History of the villages of the Moutier district (Jura)

The 3 documented localities of the Moutier district, in the canton of Jura. Each page covers the origin of the name, the main stages of its history and its remains, with sources.

Towns and villages 1

JU

Moutier

A Duke of Alsace wanted to reopen the Pierre-Pertuis road: the abbey founded here around 640 gave rise to the town of the automatic lathe, part of the canton of Jura since 1 January 2026.

Sites 2

JU · Site

Abbaye de Moutier-Grandval

In 999 Rudolph III of Burgundy gave the abbey of Moutier-Grandval to the Bishop of Basel: this donation lies at the origin of the future Prince-Bishopric of Basel.

JU · Site

Chapelle de Chalière

The only remnant of the medieval village of Chalières, this small Romanesque church in Moutier cemetery keeps 11th-century wall paintings, rare late witnesses of Ottonian art in Switzerland.