Chéserex
Origin of the name Chéserex
Name origin: the village appears in 1001/1025 in the form «Chiseras», then «Gisirac» (1093) and «cheserai» (1131). The name probably comes from a Latin personal name, Casarus, owner of a rural estate, with the suffix of Celtic origin -akos/-acum (to be cross-checked).
Founding of Chéserex
The area was already inhabited in Roman times, and an early medieval necropolis has been found there. Before 1025 Chéserex belonged to the abbey of Saint-Maurice. Between 1135 and 1154 Peter the Venerable, abbot of Cluny, ceded Chéserex to Bernard, abbot of Clairvaux, who then handed it over to the abbey of Bonmont, founded on the municipality's territory. From then on the village's history was closely tied to that of the abbey, whose rights were intertwined with those of the lord of Gingins. None of the sources consulted names a specific founder of the village itself.
History of Chéserex
Roman period. Roman settlement on the territory of Chéserex.
Early Middle Ages. Early medieval necropolis.
1001-1025. First mention of the village in the form «Chiseras»; it then belongs to the abbey of Saint-Maurice.
1093. Mention of a chapel, perhaps dedicated to Saint Martin, whose remains have been found.
1123. First mention of the monastic community of Bonmont, to which lords of Divonne donate land.
1131. Bonmont joins the Cistercian order as a daughter house of Clairvaux; construction of the abbey church begins.
1135-1154. Peter the Venerable, abbot of Cluny, cedes Chéserex to Bernard of Clairvaux, who hands it over to the abbey of Bonmont.
1407. The abbey of Bonmont grants the grange of Chéserex to 12 men of the village and of Gingins.
1488. A bell tower replaces the original small bell turret of the Bonmont abbey church.
1536. Bernese conquest and Reformation: the abbey of Bonmont is secularised; its church is turned into granaries, a cheese dairy and a bakery.
1536-1798. Under Bernese rule Chéserex belongs to the bailiwick of Bonmont and to the castellany and parish of Gingins; the village must bear a quarter of the upkeep of the Gingins church.
1798. Chéserex is attached to the district of Nyon.
1826. The hamlet of Tranchepied is detached from Chéserex and attached to La Rippe.
1942. The church of Bonmont is listed as a historic monument.
1982. The abbey church becomes the property of the Canton of Vaud.
1989. Opening of a sports centre.
1995. Restoration of the Bonmont church is completed and it reopens to the public.
Today. Chéserex has become a residential municipality, with many commuters to Geneva.
Population of Chéserex
| 1764 | 152 |
| 1850 | 218 |
| 1870 | 191 |
| 1900 | 219 |
| 1950 | 235 |
| 1970 | 281 |
| 2000 | 1'043 |
| 2025 | 1'272 |
Historic sites in Chéserex
Bonmont Abbey. Founded between 1110 and 1120 within the Benedictine reform movement and attested in 1123, it joined the Cistercian order in 1131, becoming the first monastery in Switzerland affiliated to Cîteaux. Its church, begun in 1131 and built until the end of the 12th century, combines Romanesque and Gothic in austere architecture; it was consecrated in 1214. Enriched by donations, in the 13th century the abbey owned land from the foot of the Jura to La Côte. Secularised in 1536, listed as a historic monument in 1942 and acquired by the Canton of Vaud in 1982, the church was restored until 1995.
Bonmont Castle. Castle built in 1738 by the Bernese bailiffs next to the former abbey, when Bonmont was the seat of a bailiwick (to be cross-checked).
La Florettaz. Chalet estate on the municipality's territory, at the foot of the Dôle.
Remains in Chéserex
Necropolis and chapel. An early medieval necropolis and the remains of a chapel, perhaps dedicated to Saint Martin and mentioned in 1093, have been found in Chéserex.
Coudray Castle. The medieval castle of Coudray has completely disappeared; only its memory survives in the sources.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Chéserex »
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Bonmont »
- Etat de Vaud, Service des bâtiments, « Abbaye de Bonmont » (restauration)
- Wikipédia, « Chéserex »
- Wikipédia, « Abbaye de Bonmont »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Other villages near Chéserex
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