Cerniaz

Origin of the name Cerniaz

The oldest form found for this village is Sernia, in 1444. The sources consulted give no attested etymology for this name: it is impossible to go further without inventing an explanation.

Founding of Cerniaz

Like many villages of the Vaud Broye, Cerniaz has no identifiable founder or founding act: it is a rural settlement formed gradually on the plateau overlooking the Broye valley, before appearing in the texts in 1444. From the Middle Ages, its territory belonged to the temporal domain of the bishop of Lausanne, within the castellany of Villarzel, which at the time also included Sédeilles, Villars-Bramard, Rossens, Marnand and Granges.

History of Cerniaz

8th-10th century. Oldest attested occupation on the village's territory: graves from this period are uncovered at the place called la Morettaz, and remains of fortifications dating from the early Middle Ages survive at the place called le Château.

1397. The castellany of Villarzel, on which Cerniaz depends, is said to represent about 7.2% of the population and 5.5% of the revenues of the temporal domains of the bishop of Lausanne, to be cross-checked with a source detailing this figure.

1444. First written mention found for the village, in the form Sernia.

1453. A chapel is mentioned in Cerniaz, as a subsidiary of the parish of Dompierre.

1536. After the conquest of the Pays de Vaud by Berne, Cerniaz comes under the authority of the bailiwick of Moudon, which administers the village until 1798.

1798. With the fall of the Ancien Régime, Cerniaz is attached to the new district of Payerne, which remains its district until 2006.

1937. The village school building is said to have been restored that year, to be cross-checked with a second source.

1986. The Cerniaz school closes its doors as part of a regional school reorganisation.

2006. The reform of the Vaud districts moves Cerniaz from the district of Payerne to the new district of Broye-Vully.

2011. On 1 July, Cerniaz merges with Combremont-le-Grand, Combremont-le-Petit, Granges-près-Marnand, Marnand, Sassel, Seigneux and Villars-Bramard to form the new municipality of Valbroye. Cerniaz ceases to exist as an independent municipality.

Population of Cerniaz

Population of Cerniaz

1764	80
1850	142
1870	173
1900	145
1950	104
1990	56
2000	63
2009	42

Historic sites in Cerniaz

The place called "le Château". This place preserves remains of fortifications dating from the early Middle Ages, evidence of a defensive occupation of the site well before the first written mention of the village.

The Cerniaz chapel. Mentioned as early as 1453 as a subsidiary of the parish of Dompierre, it was for a long time the village's only place of worship.

The school (former school) of Cerniaz. The village school building is said to have been restored in 1937, to be cross-checked, and operated until the school closed in 1986 as part of a regional school reorganisation.

The hamlet of la Morettaz. Small hamlet attached to Cerniaz, on the plateau overlooking the Broye valley, which also yielded the early medieval graves mentioned among the remains.

Remains in Cerniaz

Early medieval graves at la Morettaz. Graves dated to the 8th-10th centuries have been discovered at the place called la Morettaz, proof of occupation of the territory well before the first written mention of the village in 1444.

Early medieval fortifications at the place called le Château. Remains of fortifications dating from the early Middle Ages survive at the place called "le Château", without a detailed history of this structure having been cross-checked, to be cross-checked.

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse (DHS) : Cerniaz (VD)
• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse (DHS) : Villarzel
• Wikipedia (EN) : Cerniaz VD
• Wikipédia (FR) : Cerniaz (Vaud)
• Feuille des Avis Officiels du canton de Vaud (FAOVD) : Valbroye

Other villages near Cerniaz

• Villars-Bramard (VD)
• Seigneux (VD)
• Dompierre (VD)
• Rossens (VD)
• Villarzel (VD)