Saint-Cergue
Origin of the name Saint-Cergue
Name origin: the place is named after its church, dedicated to Saint Cyricus (Cyr), mentioned in 1110 in the form «ecclesiam Sancti Cyrici», in a charter of Bishop Gui of Geneva confirming its ownership by the abbey of Saint-Oyen de Joux (Saint-Claude).
Founding of Saint-Cergue
The site was occupied long before the Middle Ages: a Roman settlement existed at Les Alleveys, and La Tène, Roman and early medieval necropolises have been discovered at the Vieux-Château. From 1110 the area belonged to the abbey of Saint-Claude, which enfeoffed it in 1279 to the lords of Thoire-Villars. Around 1299 they built a castle to control the Givrine pass; a small town grew up at its foot, whose burghers received charters of liberties from the abbey in 1357.
History of Saint-Cergue
La Tène period. Necropolis at the Vieux-Château.
Roman period. Roman settlement at Les Alleveys and necropolis at the Vieux-Château.
1110. First mention of the church: «ecclesiam Sancti Cyrici»; the area belongs to the abbey of Saint-Claude.
1279. The abbey enfeoffs Saint-Cergue to the lords of Thoire-Villars.
around 1299. Construction of the Thoire-Villars castle.
1350. The abbey cedes the advocacy to the Chalon family.
1357. The abbey grants liberties to the burghers.
1412. Savoy temporarily seizes the castle to control the Givrine pass.
15th century. The Savoyard castellan of Nyon extends his jurisdiction over Saint-Cergue; the castle is destroyed during the Burgundian Wars.
1536. Bernese conquest: Saint-Cergue is attached to the bailiwick of Nyon; its parish is united with that of Arzier until 1713.
1606. An agreement ends the border dispute with Spanish Franche-Comté, in favour of Bern.
1668. The municipality is governed by a Council of six members.
1669. Two fairs are granted.
1798. Saint-Cergue becomes part of the district of Nyon.
1830. Opening of the road from Nyon to Morez.
1862. The agreement on the Dappes valley brings the municipality the hamlet of La Cure, straddling the French-Swiss border.
1916. Opening of the Nyon-Saint-Cergue railway, extended to La Cure in 1918, then to Morez between 1921 and 1958.
1938. A ski lift is installed on the Dôle (to be cross-checked).
2000. Almost three quarters of the working population are commuters (Nyon, Geneva).
Population of Saint-Cergue
| 1764 | 171 |
| 1850 | 362 |
| 1900 | 376 |
| 1950 | 409 |
| 1980 | 541 |
| 2000 | 1'601 |
| 2025 | 3'057 |
Historic sites in Saint-Cergue
Place du Vieux-Château. Square on the site of the former Thoire-Villars castle, with views over Lake Geneva and the Alps.
Hamlet of La Cure. Hamlet straddling the French-Swiss border, attached to Saint-Cergue by the 1862 agreement on the Dappes valley.
Nyon-Saint-Cergue-Morez railway. Line opened in 1916 as far as Saint-Cergue which, together with the 1830 road, paved the way for tourism and winter sports.
Church of Saint-Cyrice. Seat of the former parish, mentioned from 1110, which gave the village its name.
Remains in Saint-Cergue
Vieux-Château. Remains of the medieval enclosure wall and of the castle built around 1299 by the Thoire-Villars and destroyed during the Burgundian Wars; the site has yielded La Tène, Roman and early medieval necropolises.
Les Alleveys. Site of a Roman settlement.
Legends of Saint-Cergue
The refuge of Charles the Bold. According to a local tradition, Duke Charles the Bold took refuge in Saint-Cergue after his defeat of 1476.
La Ballade à Béatrix. Tale written by Frédéric-Jacques-Louis Rilliet (1794-1856), presented as taken from an old parchment found in a piece of furniture given by a villager. It tells the last episode in the life of the castle, with invented characters alongside Charles the Bold and the dukes of Savoy; a trail of 16 panels retraces it today.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Saint-Cergue »
- Wikipédia, « Saint-Cergue »
- La Côte Tourisme, « Le sentier La Ballade à Béatrix »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Localities of the municipality with a page
Other villages near Saint-Cergue
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