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Villages / Fribourg / Gruyère district / Villars-sous-Mont

Villars-sous-Mont

Canton of Fribourg · District: Gruyère · 207 inhabitants (2000, former municipality of Villars-sous-Mont, last figure before the merger)
Part of the municipality of Bas-Intyamon
Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Remains Legends Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Villars-sous-Mont

The village is recorded in 1254 as « Villard-Symon », and a spelling « Vilare sis Mont » is given for around the year 1000. The name would contain a personal name, probably Sigemund. The present form recalls the village's position at the foot of the Mont, the Vanil Blanc nicknamed « Pré du Ciel ». In German it was called « Wiler am Berg ».[1][2][3]

Founding of Villars-sous-Mont

Villars-sous-Mont grew up on the left bank of the Sarine, beside the Bulle-Montbovon cantonal road. In the Middle Ages it belonged to the county of Gruyère and the banner of Gruyères, and was a daughter church of the parish of Gruyères. In the 18th century the cheese trade brought prosperous Baroque « carrées » to the village. Alpine pastures and cheese remain the basis of its economy. Villars-sous-Mont is today a village of the municipality of Bas-Intyamon (merger of 1 January 2004).[1][2][3]

History of Villars-sous-Mont

1254. The village appears in a dispute between the chapter of Lausanne and the count of Gruyère. That same year, Count Rudolph granted an alpine grazing right to Pierre de Villars Symon.[1][3]

1388. Like all the villages of the castellany, Villars-sous-Mont was freed from mortmain.[1]

1555. The village became part of Fribourg and belonged to the bailiwick of Gruyère.[1][3]

1641. A stone bridge was built. Its deck would be altered in 1937.[2]

1654. The chapel of Saints Simon and Jude was consecrated at the north end of the village, in 1654 (or as early as 1643).[1][2][3]

1701. The Dâda chapel was built on the site of the old parish church of Grandvillard.[2]

1786. Villars-sous-Mont separated from the parish of Gruyères and became a parish.[1][2]

1798. The village passed to the district of Gruyère.[1]

1808. The church received a new choir, then its porch tower in 1810.[2]

1860. Two blocks of houses were demolished to make way for the new road.[2]

1897. The chapel of Notre-Dame-Auxiliatrice, known as the pink chapel, was blessed.[1][2][3]

1903. The Bulle-Montbovon railway opened and gave rise to a district around the station.[1][2]

1961. A kitchen-fitting business was operating in the village.[1]

1990. The Home de la Vallée de l'Intyamon, for elderly people, opened near the church.[1][2]

2000. The church was restored and received an altarpiece by the artist Jacques Cesa.[1][3]

2003. On 11 September, the municipal assembly accepted the merger by 38 votes to 0.[5]

2004. On 1 January, Villars-sous-Mont formed the municipality of Bas-Intyamon with Enney and Estavannens. Its parish joined that of Bas-Intyamon in 2006.[1][5]

Population of Villars-sous-Mont

Sources and references: [1][5]

Population of Villars-sous-Mont
181194
1850112
1900120
1950110
2000207 (or 171 legal population on 31.12.2001)

Historic sites in Villars-sous-Mont

Church of Saints Simon and Jude. The former chapel of 1654, with its walled cemetery, received a choir in 1808 and a porch tower in 1810. Restored in 2000, it is listed in the inventory of cultural property (category B).[1][2][4]

Pink chapel. The chapel of Notre-Dame-Auxiliatrice, neo-Gothic and in red brick, dates from 1897. It was renovated in 1992-1993.[1][2][4]

Dâda chapel. The chapel of 1701 recalls the old parish church of Grandvillard, whose site it occupies.[2]

Stone bridge and old presbytery. The stone bridge dates from 1641 and the old presbytery from 1825. The site is listed in the federal inventory of heritage sites, with the highest rating for its historical and architectural qualities.[2]

Remains in Villars-sous-Mont

Mesolithic camp and Bronze Age grave. A Mesolithic camp and an Early Bronze Age inhumation grave have been identified in the area. A Bronze Age burial mound was discovered when the railway was built.[1][2]

Roman objects. Roman objects were found in 1907 during the railway works.[3]

Legends of Villars-sous-Mont

Claremboz and Bras de Fer. Tradition holds that in 1349 two men, Claremboz and Bras de Fer, defended the county of Gruyère on their own against a Bernese troop.[3]

Sources

  1. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Villars-sous-Mont » (Marianne Rolle, version du 20.04.2012)
  2. Inventaire fédéral des sites construits d'importance nationale (ISOS), « Villars-sous-Mont » (version de juin 1996)
  3. Commune de Bas-Intyamon, « Histoire de la Commune »
  4. Office fédéral de la protection de la population, « Révision Inventaire PBC 2021 : Liste cantonale Canton de FR » (état au 1.1.2026)
  5. Conseil d'État du canton de Fribourg, message n° 96 accompagnant le projet de décret relatif à la fusion des communes d'Enney, Estavannens et Villars-sous-Mont (30.09.2003)

Other villages near Villars-sous-Mont

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