Siviriez
Origin of the name Siviriez
The village is recorded in 1147 as « Sivrie ». In Fribourg patois it is called « Cheveri ». The meaning of the name remains obscure.[1][5]
Founding of Siviriez
Siviriez grew up in the upper Glâne valley around a parish church whose priest is recorded from the 12th century. The parish always included Chavannes-les-Forts, Prez-vers-Siviriez, Le Saulgy and Villaranon. In 1262 Count Peter II of Savoy acquired land in the village from Rodolphe d'Ecublens and attached it to the county of Romont. Siviriez remains a village of livestock and fodder crops, served by the railway since 1862. The present municipality was formed by two mergers, in 1978 and 2004, and keeps the name and the administrative seat of Siviriez.[1][3][4]
History of Siviriez
1147. The village appears as « Sivrie ».[1]
12th century. A parish priest is recorded at Siviriez.[1]
Around 1200. The parish church of Saint-Sulpice is mentioned.[1]
1262. Peter II of Savoy acquires land at Siviriez from Rodolphe d'Ecublens and incorporates it into the county of Romont.[1]
1536. Siviriez passes to Fribourg and joins the bailiwick of Romont.[1]
1798-1848. The village belongs to the district of Romont.[1]
1804-1807. The church is rebuilt. It is consecrated on 1 September 1811.[1][2]
1862. The station on the Bern-Fribourg-Lausanne line opens.[1]
1889. A children's educational institution, Saint-Nicolas, settles at Drognens.[1]
1932-1933. The architect Fernand Dumas of Romont enlarges the church with two transepts, a large choir and a vault.[1][2]
1934. Gaston Faravel paints the Stations of the Cross and decorates the interior of the church, work that Théodore Stravinski completes.[2]
1953. Five new bells are installed. The small Agony bell, from the old church above Drognens, is kept.[2]
1972. A military training ground is set up at Drognens.[1]
1978. Le Saulgy and Villaranon join Siviriez, under a decree of 10 May 1977. The arms of the new municipality combine those of the three villages.[1][4][8]
1995. On 29 October Marguerite Bays, a citizen of Siviriez, is beatified by John Paul II.[3][6]
1998. On 12 December the intermunicipal gymnasium is inaugurated at Siviriez.[4]
2003. On 16 May Chavannes-les-Forts, Prez-vers-Siviriez and Villaraboud accept the merger, but Siviriez rejects it by 74 votes to 72. On 3 July a new assembly approves it by 220 votes to 52, and the Grand Council decrees it on 6 November.[4][8]
2004. The new municipality of Siviriez brings together four municipalities. Michel Mauron is its first mayor until 2016.[1][4]
2007. On 1 January the parishes of Siviriez and Villaraboud merge.[2][7]
2019. On 13 October Pope Francis canonises Marguerite Bays.[3][6]
Population of Siviriez
Sources and references: [1][9]
| 1811 | 384 |
| 1850 | 484 |
| 1900 | 738 |
| 1950 | 1'017 |
| 2000 | 965 |
| 2025 | 2'711 |
Historic sites in Siviriez
Church of Saint-Sulpice. Recorded around 1200, rebuilt in 1804-1807 and enlarged in 1932-1933 by Fernand Dumas. It has stained glass by Alexandre Cingria in the transept, eight nave windows of 1948 and five choir windows by Samuel Burri (1988).[1][2][3]
Chapel of Sainte-Marguerite-Bays. Inside the church, it holds a reliquary containing the saint's bones. The artist Jean-Jacques Hofstetter renovated it in 2000.[2]
Drognens. The site has housed the Saint-Nicolas institution since 1889 and, since 1972, a military training ground.[1]
Municipal administration. The seat of the municipality is at Siviriez, route de l'Eglise 10.[5]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Siviriez » (Marianne Rolle, version du 22.12.2010)
- Unité pastorale Sainte Marguerite Bays, « Église de Siviriez »
- Commune de Siviriez, « Église »
- Commune de Siviriez, « Chronique spéciale pour les 20 ans de la fusion, 2004-2024 »
- Commune de Siviriez, « La commune »
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Bays, Marguerite » (Francis Python, version du 19.12.2025)
- Unité pastorale Sainte Marguerite Bays, « Paroisse de Siviriez-Villaraboud »
- État de Fribourg, Recueil systématique (RSF 141.1.2), « Liste chronologique des fusions, divisions et changements de nom des communes »
- Service de la statistique du canton de Fribourg (SStat), « Population des communes, de 1900 à 2025 » (T01-02-03), population résidante permanente au 31.12.2025
Localities of the municipality with a page
Other villages near Siviriez
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