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Villages / Fribourg / Gruyère district / Villarvolard

Villarvolard

Canton of Fribourg · District: Gruyère · 215 inhabitants (2000, former municipality of Villarvolard, last figure before the merger)
Part of the municipality of Corbières
Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Villarvolard

In 1179 the village appears as « Vilierbalart », in 1228 as « Vilar Vualar ». The name remains unexplained.[1]

Founding of Villarvolard

Villarvolard lies on the eastern slope of the Lac de la Gruyère. The village first appears as a dependency of the parish of Vuippens, which Bishop Amadeus of Lausanne had given to the abbey of Humilimont around 1145-1149. It became a parish before 1228. Its inhabitants lived from cattle breeding and fodder crops. Villarvolard is today a village of the municipality of Corbières (merger of 2011).[1]

History of Villarvolard

1145-1149. Bishop Amadeus of Lausanne gave the parish of Vuippens, on which Villarvolard depended, to the abbey of Humilimont.[1]

1179. A bull of Pope Alexander III in favour of Humilimont mentions the dependency of Villarvolard. It is the oldest written record of the village.[1][2]

1228. Villarvolard was already a parish, under the patronage of Saint Sulpice.[1]

1553. The village came under Fribourg rule with the lordship in 1553 (or 1554) and then belonged to the bailiwick of Corbières.[1][2]

1580. When Humilimont was suppressed, the right of patronage passed to the chapter of Saint-Nicolas in Fribourg.[1]

1663. Catherine Repond, known as Catillon, was born in Villarvolard around 18 August. Unmarried, she lived there by begging with her sister Marguerite.[3]

Late 17th century. A first primary school was founded.[1]

1731. Suspected of witchcraft, Catillon was interrogated at Corbières, confessed under torture to a pact with the devil, was tried a second time and executed in Fribourg on 15 September.[3][2]

1760. The present church, rebuilt in the middle of the century on its current site, was consecrated.[1][2]

1798. Villarvolard was assigned to the district of La Roche, then from 1803 to 1848 to that of Corbières.[1]

1828. Jacques Repond (1760-1830), known as « le Russe », gave the village its covered fountain.[2][4]

1848. Villarvolard joined the Gruyère district.[2]

Late 19th century. The church received a new bell tower.[2]

2009. In May, the Fribourg Grand Council morally rehabilitated Catherine Repond.[3]

2011. Villarvolard merged with Corbières.[1][2]

Population of Villarvolard

Sources and references: [1]

Population of Villarvolard
1811234
1850256
1900205
1950213
2000215

Historic sites in Villarvolard

Parish church. Rebuilt in the mid-18th century and consecrated in 1760, the church received a new bell tower at the end of the 19th century.[1][2]

Covered fountain. Built in 1828 thanks to gifts from Jacques Repond, the village's covered fountain is listed in the cultural property inventory (category B).[2][4]

Repond house and farmhouses. The Repond house, rue Passaplan, is a cultural property of national importance (category A). Antoine Repond's farmhouse and a farmhouse on the route du Carro are listed in category B.[4]

Sources

  1. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Villarvolard » (Marianne Rolle, version du 22.09.2011)
  2. Commune de Corbières, « Histoire »
  3. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Repond, Catherine » (Kathrin Utz Tremp, version du 19.08.2010)
  4. Office fédéral de la protection de la population, « Révision Inventaire PBC 2021 : Liste cantonale Canton de FR » (état au 1.1.2026)

Other villages near Villarvolard

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