Noréaz
Origin of the name Noréaz
Recorded in 1134 in the form « Noarea », the name Noréaz remains unexplained.[1]
Founding of Noréaz
Noréaz sits on a slight rise in the middle of a flat plain, once marshy, and the municipality included the hamlet of Seedorf. In the 12th century there lived a noble family de Noréaz, perhaps a branch of the de Prez or a related family. The village belonged to the lordship, later the bailiwick, of Montagny and to the parish of Prez-vers-Noréaz. Livestock, cereals and fodder crops supported it. Noréaz is today in the municipality of Prez (merger of 2020).[1]
History of Noréaz
1134. The village appears in the records under the name « Noarea ».[1]
12th century. A noble family de Noréaz is recorded.[1]
1447. Fribourg troops burn the village.[1]
1481. Fribourg joins the Confederation together with Prez and Noréaz.[2]
1635. The Council of Fribourg authorises a chapel dedicated to Saint James the Great.[1]
1798. Noréaz is attached to the district of Payerne, in 1803 to that of Montagny, then from 1817 to 1848 to that of Fribourg.[1]
1879. Noréaz leaves the parish of Prez-vers-Noréaz, as do Ponthaux and Nierlet-les-Bois.[5]
1939. At the National Exhibition in Zurich Noréaz adopts its coat of arms. Three shells distinguish it from that of Prez and recall the Way of St James that runs through the village.[2]
1957-1958. A church replaces the chapel. It is consecrated on 1 June 1958 and finally costs 378'500 francs.[1][2]
1960. On 18 December Noréaz refuses to share in the redesign of the Prez cemetery, made necessary by the realignment of the cantonal road.[2]
1961. The citizens vote a credit of 10'000 francs for a cemetery of their own.[2]
2005. The primary sector still provides 23 % of jobs.[1]
2019. On 10 February Noréaz accepts the merger by 182 votes to 133, the closest result of the three municipalities.[3]
2020. On 1 January Noréaz forms the municipality of Prez with Corserey and Prez-vers-Noréaz.[1][3][4]
Population of Noréaz
Sources and references: [1]
| 1811 | 248 |
| 1850 | 381 |
| 1900 | 455 |
| 1950 | 586 |
| 2000 | 472 |
| 2010 | 566 |
| 2019 | 707 |
Historic sites in Noréaz
Church. Built in 1957-1958 in place of the chapel of Saint-Jacques, it was consecrated on 1 June 1958.[1][2]
Remains in Noréaz
Pile-dwelling village of En Praz des Gueux. A Neolithic lakeside settlement on the lake of Seedorf, one of the 56 Swiss pile-dwelling sites on the UNESCO World Heritage list.[1]
Mesolithic flints. Mesolithic remains have been found, among them flint tools on the shore of the lake of Seedorf at the place called Inclausaz.[1][2]
Coin hoard. A hoard of 15th-century coins was discovered in the village. The numismatist Colin Martin published it in 1968.[1]
Fortified spur of Piamont. In the Piamont forest survive the remains of a rocky spur fortified in the Middle Ages.[1]
Cemetery of En Chaffeiruz. Traces of a Neolithic cemetery have been identified at the place called En Chaffeiruz, between Noréaz and Prez-vers-Noréaz.[2]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Noréaz » (Marianne Rolle, version du 05.10.2020)
- Commune de Prez, « Histoire »
- Conseil d'État du canton de Fribourg, message 2018-DIAF-32 accompagnant le projet de décret relatif à la fusion des communes de Corserey, Noréaz et Prez-vers-Noréaz (30.04.2019)
- Grand Conseil du canton de Fribourg, Parlinfo, affaire 2018-DIAF-32 « Fusion des communes de Corserey, Noréaz et Prez-vers-Noréaz »
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Prez-vers-Noréaz » (Marianne Rolle, version du 05.10.2020)
Other villages near Noréaz
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