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Villages / Fribourg / Broye district / Montbrelloz

Montbrelloz

Canton of Fribourg · District: Broye · 268 inhabitants (2000, former municipality of Montbrelloz, last figure before the merger)
Part of the municipality of Estavayer
Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Remains Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Montbrelloz

The form « Mons brenlos », recorded in 1228, is the oldest known. The name has no reliable explanation.[1]

Founding of Montbrelloz

Montbrelloz, in the Fribourg enclave of Estavayer-le-Lac, grew up around a priory founded in the 12th century by the Knights Hospitaller of Saint John of Jerusalem, which depended on the commandery of La Chaux near Cossonay. In the Middle Ages the village belonged to the lordship of Estavayer. It remained rural until the end of the 20th century, with eight farms in 2000, and was part of Vernay from 2006 to 2016. Montbrelloz is now in the municipality of Estavayer (merger of 2017).[1]

History of Montbrelloz

12th century. The Knights Hospitaller of Saint John of Jerusalem found a priory.[1]

1228. Montbrelloz is recorded as « Mons brenlos », and its parish is attested.[1]

13th century. The Romanesque priory church is enlarged.[1]

1322-1555. The Hospitallers serve the parish.[1]

1338. People from Payerne burn the village.[1]

1536. The priory ceases to depend on the commandery of La Chaux, and Montbrelloz becomes part of the bailiwick of Estavayer until 1798.[1]

1573. A leper house is mentioned.[1]

1580. The parish is incorporated into the chapter of Saint Nicholas in Fribourg.[1]

1798-1848. The village belongs to the district of Estavayer-le-Lac.[1]

1828-1853. The marshes are drained.[1]

1909-1942. The parish also includes Autavaux.[1]

1941-1948. A land consolidation reorganises the fields.[1]

2001. The opening of the A1 motorway turns Montbrelloz into a home for commuters.[1]

2006. On 1 January Montbrelloz merges with Autavaux and Forel, under a decree of the Grand Council of 16 March 2005, to form Vernay, named after a village that disappeared in the 15th century.[1][3][4]

2017. Vernay becomes part of the new municipality of Estavayer, which its voters had accepted on 14 June 2015 by 305 votes to 194.[1][5]

Population of Montbrelloz

Sources and references: [1]

Population of Montbrelloz
1811153
1850167
1900161
1950181
2000268

Historic sites in Montbrelloz

Old church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste. The Romanesque priory church, enlarged in the 13th century and remodelled in 1761, was restored in 1986 when it was no longer used for worship. The inventory of cultural property of regional importance (B object) lists it as the chapel and hospital of the priory.[1][2]

Parish church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste. Built in 1965 on the Route du Pra, it is listed as a cultural property of regional importance (B object).[1][2]

Remains in Montbrelloz

Early finds. A Neolithic axe blade and a few isolated Roman objects have been found within Montbrelloz.[1]

Sources

  1. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Montbrelloz » (Marianne Rolle, version de 2007, remanié le 06.04.2017)
  2. Office fédéral de la protection de la population, « Révision Inventaire PBC 2021 : liste cantonale, canton de Fribourg » (état au 1.1.2026)
  3. Commune d'Estavayer, « Vernay »
  4. État de Fribourg, Recueil systématique (RSF 141.1.2), « Liste chronologique des fusions, divisions et changements de nom des communes »
  5. Conseil d'État du canton de Fribourg, message 2015-DIAF-73 du 25 août 2015 sur la fusion des communes de Bussy, Estavayer-le-Lac, Morens, Murist, Rueyres-les-Prés, Vernay et Vuissens

Other villages near Montbrelloz

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