Bretonnières

Origin of the name Bretonnières

First mentioned in 1154 in the form «Bretoneres». The municipality also points to a spelling «Bréthonières» in old manuscripts. None of the sources consulted explains the etymology of the name; it remains to be established (to be cross-checked).

Founding of Bretonnières

The territory of Bretonnières was frequented before the Middle Ages: a megalith, «fortifications» that are hard to date and a Roman road are the only known archaeological remains. The village appears in written records in the 12th century. In the Middle Ages it depended on the convent of Romainmôtier, which appointed a local mayor there, and it formed a parish, attested from 1228. None of the sources consulted names a founder. Located at the foot of the Jura and crossed by the Jougne pass road, then by the Lausanne-Vallorbe railway line, Bretonnières remained a country village, devoted to cereal growing until the 19th century, then to livestock farming. The inhabitants bear the nickname «Caque-Lentilles» (in dialect «lè Caca-Leintelye»), in memory of lentil growing.

History of Bretonnières

Antiquity. A Roman road crosses the territory; a megalith and «fortifications» that are hard to date are also recorded.

11th-12th century. Construction of the church, whose oldest parts date from this period.

1154. First mention of the village, in the form «Bretoneres».

Middle Ages. The village depends on the convent of Romainmôtier, which appoints a local mayor there.

1228. First mention of the parish of Bretonnières.

15th century. After a fire, the church is restored and enlarged with a Gothic choir (to be cross-checked).

1529. Bretonnières has 16 hearths.

1536. Bernese conquest of the Pays de Vaud: Bretonnières belongs to the bailiwick of Romainmôtier. With the Reformation, the parish becomes a dependency of Romainmôtier.

1742. The church is given rectangular windows, suited to Protestant worship (to be cross-checked).

1798. Under the Helvetic Republic, Bretonnières belongs to the canton of Léman and is attached to the district of Orbe, then to the canton of Vaud from 1803.

1800-1850. A wheat variety called «le Bretonnières» is bred and grown in the village.

1870. Opening of the Lausanne-Vallorbe railway line, which crosses the territory; the village nevertheless remains rural and gradually shifts from cereals to livestock farming.

1907. Restoration of the church.

1930. Adoption of the municipal coat of arms: two ears of wheat on a silver and red field, colours recalling Romainmôtier.

2006. Dissolution of the district of Orbe: Bretonnières joins the district of Jura-Nord vaudois.

2016. Opening of «La Boutique», a self-service shop for regional products, after the forge, the wheelwright's workshop, the shoemaker, the grocery, the cooperative bank and the post office had disappeared within forty years.

Population of Bretonnières

Population of Bretonnières

1529	16 hearths (households)
1764	161
1798	168
1850	231
1900	252
1920	281
1950	219
1990	171
2000	200
2022	264
2025	265

Historic sites in Bretonnières

Church of Bretonnières. Church of yellow stone whose oldest parts date from the 11th-12th centuries, one of the first stone places of worship in the canton. Enlarged with a Gothic choir after a fire in the 15th century, given rectangular windows in 1742 (to be cross-checked) and restored in 1907, it has a Baroque onion-domed bell tower, described as unique in the canton. It probably holds the oldest Protestant communion table, as well as a 16th-century communion cup and another from the 1600s. According to local tradition, the inhabitants managed to keep their church when there were plans to concentrate worship in Romainmôtier (to be cross-checked).

Village core. The village retains a few farmhouses from the 18th and 19th centuries; the communal inn still exists.

Remains in Bretonnières

Megalith, «fortifications» and Roman road. A megalith, «fortifications» that are hard to date and the course of a Roman road are the only known archaeological remains in the municipality.

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Bretonnières » (version italienne)
• Commune de Bretonnières, « Présentation »
• Feuille des avis officiels du canton de Vaud, « Alphabet des communes vaudoises : Bretonnières »
• Archives culturelles de la Vallée de Joux, « L'église de Bretonnières »
• Wikipédia, « Bretonnières »
• Wikipedia (de), « Bretonnières »
• Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »

Other villages near Bretonnières

• Les Clées (VD)
• Lignerolle (VD)
• Croy (VD)
• Premier (VD)
• La Russille (VD)