Joulens

Origin of the name Joulens

Name origin: not explained by the sources consulted. The name is attested in the 12th century through the church of Joulens and the priest Hugues de Joulens (1147, to be cross-checked), but the sources consulted do not give the old written form.

Founding of Joulens

Joulens is not a municipality: it is a hamlet of the municipality of Echichens, in the district of Morges. None of the sources consulted names a founder or a date of foundation. The slope was already occupied in Roman times, as shown by the remains of a villa and the coins found near Joulens. In the Middle Ages Joulens was the seat of the church of Notre-Dame, a possession of the chapter of Lausanne, which was the parish church on which the town of Morges, founded in 1286, depended. The medieval village is said to have stood on the site of the signal and the cemetery of Echichens (to be cross-checked). In 1537, after the adoption of the Reformation, Morges was made a parish.

History of Joulens

Roman period. A villa is built near Joulens; remains and Roman coins have been discovered there.

1147. First mention of the church of Joulens, on the occasion of a donation by the priest Hugues de Joulens (to be cross-checked).

1173. The church of Joulens, dedicated to Notre-Dame, appears among the possessions of the chapter of Lausanne.

1286. Foundation of the town of Morges by Louis I of Savoy; in spiritual matters, Morges depends in the Middle Ages on the old parish church of Notre-Dame de Joulens.

1306. An urban chapel built against the town wall is recorded in Morges.

1537. Having adopted the Reformed faith, Morges is made a parish together with Tolochenaz; from then on the inhabitants of Echichens belong to the parish of Morges.

1539. A hermit still lives at Joulens; after that, Joulens is no longer mentioned as a place of worship (to be cross-checked).

2011. The municipality of Echichens, of which Joulens is a hamlet, merges with Colombier, Monnaz and Saint-Saphorin-sur-Morges.

Historic sites in Joulens

Site of the church of Notre-Dame de Joulens. Former parish church, recorded from 1173 among the properties of the chapter of Lausanne, on which the town of Morges depended in the Middle Ages. The village and its church are said to have stood on the site of the signal and the cemetery of Echichens (to be cross-checked).

Remains in Joulens

Roman villa of Joulens. Remains of a villa and Roman coins have been found near Joulens, evidence of the occupation of the slope in Antiquity.

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Echichens »
• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Morges (commune) »
• « Histoire des lieux de culte à Morges », document de travail d'après Emile Kupfer et Paul Bissegger
• Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »

Other villages near Joulens

• Monnaz (VD)
• Echichens (VD)
• Chigny (VD)
• Roman (VD)
• Vufflens-le-Château (VD)