Prez-vers-Noréaz
Origin of the name Prez-vers-Noréaz
Prez appears in 1156 in the form « de Pratellis ». The first known lords of the area, at the beginning of the second millennium, were the nobles of Pralette. The name has no further explanation.[1][2]
Founding of Prez-vers-Noréaz
Prez-vers-Noréaz is the centre of a very old parish, said to date from between 900 and 1100. It included Noréaz, Ponthaux, Nierlet-les-Bois and Corserey, as well as the hamlet of Seedorf. In the 12th century the village belonged to the lordship of Montagny, and a priest of its church of Notre-Dame is already recorded. Its coat of arms is that of the lords of Prez, already borne by Étienne, son of Aymon de Prez. Long agricultural, with livestock and cereals, the village became residential from the 1980s. Prez-vers-Noréaz is today in the municipality of Prez (merger of 2020).[1][2]
History of Prez-vers-Noréaz
1156. The village is first recorded, in the form « de Pratellis ».[1]
12th century. A first priest of the church of Notre-Dame appears in the records.[1]
1270. The lords of Montagny sell the small lordship to Aymon de Prez.[1][2]
1311. The right of patronage over the church passes to the priory of Saint-Maire.[1]
1481. Prez and Noréaz join the Confederation together with Fribourg.[2]
1485. By this date at the latest, Prez belongs to the Old Territories of Fribourg, in the banner of la Neuveville.[1]
16th century. The lordship is in the hands of the Reyff family. The patronage passes to the Fribourg government, which keeps it until 1867.[1]
1614. The city of Fribourg acquires the lordship.[1]
After 1746. The de Fégely family has a country house built.[1]
1798. Prez-vers-Noréaz is attached to the district of Payerne, in 1803 to that of Montagny, then from 1817 to 1848 to that of Fribourg.[1]
1831-1835. The parishioners build the present church, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist.[1][2]
1879. Noréaz, Ponthaux and Nierlet-les-Bois leave the parish.[1][2]
1891. The municipality becomes owner of the Fégely house, which serves as a school until 1969.[1]
1900. Corserey in turn separates from the parish.[1]
1969. The savings bank buys the former country house, just listed as a historic monument, and has it renovated.[1][2]
1980s. The nearby A12 motorway turns the village into a residential place.[1]
1990. On 17 July the Prez savings bank, founded in 1897, moves into the château.[2]
2008. The savings bank is sold to the Fribourg Cantonal Bank for 11.7 million francs. The building becomes a branch of the bank.[1][2]
2019. On 10 February Prez-vers-Noréaz accepts the merger by 347 votes to 47.[3]
2020. On 1 January the village forms the municipality of Prez with Corserey and Noréaz.[1][3][4]
Population of Prez-vers-Noréaz
Sources and references: [1]
| 1811 | 285 |
| 1850 | 345 |
| 1900 | 549 |
| 1950 | 556 |
| 2000 | 806 |
| 2010 | 881 |
| 2019 | 1'126 |
Historic sites in Prez-vers-Noréaz
Church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste. Neoclassical, built from 1831 to 1835, it has had monumental bells since 1873. Its great bell of 5'087 kg, cast in 1925 to replace the old cracked one, is said to be the third heaviest in Switzerland after those of the cathedrals of Fribourg and Geneva. The main door is the work of the cabinetmaker Jean Berger.[1][2]
Château de Prez. Country house built by the de Fégely family after 1746, the village school from 1891 to 1969, then the seat of the Prez savings bank and a branch of the Cantonal Bank.[1][2]
Remains in Prez-vers-Noréaz
Roman aqueduct and villa. The remains of a major aqueduct that supplied Aventicum have been uncovered, along with a villa with baths.[1]
Neolithic burial. An inhumation grave, perhaps Neolithic, has been found. Traces of a Neolithic cemetery are reported at the place called En Chaffeiruz, between Prez-vers-Noréaz and Noréaz.[1][2]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Prez-vers-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 »
Other villages near Prez-vers-Noréaz
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