Lourtier (1659), Vernays (1661), Media (1679), Champsec (1684) and Versegères (1684).

The dam along with increasing tourism in the mid-20th century changed the character of the villages dramatically.

The village economies changed from alpine farming to domination by the services sector.

[4] Until 1957 Bagnes was a loose federation of villages, which was divided into districts or sections.

[4] Starting in the 12th century, Le Châble was the administrative center of the entire Val de Bagnes.

[5] The facade of the late gothic parish church of St. Mauritius was built in 1520 and the choir was finished in 1534.

Bagnes had an area, as of 2011[update], of 282.2 square kilometers (109.0 sq mi).

[6] It consists of the former municipal seat of Le Châble along with multiple villages and hamlets, including Villette, Bruson and Verbier.

The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Azure, two Men proper in a Bath-tub Or.

[6] Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks French (5,714 or 87.4%) as their first language, Portuguese is the second most common (246 or 3.8%) and English is the third (178 or 2.7%).

[6] The Alpage (alpine pasture) de Louvie and the Church of St-Maurice with ossuary and the former rectory are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance.

The villages of Bruson, Le Châble, Médières and Sarreyer along with the hamlet of Fontenelle are all part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.

[15] In the 2007 Swiss Council of States election a total of 2,002 votes were cast, of which 157 or about 7.8% were invalid.

The number of jobs in the primary sector was 125, of which 108 were in agriculture and 17 were in forestry or lumber production.

In the tertiary sector; 432 or 20.8% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 178 or 8.6% were in the movement and storage of goods, 540 or 26.0% were in a hotel or restaurant, 19 or 0.9% were in the information industry, 78 or 3.8% were the insurance or financial industry, 158 or 7.6% were technical professionals or scientists, 139 or 6.7% were in education and 123 or 5.9% were in health care.

[6] From the 2000 census[update], 5,169 or 79.1% were Roman Catholic, while 430 or 6.6% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.