Prévondavaux
Origin of the name Prévondavaux
Recorded in 1403 in the Latin form « Profunda vallis », the deep valley, the name refers to the valley of the Lembe, on whose edge the village grew up. German speakers called it Tiefental.[1][2]
Founding of Prévondavaux
Prévondavaux lies at the western end of the Surpierre enclave, on the west side of the valley of the Lembe, a stream that rises in Vaud, crosses Fribourg territory and returns to Vaud to join the Broye. With its castle, the village formed a lordship under the overlordship of Savoy and later Fribourg. Its lords followed one another: the d'Avenches, the Zimmermann, the Gléresse, the d'Englisberg, then the d'Alt, who added « Tieffenthal » to their name, and the d'Affry, their heirs. Before the Reformation the villagers belonged to the parish of Denezy. The village lives from farming, mainly livestock and fodder crops, and its population has fallen markedly since the early 20th century.[1][2]
History of Prévondavaux
1403. The village appears in the form « Profunda vallis ».[1]
1536. The Fribourg forces take the castle.[1]
Second half of the 16th century. The present three-storey castle is probably built for François de Gléresse.[2]
1583. The villagers build a chapel.[1]
1603. Prévondavaux is attached to the bailiwick of Vuissens.[1]
1666. The chapel passes to the parish of Vuissens.[1]
1798. The village is placed in the district of Estavayer, then from 1803 to 1848 in that of Surpierre.[1]
1874-1875. The 17th-century double house holding the village hall, at the centre of the village, is rebuilt.[2]
1887. The chapel of Saint-Hubert is rebuilt by the parish priest Ambroise Villard, a pioneer of Gothic Revival in rural Fribourg (work in 1887-1888).[1][2]
1900. The castle is partly destroyed.[1]
1926. The architect Fernand Dumas restores and alters the chapel in the spirit of the Groupe de Saint-Luc, adding a concrete porch tower.[1][2]
Around 1958. A modernist primary school is built. It now serves as the municipal office.[2]
1984. A plan to restore the castle is put out for public consultation but is never carried out.[2]
1989. Two mounds, perhaps Hallstatt-period burial tumuli, are identified.[1]
Population of Prévondavaux
Sources and references: [1][3]
| 1811 | 119 |
| 1850 | 148 |
| 1900 | 123 |
| 1950 | 92 |
| 1970 | 41 |
| 2000 | 63 |
| 2025 | 108 |
Historic sites in Prévondavaux
Castle (Châtelet). Three-storey main building of the second half of the 16th century, probably built for François de Gléresse. Partly destroyed in 1900, it is abandoned and badly decayed.[1][2]
Chapel of Saint-Hubert. Rebuilt in 1887-1888 by the parish priest Ambroise Villard, it was altered in 1926 by Fernand Dumas, who gave it its concrete porch tower.[1][2]
Double house and village hall. 17th-century building rebuilt in 1874-1875, marking the centre of the village.[2]
Farmhouse of around 1800. Masonry farmhouse combining living quarters and a farm wing, with two stables between two barns.[2]
Remains in Prévondavaux
Hallstatt mounds. Two mounds identified in 1989 may be Hallstatt-period burial tumuli.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Prévondavaux » (Marianne Rolle, version du 17.02.2010)
- Service des biens culturels du canton de Fribourg, Recensement cantonal des sites construits (SCRoL), district de la Broye, « Prévondavaux » (novembre 2025)
- Service de la statistique du canton de Fribourg (SStat), « Population des communes, de 1900 à 2025 » (T01-02-03), population résidante permanente au 31.12.2025
Other villages near Prévondavaux
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