Arrissoules
Origin of the name Arrissoules
The etymology of the name Arrissoules remains debated. The older hypotheses, which derived the name from an ancient personal name (of the type Aristius or Arectius), have been abandoned by more recent research. The explanation now favoured sees it as a blend of the verb «arare» (to plough) and the term «essarter» (to clear), which would correspond to the origin of the place as a rural estate gained through the clearing of vast oak and chestnut forests. This hypothesis rests mainly on a specialised study and would deserve to be cross-checked against other work before being regarded as definitively established. The name appears in writing in the form «Arresules» in 1148, in the context of even older mentions (1142 and 1146) already designating the grange (agricultural estate) of Arrissoules.
Founding of Arrissoules
Arrissoules was not founded as a village organised around a parish or a château, but as an agricultural estate (a «grange») dependent on the Cistercian abbey of Hauterive, founded in 1138 in the present-day canton of Fribourg. This estate, born of the clearing of the plateau that overlooks the eastern shore of lac de Neuchâtel by around two hundred metres, is attested from 1142 by a charter of the bishop of Lausanne, Guy de Merle, then confirmed by a papal bull of 1146. Control of this property then passed to the chapter of Lausanne Cathedral, before the territory became, in the 14th and 15th centuries, a dependency of the seigneury of Saint-Martin-du-Chêne. Arrissoules would remain a small agricultural village, without a château or fortification of its own, its fate remaining tied for centuries to that of the bailiwick and later the district of Yverdon.
History of Arrissoules
1138. Founding, in the present-day canton of Fribourg, of the Cistercian abbey of Hauterive, on which the agricultural estate at the origin of the hamlet of Arrissoules will depend.
1142. A charter of Guy de Merle, bishop of Lausanne, dated 21 March, mentions the grange of Arrissoules among the possessions of Hauterive abbey.
1146. A papal bull confirms the possessions of Hauterive abbey, including the grange of Arrissoules.
1148. First known written mention of the place name, in the form «Arresules».
14th-15th centuries. Control of the estate passes from Hauterive abbey to the chapter of Lausanne Cathedral, then the territory of Arrissoules becomes a dependency of the seigneury of Saint-Martin-du-Chêne.
1474. Before the Burgundy Wars, the inhabitants of Arrissoules contribute, together with those of Rovray, Chavannes-le-Chêne, Molondin and Le Pâquier, to repairs of the Saint-Martin château.
1536-1798. Under Bernese rule, Arrissoules is part of the bailiwick of Yverdon.
1754. Arrissoules bears a third of the construction costs of the church of Rovray, then contributes to its upkeep until 1956.
1764. The village has 52 inhabitants according to the data recorded for this period.
1766. The parish of Arrissoules is separated from that of Rovray and attached to the parish of Yvonand.
1832. Last burials of inhabitants of Arrissoules in the Rovray cemetery, before the village has its own burial ground.
1850. The population reaches 76 inhabitants, a peak for the village.
1883. On 6 February, a fire destroys half the village; the school is subsequently rebuilt.
1919. A commemorative medal dedicated to those mobilised in the First World War features the motif of the linden tree, the village's symbol.
1925. Arrissoules adopts its own municipal coat of arms.
1936. The century-old school of Arrissoules closes for lack of pupils.
1938. The youth societies of Arrissoules and Rovray merge to form the Rovray-Arrissoules youth society.
1945. All pupils of Arrissoules are now schooled in Rovray, against an annual contribution per pupil.
1953 and 1980. Joint land improvement syndicates for Arrissoules and Rovray are formed.
1980-1983. The population of Arrissoules reaches its lowest point, between 24 and 26 inhabitants.
1994. Arrissoules joins the ARRIBRU intermunicipal water supply network.
1998. The municipalities of Arrissoules and Rovray hire a joint secretary-treasurer, a linden tree is replanted in Arrissoules and the intermunicipal wastewater treatment plant is commissioned on 5 June.
2000. Arrissoules has 37 inhabitants; together with Rovray the total is 91 inhabitants.
2001. A joint municipal office for the two villages opens in Rovray, in view of a merger.
2005. On 1 January, the municipalities of Arrissoules and Rovray merge to form the new municipality of Rovray, described at the time as the most recently created municipality in the canton of Vaud.
2013. As of 30 June, the merged municipality of Rovray has 154 inhabitants, of whom 47 are in the former village of Arrissoules.
2024. As of 1 December, the municipality of Rovray has 194 inhabitants, of whom 64 are in the former village of Arrissoules.
Population of Arrissoules
| 1764 | 52 |
| 1776 | 41 |
| 1850 | 76 |
| 1980 | 26 |
| 1983 | 24 |
| 2000 | 37 |
| 2013 | 47 |
| 2024 | 64 |
Historic sites in Arrissoules
The former school of Arrissoules. The village's school building, more than a century old, was rebuilt after the fire of 1883 before closing its doors in 1936 for lack of pupils; these were then schooled in Rovray and later in Yvonand.
The linden tree of Arrissoules. This tree, a symbol of the village, appears on a commemorative medal of the 1919 mobilisation; a linden tree was replanted on the village square in 1998.
The plateau overlooking lac de Neuchâtel. Arrissoules is built on a plateau that overlooks the eastern shore of lac de Neuchâtel by around two hundred metres, offering a view of the lake and the Jura massif.
The Arrissoules motorway tunnel. Although recent (A1 motorway), this tunnel passing beneath the village's territory is today the element of the name Arrissoules best known to the general public, particularly during exercises and interventions by the emergency services.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse (HLS/DHS), article "Arrissoules"
- Commune de Rovray, Histoire d'Arrissoules
- Commune de Rovray, La fusion de Rovray et Arrissoules
- Commune de Rovray, Présentation de la commune
- Wikipedia (en), "Arrissoules"
- Revue historique vaudoise, "Arrissoules : sur son histoire et son nom" (1970), e-periodica.ch
Other villages near Arrissoules
Missing information, or do you have a source? Suggest a correction or addition. Every submission is checked before it's published.
Suggest a change