Corcelles
Origin of the name Corcelles
First mentioned in 1092 as « Curcellis ». The name is linked to Latin curticella, a diminutive of curtis (court, estate), meaning « small estate » (to be cross-checked). It is a common place name in French-speaking Switzerland and in France, as with Corcelles-près-Payerne in the canton of Vaud.
Founding of Corcelles
No founding charter or founder is known. The territory of the former municipality of Corcelles-Cormondrèche has yielded Hallstatt-period burial mounds and a 7th-century grave. A church dedicated to Notre-Dame existed in 1092, when the priory of Corcelles was founded: a certain Humbert then gave the church and its dependencies (vineyards, forests, fishing) to the abbey of Cluny. Corcelles developed as a street village on the hillside, next to Cormondrèche, which lies on a terrace. In 1357-1359 the count of Neuchâtel granted the inhabitants forests, which became their main wealth. The village belonged to the mairie of La Côte until 1848.
History of Corcelles
Hallstatt period. Burial mounds are raised on the territory of the former municipality of Corcelles-Cormondrèche.
7th century. A grave from this period was found on the territory of the former municipality.
11th century. According to a local source, a village and a first church already existed before the first written mention (to be cross-checked).
1092. First mention, « Curcellis ». A church dedicated to Notre-Dame exists when the priory of Corcelles is founded; a certain Humbert gives the church and its dependencies to the abbey of Cluny.
around 1220. The priory of Corcelles comes under the authority of the abbey of Romainmôtier (to be cross-checked).
1357-1359. The count of Neuchâtel grants forests to the inhabitants; they become their main wealth.
1406. The church is rebuilt after a fire (to be cross-checked).
15th century. Corcelles and Cormondrèche together count some fifty hearths, about 200 inhabitants. The bishop of Lausanne visits the parish in 1453 (to be cross-checked for this date).
1522. The priory's assets are incorporated into the benefice (mense) of the chapter of Saint-Jean de Cerlier.
1530. On 23 October Guillaume Farel preaches the Reformation in the church of Corcelles. The secularised property of the priory is divided between the countess of Neuchâtel and the lord of Colombier, splitting the community according to the inhabitants' feudal allegiance.
early 17th century. Until the mid-19th century the corporation of Corcelles runs the schools, fountains and night watch; a general commune shared with Cormondrèche handles forests, church, worship, poor relief and policing.
1698. A gilded cockerel is placed on top of the bell tower after an old gable is destroyed by lightning (to be cross-checked).
1767. The Les Ormeaux house, on the rue de la Cure, is rebuilt for Jonas-Antoine Vaucher, a member of the Court of Justice of the Côte.
1774. The house at 19, Grand-Rue is rebuilt for the surgeon Abraham-Louis Droz-dit-Busset.
1838. End of the joint parish with Coffrane, Les Geneveys-sur-Coffrane and Montmollin.
1848. End of the mairie of La Côte; Corcelles belongs to the district of Boudry until 2017.
1858-1859. The medieval temple undergoes a first major restoration, carried out by the architect James Victor Colin.
1859-1861. The Jura industriel railway line arrives with the construction of a station (1859-1860), and a new school, then called a « maison d'éducation » (educational house), is built between the villages of Corcelles and Cormondrèche.
1875-1888. The cantonal law on municipalities in force from 1875, supplemented in 1888, leads to the political municipality of Corcelles-Cormondrèche; its founding year is given sometimes as 1875, sometimes as 1888 (to be cross-checked).
1902. A tramway line connects the village; it will be replaced by a trolleybus in 1976.
1904-1905. Second restoration of the temple, carried out by the architects Henri Chable and Edmond Boitel.
1922-1924. Third restoration of the temple, directed by the architect Eugène Yonner. Archaeological excavations uncover Romanesque elements, and a new chapel is built to the north of the building.
23 March 2007. The temple of Corcelles is officially recognised as a Cluniac site.
2021. On 1 January Corcelles-Cormondrèche merges with Neuchâtel, Peseux and Valangin into the new municipality of Neuchâtel.
Population of Corcelles
| 15th century | 50 hearths (households), about 200 inhabitants (Corcelles and Cormondrèche combined) |
| 1750 | 562 (former municipality of Corcelles-Cormondrèche) |
| 1850 | 823 |
| 1900 | 1'460 |
| 1950 | 2'243 |
| 1990 | 3'336 |
| 2000 | 3'914 |
| 2010 | 4'624 |
| 2020 | 4'752 (cantonal census at 31.12.2020) |
Historic sites in Corcelles
Temple of Corcelles. A former Notre-Dame church and Cluniac priory founded in 1092, the Romanesque building has undergone three major restorations (1858-1859, 1904-1905, 1922-1924) which notably uncovered older Romanesque elements. It has been officially recognised as a Cluniac site since 23 March 2007.
Les Ormeaux. Mansion on the Rue de la Cure, rebuilt in 1767 for Jonas-Antoine Vaucher, a member of the Court of justice of La Côte. The painter Jeanne Lombard (1865-1945), born in Le Grand-Saconnex, settled in Corcelles in 1921 with her sisters in a house near the parsonage, where she died in 1945; identifying this house with Les Ormeaux is to be cross-checked.
Houses of the Grand-Rue. At numbers 31-32, two houses with Renaissance-style windows are associated with the Barillier family; their rebuilding is sometimes dated to the mid-14th century, which seems early for this style (to be cross-checked). At number 19, a house was rebuilt in 1774 for the surgeon Abraham-Louis Droz-dit-Busset.
Former Collège of Corcelles. Built between 1859 and 1861 between the villages of Corcelles and Cormondrèche, then referred to as a « maison d'éducation » (educational house).
Corcelles-Peseux Railway Station. Built in 1859-1860 for the Jura industriel line, it bears witness to the arrival of the railway in the region and the village's transition towards a more industrial and suburban economy.
Remains in Corcelles
Romanesque elements of the temple. The bell tower retains openings and masonry dated to the 11th-12th centuries, as well as a Romanesque baptismal font. The archaeological excavations carried out during the 1922-1924 restoration uncovered other elements of the original building.
Burial mounds and 7th-century grave. Hallstatt-period burial mounds and a 7th-century grave were found on the territory of the former municipality of Corcelles-Cormondrèche, which includes Corcelles, Cormondrèche and the clearing of Serroue; their exact location is not given.
Legends of Corcelles
The liars' bench. According to local tradition, the front steps of the house at Grand-Rue 19 were nicknamed « le banc des menteurs » (the liars' bench): the village elders gathered there to swap the news and gossip of the day, sometimes exaggerated (to be cross-checked).
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Corcelles-Cormondrèche » (version du 28.10.2021)
- Wikipédia FR, « Corcelles (Neuchâtel) »
- Wikipédia EN, « Corcelles-Cormondrèche »
- Wikipédia FR, « Jeanne Lombard »
- Wikipédia EN, « Jeanne Lombard »
- Ville de Neuchâtel, page « Corcelles-Cormondrèche »
- Ville de Neuchâtel, « Histoire des villages de Corcelles et Cormondrèche » (Ann Robert, PDF)
- Ville de Neuchâtel, Rapport du Conseil communal sur la fusion (PDF)
- Paroisse de la Côte (EREN), « Corcelles, site clunisien »
- Famille de Montmollin, « Le vieux Temple de Corcelles » (PDF)
- Geneawiki, « Corcelles-Cormondrèche (ancienne commune) »
- État de Neuchâtel, arrêté du 10 février 2021 portant homologation des résultats du recensement cantonal de la population du 31 décembre 2020
Other villages near Corcelles
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