Etagnières
Origin of the name Etagnières
First written mention in 1202 in the form «Etanneres». The name is said to come from the Latin «stagnum», pond; the wavy bars of the coat of arms, adopted in 1928, recall this etymology (to be cross-checked).
Founding of Etagnières
The area has been occupied since Roman times: Gallo-Roman forges, which probably belonged to the villa of Le Buy (municipality of Morrens), have been found there, as well as a Roman cemetery with cremation burials. None of the sources consulted names a founder of the medieval village. In the Middle Ages, Etagnières belonged to the lordship of Echallens, held by the Montfaucon, counts of Montbéliard; in 1403 the village was held as a fief by Jean de Compey.
History of Etagnières
Roman period. Gallo-Roman forges, probably linked to the villa of Le Buy (municipality of Morrens), and a cemetery with cremation burials.
1202. First written mention: «Etanneres».
14th century. By this time at the latest, the village is a dependency of the parish of Assens.
1403. A fief of the lordship of Echallens (Montfaucon, counts of Montbéliard), Etagnières is in the hands of Jean de Compey.
1404. A chapel dedicated to Saint Lawrence is recorded.
1475. Beginning of its membership of the common bailiwick of Orbe-Echallens, until 1798.
1518. Count Jean de Gruyère sells his rights over the village to Bern and Fribourg.
16th century. The village does not adopt the Reformation.
after 1640. Etagnières becomes a mixed municipality: its church serves both confessions.
1654. Baroque altarpiece in the choir of the church.
1668-1669. A fire destroys the village and the church.
1798. The municipality joins the district of Echallens.
1874. Opening of the section of the Lausanne-Echallens-Bercher line and construction of a station in the village.
1966. Owing to opposition from the local population, the people of Vaud reject a state subsidy for a paved runway meant to replace La Blécherette airfield; the project is abandoned.
2005. Complete restoration of the chapel of Saint-Laurent (to be cross-checked).
2008. With the new territorial division of Vaud, the municipality joins the district of Gros-de-Vaud.
Population of Etagnières
| 1764 | 35 households, 11 of them Catholic |
| 1798 | 259 inhabitants |
| 1850 | 298 inhabitants |
| 1900 | 257 inhabitants |
| 1920 | 226 inhabitants |
| 1950 | 245 inhabitants |
| 2000 | 800 inhabitants |
| 2025 | 1'168 inhabitants (31 December) |
Historic sites in Etagnières
The chapel of Saint-Laurent. Recorded in 1404, it is the church of a municipality that stayed Catholic at the Reformation and became mixed after 1640; it serves both confessions. Its choir houses a Baroque altarpiece of 1654. It was destroyed along with the village in the fire of 1668-1669. Its choir is said to predate 1305 and its nave to date from around 1640; it was fully restored in 2005 (to be cross-checked).
The LEB station. Built when the section of the Lausanne-Echallens-Bercher line opened in 1874.
Remains in Etagnières
Gallo-Roman forges. Forges from the Gallo-Roman period, which probably belonged to the villa of Le Buy, in the municipality of Morrens.
Roman cemetery. Roman cemetery with cremation burials.
Cemetery of La Maladaire. Remains of the cemetery of a leper house, at the place called la Maladaire.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse (version allemande), « Etagnières »
- Feuille des avis officiels du canton de Vaud, « Alphabet des communes vaudoises : Etagnières »
- Wikipedia (anglais), « Étagnières »
- Wikipédia, « Districts du canton de Vaud »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Other villages near Etagnières
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