Villars-Mendraz
Origin of the name Villars-Mendraz
The origin of the name Villars-Mendraz would go back to the Latin villa Munderici, that is the «estate» or the «house of Munderic», a personal name of Germanic origin, according to the generally accepted etymology. The date of the very first written mention of the place remains uncertain, however, and would deserve to be cross-checked: several sources (including the municipality's official website and part of the literature) indicate that the village already appears in 1235 in the form «Vilar Mundri». One reference source, however, explicitly states the opposite, namely that the sure and attested first mention would date from 1453 in the form «Villarmendra», specifying that the 1235 mention would not concern this village. Given the current state of the sources consulted, it is therefore not possible to establish with absolute certainty which of these two dates constitutes the true first written attestation of Villars-Mendraz.
Founding of Villars-Mendraz
Villars-Mendraz has no individual founder identified by the sources consulted. It is a rural settlement probably born from a medieval clearing at the edge of the wooded Jorat massif, in an area where several religious institutions held land from the Middle Ages: the priory of Lutry and the Cistercian abbey of Hautcrêt held landed property there. In 1247, the lord Guillaume de Goumoëns granted the clergy and the inhabitants of the area full use of his Jorat wood, called «Bois de l'Évêque», for forestry and various agricultural uses, which shows that an organized village community already existed at that date. Like a large part of the medieval Pays de Vaud, the village then fell within the Savoyard sphere, before coming under Bernese administration after the conquest of the Pays de Vaud in 1536.
History of Villars-Mendraz
1235 (according to some sources) / 1453 (according to one reference source). First written mention of the place, in the form «Vilar Mundri» or «Villarmendra» depending on the source; the sources consulted contradict each other on this point (see the «Origin of the name» section).
1247. Guillaume de Goumoëns grants the clergy and the inhabitants of the area full use of the «Bois de l'Évêque» (Jorat Wood), attesting to the existence of a structured village community.
1333. The mairie (local lordship of low justice) of Villars-Mendraz is held by a certain Hugues.
Middle Ages (precise dates not determined). Existence of a parish with a church dedicated to Saint Peter, the presentation right (right to appoint the priest) of which belongs to the priory of Lutry.
1536. Bernese conquest of the Pays de Vaud: Villars-Mendraz becomes part of the bailiwick of Moudon, through the châtellenie of Villarzel.
16th century (after the Reformation). The parish is abolished with the introduction of the Reformation; the Saint-Pierre church becomes an annex of the parish of Saint-Cierges.
17th century. The mairie of Villars-Mendraz passes to the Demierre family, of Moudon.
1723. Territorial exchange with the neighbouring municipality of Sottens.
1727. Territorial boundary agreement with Montaubion-Chardonney.
1752. The bailiff Samuel Egger settles a dispute over the sharing of the «Bois de l'Évêque» with Peney-le-Jorat and sets the municipality's territorial boundaries, still valid today.
1753. The mairie of Villars-Mendraz passes to the Constant d'Hermenches family.
1798. Fall of the Ancien Régime; under the Helvetic Republic, Villars-Mendraz is attached to the canton of Léman.
1803. With the Act of Mediation, Villars-Mendraz becomes part of the new canton of Vaud.
1798-2006. The municipality is part of the district of Moudon.
1910. The annex parish is united with that of Peney-le-Jorat, a union that would last until 2000.
1977. Adoption of a communal zoning plan, marking the village's gradual transition from an agricultural economy to a residential vocation.
1991. Creation of a communal arboretum on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the Swiss Confederation.
1999. The municipality acquires the Café de la Poste, which becomes the village's official meeting place.
31 August 2006. Dissolution of the district of Moudon; Villars-Mendraz joins the new district of Gros-de-Vaud.
2011. Closure of the village's primary school class as part of the regional school centralisation.
1 July 2011. Villars-Mendraz merges with Montaubion-Chardonney, Peney-le-Jorat, Sottens and Villars-Tiercelin to form the new municipality of Jorat-Menthue.
Population of Villars-Mendraz
| 1416 | 4 hearths (tax units/households) |
| 1764 | 94 inhabitants |
| 1798 | 105 inhabitants |
| 1850 | 200 inhabitants |
| 1900 | 137 inhabitants |
| 1950 | 112 inhabitants |
| 1970 | 84 inhabitants |
| 2000 | 190 inhabitants |
| 2003 | 183 inhabitants |
| 2009 | 188 inhabitants |
| 2010 (31 December, just before the merger) | 193 inhabitants |
Historic sites in Villars-Mendraz
Le Café de la Poste. Owned by the municipality since 1999, this establishment is the village's main meeting place and hub of social life, in a hamlet where three-quarters of working residents now work outside the locality.
The 700th anniversary arboretum. A communal arboretum was planted in 1991 on the occasion of the celebrations of the 700th anniversary of the Swiss Confederation, marking the village's attachment to its wooded areas, historically at the heart of its economy (Jorat wood).
The former Saint-Pierre parish church. In the Middle Ages the village had a church and a parish dedicated to Saint Peter, the presentation right of which depended on the priory of Lutry. After the Reformation, the building became an annex of the parish of Saint-Cierges. The sources consulted do not specify the current condition or survival of the building; this information would deserve to be cross-checked with a built heritage inventory before any definitive statement.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse (DHS), article « Villars-Mendraz »
- Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz (HLS), Artikel „Villars-Mendraz" (version allemande)
- Wikipédia (français), Villars-Mendraz
- Wikipedia (Deutsch), Villars-Mendraz
- Wikipedia (English), Villars-Mendraz
- Wikidata, Villars-Mendraz (Q678869)
- Commune de Jorat-Menthue, page « Historique »
- Commune de Jorat-Menthue, page « Présentation »
Other villages near Villars-Mendraz
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