Chexbres

Canton of Vaud · District: Lavaux-Oron · 2'272 inhabitants (31.12.2025)

Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Remains Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Chexbres

Name origin: the recorded old forms are « Carbarissa » in 1079, « Chibriacum » around 1100, « Chabris » in 1134, « Chabre » in 1142, « Cabarissa » in 1145, « Cerbre » in 1147, « Chebra » in 1165, « Chabrii » in 1179, « Chabres » in 1221, « Chaibri » in 1248, « Chaibry » in 1368, « Chebry » in 1453, « Cheibri » in 1454, then « Chaybres » and « Cheybres » in 1562. Another source gives 1139 as the date of the first record (to be cross-checked). The origin of the name is unclear: it may come from the Roman name Cabrius, from the Gaulish Caebre (village on a hill) or from Cabus (hemp).

Founding of Chexbres

The sources consulted do not say when or by whom the village was founded. Roman remains (coins, walls, paving) show that the site was occupied in Roman times. Chexbres then belonged to the Abbey of Saint-Maurice (from the 6th century according to one source; to be cross-checked) until 978, then to the Kingdom of Burgundy, before passing to the Bishop of Lausanne, who was represented there by a hereditary mayor and métral, later by the castellan of Saint-Saphorin. Communal life was organised around the confraternity of Saint-Théodule, mentioned from 1362, whose name recalls the possessions of the Bishop of Sion in the area. The municipality comprises the village of Chexbres, the hamlet of Monteiller and scattered houses; it stretches from the Plateau almost down to the lake, with fields, meadows and forests to the north and vineyards to the south.

History of Chexbres

Roman period. Occupation of the site, attested by Roman remains: coins, walls and paving.

until 978. Chexbres belongs to the Abbey of Saint-Maurice.

978-1079. The place belongs to the Kingdom of Burgundy.

1079. King Henry IV gives the village and its lands to the Bishop of Lausanne, lord of the place until 1536 (another source dates the start of episcopal rule to 1080; to be cross-checked).

1362. First mention of the confraternity of Saint-Théodule, around which the communal administration of the burghers is organised.

1384. The bishop grants rights to thirty-eight heads of household.

15th century. Construction of the Saint-Théodule chapel, a daughter church of Saint-Saphorin, and of the Château de Crousaz, the oldest building in the village.

1536. Bernese conquest: Chexbres passes to the bailiwick of Lausanne and becomes one of the three semi-autonomous thirds of the Great Parish of Saint-Saphorin, with a general assembly, six councillors, twelve « rière-conseillers » and a governor.

1688. After a deacon is installed, the Saint-Théodule chapel is used for worship until 1726.

1726. A church is built.

1730. The parsonage is built.

1734. Creation of the parish of Chexbres, grouping Chexbres, Puidoux, Publoz and part of Cremières.

1798. Under the Helvetic Republic, Chexbres joins the canton of Léman and the district of Lavaux.

1803. For lack of agreement, the six communities of the Parish of Saint-Saphorin separate; the common property is divided between 1808 and 1811 (another source dates Chexbres' independence as a municipality to 1810; to be cross-checked).

1862. Opening of the Lausanne-Bern railway line, with Puidoux-Chexbres station.

1888. The church of 1726 is replaced by a Neo-Gothic building.

1894. Opening of the Corniche road from Cully to Chexbres.

1899. Chexbres-Vevey railway line (another source dates its opening to 2 May 1904; to be cross-checked).

1915. The municipality buys the Maison Wyttenbach, which becomes the seat of the municipal executive.

1974. Opening of the Lake Geneva motorway (A9).

2007. Lavaux, which includes Chexbres, is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

1 January 2008. The district of Lavaux is abolished; Chexbres joins the new district of Lavaux-Oron (law on territorial division in force since 1 September 2006).

Population of Chexbres

521

1764

671

1798

770

1850

1'125

1900

960

1920

1'343

1950

2'041

2000

2'229

2023

2'272

2025

Historic sites in Chexbres

Church (temple). Built in 1888 on the site of an earlier chapel, it replaces the church of 1726. It has a Neo-Gothic bell tower, a French Romantic organ installed in 1905 by Charles Mutin, and stained glass windows on biblical themes made in 1988 by the glass painter Jean Prahin.

Château de Crousaz. Built in the 15th century and partly rebuilt around 1600 (after a fire, according to one source), it is the oldest building in the village. It keeps a fireplace with Renaissance ornament bearing the arms of its former owner, Claude de Crousaz.

Maison Wyttenbach. An 18th-century house named after a Bernese family; it was the former « Auberge du Cœur d'Or ». The municipality bought it in 1915 and made it the seat of the municipal executive.

Farmhouses and winegrowers' cellar. The village centre has farmhouses from the 17th to the 19th century. The winegrowers' cellar houses, among other rural objects, a wine press of 1719.

Lavaux vineyard. About 25 hectares of vines on the Lavaux slopes, whose wine bears the Saint-Saphorin appellation. Chexbres is part of the Lavaux site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2007. Around 1900, the farmer-winegrower families, who worked the fields above and the vines below, split into farming and winegrowing branches.

Remains in Chexbres

Roman remains. Coins, walls and paving from the Roman period have been found in Chexbres; they are the oldest known traces of settlement there.

Saint-Théodule chapel (lost). A 15th-century chapel, daughter church of Saint-Saphorin, whose dedication recalls the possessions of the Bishop of Sion in the area. It was used for worship from 1688 to 1726; the present church was built on the site of an earlier chapel.

Sources

Other villages near Chexbres

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