Cheyres
Origin of the name Cheyres
Cheyres is recorded in 1230 as "Cheres". The origin of the name remains obscure.[1]
Founding of Cheyres
Cheyres lies on the south shore of Lake Neuchâtel, at the western end of the Estavayer-le-Lac enclave, with the hamlet of Granges-de-Cheyres. The site has been inhabited since the Neolithic. The small lordship of Cheyres, which also included Bollion and Seiry, arose from the break-up of that of Font-La Molière. Around 1850 Cheyres is a wine village with some 70 poses of vineyard, and every house has its press and cellar. In the 20th century people grow cereals and cherries and raise cattle. Cheyres is now part of the municipality of Cheyres-Châbles (merger of 2017).[1][2]
History of Cheyres
1230. Cheyres is mentioned for the first time, as "Cheres".[1]
1441. The lordship of Cheyres is mentioned. It then belongs to Georges de La Molière.[1]
1445. A chapel is mentioned in the village.[1]
16th century. At the Reformation Cheyres breaks away from the parish of Yvonand and becomes a parish of its own.[1]
1536. The descendants of Georges de La Molière pay homage to Fribourg, which attaches the lordship to the bailiwick of Estavayer.[1]
1560. The lordship passes by marriage to the Lausanne branch of the Praroman family.[1]
1704. The government of Fribourg buys the lordship, which is a bailiwick until 1798. The right of the plaid général of Lausanne is kept there.[1]
1798-1848. Cheyres belongs to the district of Estavayer.[1]
1877. The Fribourg-Yverdon railway and Cheyres station open.[1]
1888. On 21 January a rockfall at La Magnenaz, on the line between Cheyres and Estavayer, derails train no. 165 from Yverdon. The fireman Jean-Samuel Meyer, father of six children, dies shortly after being freed. In 1890 the Federal Supreme Court holds the railway company liable.[3]
1894. The Michel craft distillery is founded.[1]
1960s. A tourist zone develops from the 1960s.[1]
2017. On 1 January Cheyres merges with Châbles to form the municipality of Cheyres-Châbles. Its citizens had accepted the merger on 27 September 2015 by 453 votes to 197.[5]
Population of Cheyres
Sources and references: [1][5]
| 1811 | 234 |
| 1850 | 381 |
| 1888 | 446 |
| 1900 | 403 |
| 1920 | 419 |
| 1950 | 361 |
| 2000 | 688 |
| 2010 | 1'153 |
| 2014 | 1'373 |
Historic sites in Cheyres
Church of Saint-Nicolas. Consecrated in 1484 and rebuilt from 1749 to 1752, the church held an opening statue of Notre-Dame des Grâces from the 14th century, stolen in 1978. It is a cultural property of regional importance.[1][4]
Bailiff's castle. Rebuilt in 1773-1774 as the bailiff's residence, the castle served as the parsonage from 1848 to 1862. It is a cultural property of regional importance.[1][4]
Oratory of Notre-Dame de Bonne-Fontaine. The oratory is a place of pilgrimage recorded from 1636.[1]
Remains in Cheyres
Lake-dwelling sites. Cheyres has lake-dwelling sites of the Neolithic, of the Cortaillod culture, and of the Bronze Age.[1][2]
Orpheus mosaic. A Roman mosaic showing Orpheus was discovered in 1778 and destroyed soon afterwards.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Cheyres » (Marianne Rolle, version du 18.05.2017)
- Commune de Cheyres-Châbles, « Histoire des communes »
- Commune de Cheyres-Châbles, « Accident de train »
- Office fédéral de la protection de la population, « Révision Inventaire PBC 2021 : liste cantonale, canton de Fribourg » (état au 1.1.2026)
- Conseil d'État du canton de Fribourg, message 2015-DIAF-96 du 10 novembre 2015 accompagnant le projet de loi relatif à la fusion des communes de Châbles et Cheyres
Other villages near Cheyres
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