Péry
Origin of the name Péry
A charter of Charles the Fat names the « villam Bedericam » in 884 among the possessions of Moutier-Grandval. The form « Peril », dated 1148, comes from a forgery of the late 12th century. The old German name is Büderich.[1][2]
Founding of Péry
Péry began as an estate of the abbey of Moutier-Grandval, which already had a chapel in the 9th century. It later belonged to the lordship of the Erguël, in the prince-bishopric of Basel. The nobles of Péry had their castle on the hill of Châtillon. The mayoralty of Péry also took in La Heutte and La Reuchenette. Péry is today in the municipality of Péry-La Heutte (merger of 2015).[1][2][5]
History of Péry
884. The first chapel, dedicated to Saint James, was mentioned with the estate.[1][2]
999. Péry passed with the abbey under the sovereignty of the bishop of Basel.[1][2]
XIVe siècle. The men of Péry marched in the army of the Erguël under the banner of Biel, which kept this right in the lower Erguël until 1797.[1][2]
1530. Under pressure from Biel, Péry adopted the Reformation.[1][2]
1648-1657. A glassworks operated at Péry. The prince-bishop closed it in 1657 and gave its wood to the blast furnace of La Reuchenette.[5]
1706. The present church was completed. It keeps a Gothic core.[1][2]
1797. The lordship of the Erguël ended. Péry passed to the department of Mont-Terrible, then to that of Haut-Rhin.[1][2]
1798-1840. The parish of Vauffelin was attached to that of Péry.[1][2]
1809. On 23 December a fire destroyed three houses.[4]
1815-1816. Péry was assigned to the canton of Bern. A decree of 6 April 1816 created a district of Péry, made up of Péry and La Heutte.[1][6]
1831-2009. Péry belonged to the district of Courtelary.[1]
1840. Ursanne Lanoir built the church organ.[4]
1867. Péry became a municipality and a burgher community.[1]
1868. On 22 June fire destroyed the mill and the oil mill.[4]
1874. The Biel-Les Convers railway line was opened.[1][2]
1903. Dreyfus Frères SA of Biel opened a branch at Péry, Péry Watch, which did not survive the crisis of the 1930s.[1][2]
1910. A new school with a gymnasium was opened.[4]
1930. On 11 June a fire destroyed the church tower. The new bells were dedicated on 23 November.[4]
1934-2003. The former factory became Carfa SA, which made typewriter ribbons, stencils and carbon paper until 2003.[1][2]
1975. The restored church was reopened on 9 February and listed as a historic monument.[4]
2015. Péry joined La Heutte to form Péry-La Heutte.[1]
Population of Péry
Sources and references: [1]
| 1453 | 14 hearths |
| 1850 | 560 |
| 1900 | 983 |
| 1950 | 1'124 |
| 1970 | 1'486 |
| 2000 | 1'335 |
| 2010 | 1'340 |
| 2014 | 1'354 |
Historic sites in Péry
Reformed church. Completed in 1706 on the site of the chapel of Saint James, around a Gothic core, and altered several times. Its tower was rebuilt after the fire of 1930. It has been a listed historic monument since 1975.[1][3][4]
Remains in Péry
Toise de Saint-Martin. Above the road tunnel of 1854, a stretch of roadway about 4 m long keeps cart ruts cut into the limestone, 100 to 110 cm apart. It is probably a section of the Roman road from Petinesca to Augusta Raurica. A round-arched niche cut into the rock face once held the statue of a god or a saint.[3]
Châtillon castle. Remains of the castle of the nobles of Péry survive on the hill of Châtillon.[1][2]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Péry » (Christine Gagnebin-Diacon, version du 20.04.2023)
- Commune de Péry-La Heutte, « Histoire »
- Commune de Péry-La Heutte, « Ruines et vestiges »
- Chronologie jurassienne, « Péry »
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Heutte, La » (Anne Beuchat-Bessire, version du 09.11.2021)
- Chronologie jurassienne, « Reuchenette »
Other villages near Péry
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