Sarzens
Origin of the name Sarzens
The name Sarzens may appear as early as the late 10th or early 11th century, in the form «villa sarningis», a mention that both the Historical Dictionary of Switzerland and the official website of the municipality of Lucens describe as uncertain and place broadly between 996 and 1017. The form «Sarsens», closer to the current name, is attested in 1261. None of the sources consulted offers a settled etymology for the root «sarnin-» beyond these two medieval attestations.
Founding of Sarzens
None of the sources consulted documents a precise founding act or an identified founder for Sarzens. In the Middle Ages the village appears as part of the domain of Curtilles, itself attached to the castellany of Lucens and the property of the bishop of Lausanne; it is probably a rural settlement formed gradually under this episcopal authority, rather than a founding planned at a precise date.
History of Sarzens
996 to 1017 (to be verified). Possible, but according to the two sources that mention it uncertain, reference to the village in the form «villa sarningis».
1261. First well-attested mention of the village in the form «Sarsens».
Middle Ages. Sarzens belongs to the domain of Curtilles, in the castellany of Lucens, property of the bishop of Lausanne.
15th century (exact amounts to be verified). The tithe of Sarzens belongs to the chapel dedicated to Saints André and Théodule at the château de Bossonnens; it passes through several hands, including Humbert Cerjat and Boniface de Villarzel, before being sold in 1460 for 900 florins and then resold five years later at a profit of 200 florins.
1840. The village is detached from the parish of Curtilles to form, together with Brenles and Chesalles, the new parish of Chesalles-sur-Moudon.
late July 1846. A major fire destroys half the village as well as the municipal archives; according to the account of the pastor of the time, six buildings housing 45 people, including 21 children, are destroyed, as is the school (the exact number of buildings and people affected rests on a single source, to be verified).
1848 (to be verified). Under the weight of the reconstruction costs following the fire, the municipality is declared bankrupt.
1848 to 1989 (to be verified). The municipality remains under the financial administration of the State of Vaud until the return to full municipal management in 1989.
1888 to 1984 (to be verified). A village cheese-making cooperative is active in Sarzens, in an economy long centred on agriculture and livestock farming.
1921 (to be verified). The municipality adopts a coat of arms depicting three «bourdons», evoking, according to the municipal website, a traditional nickname given to the inhabitants; since the term «bourdon» is not explained, it could refer either to the insect (bumblebee) or to the pilgrim's staff, and the sources consulted do not allow the point to be settled.
31 August 2006. Sarzens leaves the district of Moudon to join the new district of Broye-Vully.
2011. The neighbouring village of Oulens-sur-Lucens merges with Lucens, a first step in the expansion of the municipality.
2016. Sarzens becomes the only Swiss municipality to vote in favour of the federal popular initiative for an unconditional basic income, a result widely reported in the national press.
2017. Merger of Sarzens with Brenles, Chesalles-sur-Moudon, Cremin, Forel-sur-Lucens and Oulens-sur-Lucens to form the new municipality of Lucens.
Population of Sarzens
| 1764 | 57 |
| 1803 | 96 |
| 1850 | 162 |
| 1870 | 134 |
| 1888 | 165 |
| 1900 | 111 |
| 1950 | 84 |
| 1980 | 52 |
| 2000 | 60 |
| 2010 | 84 |
| 2022 | 82 |
Historic sites in Sarzens
The village rebuilt after the 1846 fire. The heart of today's village largely results from the reconstruction that followed the major fire of 1846, which had destroyed half the buildings as well as the municipal archives.
Religious affiliation with the parish of Chesalles-sur-Moudon. No church of its own in Sarzens is mentioned in the sources consulted: the village first belonged to the parish of Curtilles, then, from 1840, to the new parish of Chesalles-sur-Moudon, formed together with Brenles and Chesalles.
The Sarzens soapbox race. Since the 1990s the village has hosted a soapbox race (caisses à savon), which has become a popular regional gathering, bringing together around a hundred participants (exact founding date to be verified).
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, article « Sarzens »
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, article « Lucens »
- Commune de Lucens, page historique de Sarzens
- Wikipédia, article « Sarzens » (français)
- Wikipedia, article « Sarzens » (anglais)
- Office fédéral de la statistique, données de population
- Arrêté relatif aux armoiries communales de Sarzens (RSV)
- Blick, article sur le vote du revenu de base inconditionnel à Sarzens
- 24 heures, article sur le vote du revenu de base inconditionnel à Sarzens
- Site de la course de caisses à savon de Sarzens
Other villages near Sarzens
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