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Villages / Jura / Porrentruy district / Montmelon
Coat of arms of Montmelon

Montmelon

Canton of Jura · District: Porrentruy · 100 inhabitants (2008, former municipality of Montmelon, last figure before the merger)
Part of the municipality of Clos du Doubs
View of Montmelon
Photo: Tinelot Wittermans, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons · Coat of arms: Public domain
Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Remains Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Montmelon

The place is first mentioned in 1373 as « Momolon ».[1]

Founding of Montmelon

Neither the date nor the founder of Montmelon is known. The locality was a small lordship (courtine) of the chapter of Saint-Ursanne, which owned four colonges there, and belonged to the provostry of Saint-Ursanne in the Prince-Bishopric of Basel. Under the Ancien Régime its inhabitants were bound to Saint-Ursanne by a co-burghership treaty, and the parish was always that of Saint-Ursanne. Destroyed by the Swedes in 1637, abandoned and resettled at the end of the 17th century, Montmelon is now part of the municipality of Clos du Doubs (merger of 1 January 2009).[1]

History of Montmelon

1373. First mention, as « Momolon ».[1]

Middle Ages. Montmelon is a small lordship (courtine) of the chapter of Saint-Ursanne, which owns four colonges there. The locality belongs to the provostry of Saint-Ursanne.[1]

Ancien Régime. The inhabitants are bound to Saint-Ursanne by a co-burghership treaty.[1]

1637. During the Thirty Years' War the village is destroyed by the Swedes and then abandoned.[1]

Late 17th century. Montmelon is resettled.[1]

1793-1813. The locality belongs to the French departments of Mont-Terrible, then Haut-Rhin.[1]

1815-1978. Montmelon belongs to the canton of Bern (bailiwick, then Porrentruy district).[1]

1836. Montmelon becomes a mixed municipality.[1]

1877. Opening of the Glovelier-Porrentruy railway. The northern portal of the Mont-Russelin tunnel reportedly lies near Montmelon-Dessous.

1979. Montmelon joins the new canton of Jura.

1998. Opening of the first section of the A16 motorway, whose Mont-Russelin and Mont-Terri tunnels reportedly run beneath the municipal territory.

2009. On 1 January, Montmelon merges with Epauvillers, Epiquerez, Montenol, Ocourt, Saint-Ursanne and Seleute to form the municipality of Clos du Doubs.[1]

Population of Montmelon

Sources and references: [1]

Population of Montmelon
1818244
1850246
1900212
1950167
200092
2008100

Historic sites in Montmelon

Montmelon-Dessous, Montmelon-Dessus and Ravines. Hamlets on a meander of the Doubs, south of Saint-Ursanne. On the former municipality's territory, the isolated farm of Chez Danville, built in 1569 (one of the earliest dates known on a Jura farmhouse) and altered in 1774, is a cultural property of regional significance.[1][3]

Sur-la-Croix and Outremont. Parts of the former municipality on the southern slope of the Lomont, north of Saint-Ursanne. The Col de la Croix (789 m) links the Clos du Doubs with Ajoie.[1]

Fragmented territory. The former municipality included numerous enclaves and isolated farms scattered on both sides of Saint-Ursanne.[1]

Remains in Montmelon

Menhir of the Roc de l'Autel. A prehistoric menhir reportedly stands on the Roc de l'Autel, west of La Caquerelle.

Sources

  1. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Montmelon » (Dominique Prongué), version italienne du 18.05.2020
  2. geo.admin.ch (swisstopo), recherche de lieux « Montmelon »
  3. Office fédéral de la protection de la population (OFPP), Inventaire PBC, liste cantonale du canton du Jura (état au 1.1.2026)
  4. Inventaire PBC (OFPP), fiche KGS 10078 « Ferme (Montmelon, Chez Danville) », texte de la Société d'histoire de l'art en Suisse (Guide artistique de la Suisse)

Other villages near Montmelon

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