Grandchamp

Origin of the name Grandchamp

Name origin: not explained by the sources consulted.

Founding of Grandchamp

Grandchamp is a hamlet of Areuse, in the municipality of Boudry. The sources consulted name neither a founder nor a date of foundation. The place owes its development to the printed-cloth industry: a calico-printing works operated there from 1761 to 1841. The Bovet family, originally from Fleurier, acquired the hamlet in 1840, continued calico production there until 1855, and then devoted itself to charitable and educational activities (hospital, orphanage, schools). It was on the Bovet estate that the Protestant women's community of Grandchamp emerged from 1931 onwards.

History of Grandchamp

1761. Opening of the Grandchamp calico-printing works, one of Boudry's three in the 18th century (active until 1841).

1840. The Bovet family acquires the hamlet of Grandchamp and continues the calico industry there until 1855; it then devotes itself there to charitable and educational works (hospital, orphanage, schools).

1931. Geneviève Micheli leads a first retreat on the Bovet estate at Grandchamp.

1936. At the suggestion of the Geneva pastor Max Dominicé, the house is opened all year round; Marguerite de Beaumont and Marguerite Bossert settle there.

1940. Irène Burnat joins the two women, followed in 1944 by Geneviève Micheli, who takes charge of the community.

1948. Creation of the Fondation des retraites spirituelles de Grandchamp, affiliated to the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches.

1952. Geneviève Micheli and the first seven sisters make their profession; the following year the community adopts the Rule of Taizé.

1954. Foundation of the daughter house of the Sonnenhof at Gelterkinden, followed by several temporary fraternities (Algeria, France, Lebanon, Israel).

1987. The Community of Grandchamp is recognised by the Reformed Church of Neuchâtel.

2004. The community numbers forty-five professed sisters, ten novices and two postulants; in 2003 it welcomed 1'215 people on retreat.

2008. The ISOS inventory lists Grandchamp as a special case of national importance.

Historic sites in Grandchamp

Community of Grandchamp. Protestant women's community settled on the former Bovet estate, which holds numerous retreats every year. Geneviève Micheli, Marie Bonna-Bornand, Minke de Vries and Pierrette Guinchard succeeded one another as « mothers » or prioresses.

Former calico-printing works. The hamlet preserves the memory of the printed-cloth factory active from 1761 to 1841 and continued by the Bovet family until 1855.

A site of national importance. Grandchamp is listed in the ISOS inventory as a special case of national importance; together with Trois-Rods and Areuse it retains the charm of the Neuchâtel villages of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Communauté de Grandchamp » (Gottfried Hammann)
• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Beaumont, Marguerite de » (Gottfried Hammann)
• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Bovet » (Myriam Volorio Perriard)
• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Boudry » (Germain Hausmann)
• Inventaire fédéral ISOS, « Areuse » (mars 2008)
• Commune de Boudry, « Patrimoine »
• Réseau des bibliothèques (RERO), notice : Gilberte de Rougemont, « La geste des Bovet de Grandchamp », 1992
• État de Neuchâtel, arrêté du 4 février 2026 homologuant le recensement cantonal de la population au 31 décembre 2025
• geo.admin.ch, service de recherche de lieux (swisstopo)

Other villages near Grandchamp

• Areuse (NE)
• Cortaillod (NE)
• Boudry (NE)
• Colombier (NE)
• Trois-Rods (NE)