Onnens
Origin of the name Onnens
Onnens appears in 1137 in the form « Unens ». The name is of Germanic origin and is thought to go back to a personal name, Huno, Una or Uno. The suffix -ens comes from the Burgundian -ingos. German speakers once called the place Onning.[1][2]
Founding of Onnens
Onnens came to the de Glâne family in 1078 through the marriage of Rilenta of Walperswil, also called Rilent de Vilar Walbert. In the 12th century Guillaume de Glâne, the bishops of Lausanne and Geneva and the lords of Estavayer, Gruyère and Montagny gave land and rights to the abbey of Hauterive, which set up a grange here. The church of Onnens was then the mother parish of Lovens, Corjolens and Lentigny. The village remained agricultural until the motorway arrived in 1981. Onnens is today in the municipality of La Brillaz (merger of 2001).[1][2]
History of Onnens
1078. Rilenta of Walperswil brings the fief of Onnens to the de Glâne family through her marriage.[1]
1137. The village is recorded in the form « Unens ».[1]
1139. The abbey of Hauterive acquires the church's property from the bishop of Lausanne, Guy de Maligny. It holds the patronage from 1138 to 1848.[1]
12th century. Guillaume de Glâne cedes Onnens to the abbey of Hauterive, which runs a grange here.[1][2]
1442. Fribourg extends its authority over Onnens, which belongs by 1485 at the latest to the Old Territories, in the banner of la Neuveville.[1][2]
1476. The church of Saint-André is destroyed. Rebuilt in 1479, it receives a bell tower in 1502.[1][2]
1548. The village burns down.[1]
1588. Lentigny separates from the parish of Onnens.[1][2]
1740. Onnens builds its first school building.[1]
1780. Charles de Castella has a country house built, later owned by the von Diesbach family.[1]
1798. Onnens belongs to the district of Fribourg until 1848.[1]
1860. The school has 21 boys and 19 girls.[2]
1879. On 18 September Léon Genoud becomes schoolmaster at Onnens, where he teaches until 1888. He draws the old church, a painting of which hangs in the presbytery.[2]
1902. On 15 July lightning strikes the church spire. A new building replaces the old one the same year (or after a vote in July 1910).[1][2]
1904. The marshes are drained.[1]
1945. The school has to be split and moves temporarily beneath the church, into a former coal store.[2]
1981. The A12 motorway opens with an exit at Matran, and Onnens gradually becomes a residential village.[1]
2001. On 1 January Onnens, Lentigny and Lovens form the municipality of La Brillaz, under a decree of 16 November 2000.[1][3]
Population of Onnens
Sources and references: [1]
| 1811 | 157 |
| 1850 | 217 |
| 1900 | 244 |
| 1950 | 262 |
| 1970 | 221 |
| 2000 | 478 |
Historic sites in Onnens
Church of Saint-André. It succeeds the church of 1479. Its exterior is neo-Romanesque, its vault neo-Gothic and its interior decoration in the Saint-Sulpice style.[1][2]
Country house of 1780. Built by Charles de Castella, it later passed to the von Diesbach family. It is one of several country houses built at Onnens.[1]
Remains in Onnens
Bronze axe. A bronze axe blade has been found on the territory of Onnens.[1]
Roman coins. A find of Roman coins has also been made here.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Onnens (FR) » (Marianne Rolle, version du 02.12.2010)
- Commune de La Brillaz, « Historique » (Jean-Marie Barras et Christine Barras, octobre 2023)
- État de Fribourg, « Liste chronologique des fusions, divisions et changements de nom des communes » (RSF 141.1.2), législation fribourgeoise
Other villages near Onnens
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