Bassins

Origin of the name Bassins

Origin of the name: an early form «Bacins» is reported in 1195 (to be cross-checked). Two explanations are put forward, without certainty: a Burgundian name derived from the personal name Basso, «at the home of Basso's people», or a Latinised personal name (Battius, Bassius) followed by a place suffix (to be cross-checked). The inhabitants are called Bachenards.

Founding of Bassins

None of the sources consulted dates the birth of the village. An early medieval cemetery near the church attests to early occupation. The development of Bassins is linked to its church of Notre-Dame, owned by the Cluniac priory of Payerne from 1148, which became the seat of a small Cluniac monastery, probably thanks to a donation by Humbert I, lord of Cossonay and Prangins, before 1164. The monks were also lords of Bassins until the Bernese conquest of 1536.

History of Bassins

1148. The church of Bassins is a possession of the priory of Payerne; it becomes the seat of a Cluniac monastery.

1164. First mention of a prior of Bassins, Gérold or Gérolet.

1183. A bull of Pope Lucius III confirms Payerne's possession of the church dedicated to Notre-Dame.

1195. Mention of the form «Bacins» (to be cross-checked).

late 13th century. The monastery of Bassins is united with that of Payerne; monastic life on site ended in the 14th century.

1361. Oldest known parchment: the recognition of the priory by Payerne.

late 14th century. The inhabitants, until then subject to the taille, are enfranchised.

1406. Foundation of the church's small chapel, dedicated to the Virgin, by Gérard de Penezat de Bassins.

15th century. Foundation of the large chapel by the confraternity of the Holy Spirit.

1529. The leaseholders of the convent of Payerne sublet the priory to Etienne Badel.

1536. Bernese conquest: the priory is dissolved; Bassins is attached to the bailiwick of Nyon and its church becomes an annex of the parish of Arzier. The commune is run by a council of twelve members and has its own court.

1542. The church property of Bassins is valued by a Bernese commissioner.

1667. The church of Bassins is attached to the parish of Burtigny.

1786-1797. Work on the church: construction of the porch and installation of two new bells.

1798. Bassins becomes part of the district of Nyon.

1899. Fire destroys the houses opposite the Couronne inn (to be cross-checked).

1934. Major restoration of the church and installation of stained glass by the painter Marcel Poncet, of Vich.

1970s. Until then Bassins is among the richest communes in the canton: it owns most of the forests on its territory and ten alpine chalets.

Population of Bassins

Population of Bassins

1764	310
1850	394
1900	417
1950	309
1960	291
2000	832
2025	1'468

Historic sites in Bassins

Church of Notre-Dame. The only surviving building of the former Cluniac priory, probably 12th century. It contains a small chapel founded in 1406 and a large chapel founded in the 15th century by the confraternity of the Holy Spirit; the porch dates from the late 18th century. Its stained glass, installed during the 1934 restoration, is the work of Marcel Poncet (1894-1953), a painter living in Vich. It is listed as a cultural property of national importance (to be cross-checked). From the cemetery the view extends over Lake Geneva, the Alps and Mont Blanc.

Forests and alpine chalets. The commune owns most of the forests on its large territory and ten alpine chalets, the source of its wealth until the 1970s.

Village fountains. Seven fountains, one at La Cézille and six in the old village, built around the 19th century for household needs and livestock (to be cross-checked).

Aromatic plant distillery. Bassins was home to a distillery of aromatic plants for perfumery, as well as the headquarters of the Vaud federation of mutual credit banks.

Sentier des Toblerones. Hiking trail following the line of Second World War anti-tank fortifications (to be cross-checked).

Remains in Bassins

Former Cluniac priory. Of the small rural priory dependent on Payerne and the abbey of Cluny, only the church has survived. Monastic life there had already ceased in the 14th century and the priory was dissolved in 1536.

Early medieval cemetery. An early medieval cemetery has been identified at Bassins, evidence of the early occupation of the site.

Legends of Bassins

The «Sèche-Brebis». According to local tradition, a young shepherd is said to have dried a rain-soaked ewe in an oven. This would explain the inhabitants' nicknames, «Sèche-Brebis» or «Mange-Brebis» (to be cross-checked).

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Bassins »
• Commune de Bassins, « Bassins et son église »
• La Côte Tourisme, « L'ancien prieuré clunisien de Bassins »
• Wikipédia, « Bassins »
• Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »

Other villages near Bassins

• Le Vaud (VD)
• Arzier-Le Muids (VD)
• Bioley (VD)
• Burtigny (VD)
• Marchissy (VD)