Chénens
Origin of the name Chénens
The village appears in 1138 in the form « Cheineis ». The name has no secure explanation, and the old German name of the village was Geiningen.[1]
Founding of Chénens
Chénens lies on the Fribourg-Romont road and has a station on the railway line between the two towns. A family of knights bore the name of the place from the 12th century and was admitted to the citizenship of Fribourg in the 13th. The Cistercian convent of La Fille-Dieu, near Romont, held many rights in the village and half of the tithe. Chénens belongs to the parish of Autigny. A village of cattle and crops, it became the grain collection centre of the area and is home to small businesses.[1][2]
History of Chénens
1138. The village is mentioned for the first time. Wibertus de Chénens, the first known member of the family, witnesses the first gifts to Hauterive abbey.[1][2]
1243. Pierre de Chénens is the first of his family described as a citizen of Fribourg.[2]
1248. Raynald de Vaumarcus and his son-in-law Jordan de Cottens give up their claims on Chénens in favour of Conon and Pierre de Chénens.[1]
14th century. Several treaties between Bern, Fribourg and the count of Savoy name Chénens, « media via », as the meeting place for settling disputes between Fribourg people and subjects of the lordship of Vaud.[1]
1422-1424. Marguerite de Chénens is abbess of La Maigrauge.[2]
1442. By this date at the latest, Chénens belongs to the Old Lands of Fribourg, in the banner of the Neuveville.[1]
Late 15th century. The Chénens family dies out.[2]
1584. A chapel dedicated to the Virgin is built.[1]
1750. After a fire, the chapel is rebuilt.[1]
1798. The village is attached to the district of Romont, then from 1803 to 1848 to that of Fribourg.[1]
1866. A chaplaincy is established at Chénens.[1]
Population of Chénens
Sources and references: [1][3]
| 1811 | 204 |
| 1850 | 263 |
| 1900 | 240 |
| 1950 | 369 |
| 1970 | 316 |
| 2000 | 554 |
| 2025 | 908 |
Historic sites in Chénens
Chapel of the Virgin. Built in 1584 and rebuilt in 1750 after a fire. The village belongs to the parish of Autigny but has had its own chaplaincy since 1866.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Chénens » (Marianne Rolle, version du 14.07.2005)
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Chénens, de » (Germain Hausmann, version du 29.12.2003)
- Service de la statistique du canton de Fribourg (SStat), « Population des communes, de 1900 à 2025 » (T01-02-03), population résidante permanente au 31.12.2025
Other villages near Chénens
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