Pizy

Origin of the name Pizy

The name Pizy is first attested in 1188 in the Latinized form 'Pisis'. The exact origin of the place name is not established with certainty in the sources consulted; this point would deserve to be cross-checked through specialized toponymic studies.

Founding of Pizy

Pizy appears in documents from 1188, a time when a local noble family, probably of seigneurial rank, was already attested on the site. The village developed around isolated farms scattered between Aubonne and Gimel, in a rural setting typical of the foot of the Vaud Jura. An important turning point came in 1374 (or shortly before, as the announcement of his death is dated 2 August 1374): Guillaume de Pizy, a native of the place, canon and then provost of the Grand-Saint-Bernard from 1360, founded at Pizy a fortified hospice equipped with a chapel, financed from his personal fortune and intended for the upkeep of twelve canons. From 1376, this establishment was placed under the protection of the lords of Aubonne, which durably tied the fate of Pizy to that of the neighboring seigneury.

History of Pizy

1188. First written mention of the place in the form 'Pisis'; a local noble family is attested at the same period.

1360. Guillaume de Pizy becomes provost of the Grand-Saint-Bernard.

1374. Guillaume de Pizy founds at Pizy a fortified hospice with a chapel, endowed with income for the upkeep of twelve canons; he dies the same year (his death is announced on 2 August 1374).

1376. The hospice of Pizy is placed under the protection of the lords of Aubonne.

15th century. The hospice, which was meant to be united with the priory of Etoy, becomes a mere dependency of it.

1536. The Protestant Reformation leads to the suppression of the hospice and of the Saint-Sylvestre chapel, which until then had formed an autonomous parish.

16th-18th centuries. The domain of Pizy comes under the Bernese bailiwick of Aubonne.

1798. End of the Bernese regime with the creation of the Helvetic Republic; Pizy joins the territorial organization of the new canton of Vaud.

19th-20th centuries. Pizy remains an independent municipality of the district of Aubonne, with an essentially agricultural and rural character.

31 August 2006. Dissolution of the district of Aubonne; Pizy is attached to the new district of Morges.

2006. Opening of merger negotiations between Pizy and the neighboring municipality of Aubonne, motivated in particular by the difficulty of finding inhabitants willing to serve in the communal authorities of such a small village.

1 July 2011. Merger of Pizy with the municipality of Aubonne, described as a peaceful and unanimous union; Pizy ceases to exist as an independent municipality after more than eight centuries of attested existence.

2021. Ten years later, the merged municipality of Aubonne in turn unites with Montherod, continuing the movement of communal mergers set in motion by the merger of Pizy.

Population of Pizy

Population of Pizy

1764	68 inhabitants
1850	139 inhabitants
1900	103 inhabitants
1950	90 inhabitants
2000	65 inhabitants (according to one source); other sources indicate about 71 to 78 inhabitants for the period 2000-2010, a difference that would deserve to be cross-checked

Historic sites in Pizy

Site of the former fortified hospice of Pizy. Founded in 1374 by Guillaume de Pizy, provost of the Grand-Saint-Bernard, this fortified hospice with a chapel durably marked the history of the place before its suppression in 1536 during the Reformation. Its exact location and current state of preservation would deserve to be verified through a visit or an additional source.

Saint-Sylvestre chapel (no longer extant). Chapel attached to the hospice, which formed an autonomous parish until its suppression in 1536 during the Protestant Reformation. No visible trace is mentioned in the sources consulted.

Hamlets and isolated farms between Aubonne and Gimel. The territory of the former municipality of Pizy is historically characterized by scattered settlement, made up of isolated farms, a reflection of its rural and agricultural character preserved until the 2011 merger.

Remains in Pizy

Necropolis remains and Bronze Age objects at Mauremont. Archaeological discoveries at the Mauremont site, on the territory of the former municipality of Pizy, have brought to light the remains of a necropolis as well as various objects dated to the Bronze Age. Precise details (finer dating, nature of the objects, excavations carried out) were not found in the sources consulted and would deserve to be cross-checked with a cantonal archaeological department.

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, article "Pizy"
• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, article "Pizy, Guillaume de"
• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, article "Aubonne (commune)"
• Wikipédia (anglais), "Pizy"
• Wikipédia (français), "Aubonne (Vaud)"
• Journal de Morges, "L'histoire d'une union évidente"
• Wikidata, "Pizy"

Other villages near Pizy

• Montherod (VD)
• Bougy-Villars (VD)
• Féchy (VD)
• Perroy (VD)
• Haute-Cour (VD)