Dombresson
Origin of the name Dombresson
The place is first mentioned in 1178 in the phrase « ecclesiam de Danbrizun » (the church of Danbrizun). The form « Dombrecon » is recorded in 1228 (to be cross-checked). One explanation derives the name from the Latin « Domus Bricii », the house or estate of Bricius, said to be a companion of Saint Imier (to be cross-checked): the Historical Dictionary of Switzerland gives no etymology. The village church is dedicated to Saint Brice.
Founding of Dombresson
No founder is known. In 1824 the area yielded a hoard of 400 gold and silver coins struck between 145 BC and AD 55, and 7th-century burials are said to have been found on the site of the present church (to be cross-checked). The village grew up along the Seyon, on the road from Neuchâtel to Saint-Imier, around a church recorded in 1178. Its parish, dedicated to Saint Brice, also included Villiers, Le Pâquier and, until 1876, Savagnier; it depended on the collegiate church of Saint-Imier for the right of collation. In secular matters Dombresson belonged to the lordship of Valangin, then to the mairie of the same name.
History of Dombresson
7th century. Burials from this period are said to have been found on the site of the present church (to be cross-checked).
11th-12th century. Probable construction of the Romanesque church whose tower, the only surviving element, is now part of the temple.
1178. First written mention: « ecclesiam de Danbrizun ». The parish depends on the collegiate church of Saint-Imier for the right of collation.
1228. The place appears in the form « Dombrecon » (to be cross-checked).
1483. Dombresson and Villiers divide woods and pastures between them.
1530. The right of collation passes to Biel, which hastens the introduction of the Reformation in the parish.
1531. The Reformation is introduced in the parish. Dombresson then has 145 inhabitants.
1552. René de Challant buys back the right of collation.
1592. The lordship of Valangin, to which Dombresson belongs, is joined to Neuchâtel (to be cross-checked).
1696-1698. A large rectangular temple is built east of the Romanesque tower by the architect Jonas Favre; the old choir becomes the entrance porch.
1705. The painter Samuel Muller creates a trompe-l'œil decoration in the temple inspired by the Temple du Bas in Neuchâtel (to be cross-checked).
1730. Construction of the parsonage (to be cross-checked).
1735-1798. Life of the agronomist David Fallet, a native of the village, who improved the soil with marl.
1804. The municipality buys the Frienisberg métairie (mountain pasture) on the Chasseral.
1876. Savagnier leaves the parish of Dombresson and becomes an independent parish.
1880. Opening of the François-Louis Borel orphanage.
1903. The village is served by a narrow-gauge railway, replaced by a trolleybus in 1948 and later by buses to Neuchâtel and to the SBB station at Les Hauts-Geneveys.
1928. The Seyon is channelled and covered in the village to widen the street.
1974. The Borel orphanage becomes the Centre pédagogique de Dombresson.
2 August 1994. A fire largely destroys the 17th-century temple, which is then rebuilt.
2001. The restored temple receives stained glass by the artist Aloÿs Perregaux and a new organ.
1 January 2013. Dombresson merges with Boudevilliers, Cernier, Chézard-Saint-Martin, Coffrane, Engollon, Fenin-Vilars-Saules, Fontainemelon, Fontaines, Le Pâquier, Les Geneveys-sur-Coffrane, Les Hauts-Geneveys, Montmollin, Savagnier and Villiers to form the municipality of Val-de-Ruz.
Population of Dombresson
| 1531 | 145 |
| 1750 | 467 |
| 1850 | 818 |
| 1900 | 1'043 |
| 1950 | 962 |
| 1990 | 1'157 |
| 2000 | 1'521 |
| 2012 | 1'624 |
Historic sites in Dombresson
The temple of Saint-Brice. Its Romanesque tower (probably 11th-12th century) is the only remnant of the earlier church. The rectangular temple was built east of this tower in 1696-1698 by the architect Jonas Favre, the old choir serving as the entrance porch. The painter Samuel Muller is said to have created a trompe-l'œil decoration there in 1705 (to be cross-checked). Ravaged by fire on 2 August 1994, the building was rebuilt and given stained glass by Aloÿs Perregaux and a new organ in 2001.
The Grand'Rue and its fountains. The main street, widened in 1928 when the Seyon was covered, keeps several old houses, including a former municipal house (Grand'Rue 28) and a mansion linked to the Chambrier family (Grand'Rue 22), as well as stone fountains (to be cross-checked).
The Centre pédagogique. Founded in 1880 as the François-Louis Borel orphanage, the institution became the Centre pédagogique de Dombresson, a special-education establishment, in 1974.
The « Aux Planches » farm. This farm is listed as a cultural property of national importance, and the village is said to be included in the Federal Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites (ISOS) (to be cross-checked).
The hamlet of Les Vieux-Prés. Located at 1'030 metres on the mountain, this hamlet with scattered farms belongs to the former municipality, while the village occupies the valley floor.
Remains in Dombresson
The 1824 coin hoard. Found in 1824, it comprised 400 gold and silver coins struck between 145 BC and AD 55. A study published in 2022 stresses that, for lack of a well-documented find context, it is hard today to know which coins really belonged to the group.
The Romanesque tower. The only surviving element of the earlier church, probably from the 11th-12th century, it was incorporated into the temple during the rebuilding of 1696-1698.
The 7th-century burials. Graves from this period are said to have been discovered on the site of the present church (to be cross-checked).
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Dombresson » (Maurice Evard)
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Villiers » (Maurice Evard)
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Savagnier » (Maurice Evard)
- État de Neuchâtel, arrêté du 6 février 2013 portant homologation des résultats du recensement cantonal de la population du 31 décembre 2012
- Paroisse réformée du Val-de-Ruz, « Temple de Dombresson »
- Commune de Val-de-Ruz, « À voir ou visiter » (section Dombresson)
- Cercle genevois d'archéologie, « Reconstitution et interprétation d'une trouvaille ancienne : l'exemple du trésor de Dombresson (NE) » (2022)
- Wikipédia (français), « Dombresson »
- Wikipedia (anglais), « Dombresson »
- Wikipedia (allemand), « Dombresson »
- habitants.ch, « Dombresson et ses habitants les Bourdons »
- Kiddle, « Dombresson facts for kids » (synthèse dérivée de Wikipédia)
Other villages near Dombresson
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