Saint-Sulpice
Origin of the name Saint-Sulpice
First written mention in 1228, in the form « Sanctus Surpicius », then around 1300 « Saint Sulpis ». The village bears the name of Saint Sulpicius, probably the patron of its former chapel (to be cross-checked); the sources consulted do not say which Saint Sulpicius is meant.
Founding of Saint-Sulpice
No founder or founding charter is known. Saint-Sulpice is a village with scattered settlement in the Areuse gorge, on the old road to France. Its chapel belonged to the priory of Saint-Pierre du Vautravers in Môtiers. From the 14th century to 1848 the village belonged to the castellany of the Val-de-Travers and to the corporation of the Six Communes. Since the Middle Ages the power of the Areuse has driven many workshops here: mills, sawmills, foundries, forges, oil mills and tanneries, and later a paper mill and a cement works. Saint-Sulpice is now part of the municipality of Val-de-Travers (merger of 1 January 2009).
History of Saint-Sulpice
1228. First written mention, in the form « Sanctus Surpicius », in the deanery of Neuchâtel. The local chapel belongs to the priory of Saint-Pierre du Vautravers.
around 1300. The name appears in the form « Saint Sulpis ».
14th century-1848. The village belongs to the castellany of the Val-de-Travers and to the corporation of the Six Communes.
Middle Ages. Many workshops use the water and power of the Areuse: mills, sawmills, foundries, forges, oil mills and tanneries.
1476. On 8 February, according to a tradition reported in the press, a red-hot chain blocks the road in a narrow gorge near the village, and soldiers from Neuchâtel, Bienne and Cerlier under the Bernese captain Henri Matter stop the vanguard of Charles the Bold (to be cross-checked).
16th century-1835. After the Reformation, Saint-Sulpice forms a Protestant parish with Buttes.
1677. A paper mill opens, active until around 1860.
1772-1919. A sawmill operates at Les Charbonnières.
1820-1821. Construction of an oval church with a transverse layout.
1835. Saint-Sulpice becomes an independent parish.
1837. A road bypassing the village is built.
1879-1945. A Portland cement works is in operation.
1883. Opening of the station of the Régional du Val-de-Travers railway.
1886. Two hydroelectric power stations are built on the Areuse, now part of the Écomusée de la Haute-Areuse.
1945. Mushroom growing begins.
1994. The Écomusée de la Haute-Areuse is created.
2000. The primary sector provides 23% of jobs and the secondary sector just over 48%; 69% of the working population commute out of the commune.
2009. On 1 January Saint-Sulpice merges with Les Bayards, Boveresse, Buttes, Couvet, Fleurier, Môtiers, Noiraigue and Travers to form the municipality of Val-de-Travers.
Population of Saint-Sulpice
| 1750 | 318 |
| 1850 | 561 |
| 1900 | 1'234 |
| 1950 | 780 |
| 2000 | 590 |
| 2008 | 642 (31 December, last census before the merger) |
Historic sites in Saint-Sulpice
Saint-Sulpice church. Protestant church built in 1820-1821 on an oval plan with a transverse layout, when Saint-Sulpice still formed a parish with Buttes (until 1835).
Source of the Areuse. The river that runs through the whole Val-de-Travers rises near the village, in a preserved natural setting.
Écomusée de la Haute-Areuse. Educational trail created in 1994, presenting two hydroelectric power stations built in 1886 and six centuries of industrial heritage linked to the Areuse.
Coat of arms on the fountain. The village coat of arms, visible on a fountain, combines a tower, a vouivre (fabulous serpent), a mill wheel, two hammers and a border of chains.
Remains in Saint-Sulpice
Old road to France. Between Noiraigue and Saint-Sulpice, sections of the old road linking Burgundy with Neuchâtel are still visible, including a sunken lane climbing above the source of the Areuse.
Legends of Saint-Sulpice
The Vouivre and Sulpy Reymond. According to legend, in 1373 nobody dared any longer to go through the Combe à la Vuivra, for people believed that a vouivre, a monstrous serpent, devoured travellers there. The local hero Sulpy Reymond hid in a box pierced with a hole and ran the beast through with an arrow or a spear, depending on the version. He then burned the carcass, whose stench was so foul that he is said to have died of it a few days later. A vouivre appears in the village coat of arms.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Saint-Sulpice (NE) » (version allemande)
- État de Neuchâtel, arrêté du 21 janvier 2009 portant homologation des résultats du recensement cantonal de la population du 31 décembre 2008
- Musées suisses (museums.ch), « Écomusée de la Haute-Areuse »
- Le Temps, série « À pied sur les chemins du temps », étape de Noiraigue aux Verrières par Saint-Sulpice
- Flags of the World, « Saint-Sulpice (NE) »
Other villages near Saint-Sulpice
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