Rivaz

Canton of Vaud · District: Lavaux-Oron · 330 inhabitants (31.12.2025)

Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Remains Legends Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Rivaz

The place is mentioned in 1138 in the form « Ripa ». The municipality dates this first mention to 1199 (to be cross-checked). The Latin « ripa » means the shore or bank: the name recalls a village on the lakeshore, whereas the present village lies higher up among the vineyards.

Founding of Rivaz

Remains of a Roman settlement attest to early occupation of the site. According to tradition, a prosperous lakeside settlement near Glérolles castle was devastated in 563 by the giant wave caused by the Tauredunum rockfall; the village is said to have been rebuilt about 50 m above lake level, keeping its name. In the Middle Ages Rivaz belonged, from 1228 at the latest, to the Great Parish (community) of Saint-Saphorin, from which it only separated in 1810 to form a municipality. None of the sources consulted names a founder.

History of Rivaz

Roman period. Roman settlement of which remains have been found.

563. According to tradition, Tauredunum tidal wave and rebuilding of the village higher up among the vineyards.

1138. First known mention in the form « Ripa ».

1228. Rivaz belongs, from this date at the latest, to the Great Parish (community) of Saint-Saphorin.

1420. A mill powered by the Forestay waterfall is recorded.

1434. 34 residents of the village give the priest of Saint-Saphorin an annual rent of 60 sols, on condition that he celebrates mass every Tuesday in the Saint-Barthélemy chapel.

1439-1446. Construction of a chapel dedicated to Saints John the Baptist and Bartholomew.

1440-1450. Casting of the chapel bell, which bears a Latin inscription.

1536-1798. Under Bernese rule, Rivaz belongs to the bailiwick of Lausanne.

1729-1730. The chapel is rebuilt by the mason Jacques Michod and the carpenter Abraham Sandoz.

1798. Rivaz becomes part of the district of Lavaux, to which it belongs until 2006.

1810. Rivaz separates from the parish of Saint-Saphorin and forms an independent municipality, like Puidoux; Chexbres had done so in 1808.

1917. Founding of the Moulins de Rivaz.

1999. The mills become Swissmill Minoterie Rivaz SA (to be cross-checked).

2001. The mills cease operation.

2005. Demolition of the Moulins de Rivaz.

2006. Inauguration of Place Paul-Chaudet, honouring this Federal Councillor from the village, President of the Confederation in 1959 and 1962.

2007. « Lavaux, vignoble en terrasses » is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List; Rivaz is the only municipality lying entirely within its perimeter.

2008. The new territorial division comes into force: Rivaz is part of the district of Lavaux-Oron.

Population of Rivaz

22 hearths (households)

1558

205

1764

284

1803

314

1850

328

1900

357

1950

317

2000

330

2025

Historic sites in Rivaz

Protestant church (former Saint-Barthélemy chapel). Medieval chapel built between 1439 and 1446, dedicated to Saints John the Baptist and Bartholomew, rebuilt in 1729-1730, altered when the town hall was enlarged around 1838 and refurbished inside in 1939 and 1952. Its bell, cast between 1440 and 1450, bears a Latin inscription; the municipality considers it the oldest in the region.

Lavaux vineyards. Rivaz is the only municipality lying entirely within the perimeter of « Lavaux, vignoble en terrasses », inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2007. Of its 32 hectares, 24 are given over to vines, and wine-growing provided 72% of primary sector jobs in 2005.

Hamlet of Sallaz. Besides the village, the municipality includes the hamlet of Sallaz.

Place Paul-Chaudet. Square inaugurated in 2006 in honour of Paul Chaudet, Federal Councillor from Rivaz and President of the Confederation in 1959 and 1962.

Remains in Rivaz

Roman remains. Remains of a Roman settlement have been found on the territory of Rivaz; the sources consulted specify neither their location nor their nature.

Forestay mills. A mill powered by the Forestay waterfall is recorded from 1420. The Moulins de Rivaz, founded in 1917, ceased operation in 2001 and were demolished in 2005.

Legends of Rivaz

The Tauredunum tidal wave. According to tradition, the original village, on the lakeshore near Glérolles castle, was devastated in 563 by a giant wave over 10 metres high caused by the rockfall of the Tauredunum, part of the Grammont. The inhabitants are said to have rebuilt it about 50 m above the lake, keeping the name « Ripa » (the shore), which became paradoxical for a village perched among the vineyards.

Sources

Other villages near Rivaz

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