Burtigny

Origin of the name Burtigny

The name appears in 1144 as «Britiniaco», then as «Brettignei» in 1145. None of the sources consulted explains its etymology. The inhabitants, the Burtignérans or Burtigniérans, are nicknamed the Pies-grièches (shrikes, «lè Matagace» in Vaud patois).

Founding of Burtigny

None of the sources consulted says who founded the village. The territory was inhabited long before the Common Era: cup-marked stones, a Bronze Age foundry and Hallstatt-period burial mounds have been found. In the Middle Ages the lords of Prangins, Mont-le-Vieux and Aubonne shared the area, while the church depended on Bonmont Abbey. The rights of Aubonne became predominant in 1357.

History of Burtigny

Bronze Age. A foundry is in operation on the territory.

Hallstatt period. Burial mounds are built in the area.

1144. First mention («Britiniaco»).

1145. The name appears as «Brettignei».

1204. The church is then a dependency of Bonmont Abbey.

1262. Wuillierme de Prangins is described as lord of Mont, Bioley and Marchissy.

1267. In a division of property, Jean de Prangins receives Prangins, Mont-le-Vieux and Bioley.

1293. The Count of Savoy besieges several fortresses, including Bioley; on 9 July Louis of Savoy receives the castles of Mont and Bioley as an augmentation of his fief.

1314. The castellany of Bioley has disappeared; the fortress is gradually abandoned.

1337. Louis II of Savoy, Baron of Vaud, grants the monks of Bonmont the right to graze their livestock on the common pastures of Marchissy and Burtigny.

1357. The rights of the lords of Aubonne become predominant.

1380. Burtigny receives important property on the Marchairuz.

1487. The church of Saint-Pierre is partly rebuilt in the Gothic style (1481 according to another source, to be cross-checked).

1527. Burtigny temporarily owns the upper part of the Vallée de Joux.

1536. Under Bernese rule Burtigny belongs to the barony of Aubonne, which became a bailiwick in 1701.

1667. The Reformed parish of Burtigny loses Longirod and gains Bassins.

1798. Burtigny is assigned to the district of Rolle.

1809. The parsonage is built.

1889-1979. The orphanage «la Maison» is in operation.

1955. The church is listed as a historic monument.

2008. The new Vaud districts come into force: Burtigny is now part of the district of Nyon.

2025. The municipality has 406 inhabitants.

Population of Burtigny

Population of Burtigny

1764	243
1850	362
1900	369
1910	383
1950	343
1970	216
1990	287
2000	311
2025	406

Historic sites in Burtigny

Church of Saint-Pierre. Of Romanesque origin, it belonged to Bonmont Abbey, whose influence explains the pointed arches of the windows in the Romanesque bell tower. A parish church dedicated to Saint Peter, it was partly rebuilt in the Gothic style at the end of the 15th century and later restored; it has been a listed historic monument since 1955. After the Reformation the parish comprised Burtigny, Saint-George, Marchissy, Longirod (until 1667), Bassins (from 1667) and Le Vaud.

Parsonage. The pastor's house was built in 1809.

School. Built in 1838, it was destroyed in a village fire in 1864 (to be cross-checked), then restored by the architect Alfred Cugnet, who added an annexe tower.

Remains in Burtigny

Bioley Castle. An oval fortress 101 metres long, south-east of the village, above the Serine, at about 650 metres altitude. A rectangular keep measuring 16 by 22 metres, set on an artificial mound, dominated its eastern part, and a double semi-concentric ditch separated it from the plateau. Mentioned in 1262, held by the Prangins family and then by Louis of Savoy, it was besieged in 1293; the castellany had disappeared by 1314. In 1868 its walls were still being used as a quarry.

Cup-marked stones and erratic boulders. Cup-marked stones bear witness to a prehistoric presence. Several erratic boulders lie in the municipality's forests: the Pierre du bois des Tattes, the Pierre à cupule, the Pierre à mille trous, the Pierre à Phébou and the Pierre à Roland.

Foundry and burial mounds. A Bronze Age foundry and Hallstatt-period burial mounds have been identified in the municipality.

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Burtigny »
• Commune de Burtigny, « Le Château de Biolley »
• Commune de Burtigny, « L'Eglise »
• Wikipédia, « Burtigny »
• Wikipedia (allemand), « Burtigny »
• Wikipédia, « Districts du canton de Vaud »
• Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »

Other villages near Burtigny

• Bioley (VD)
• Le Vaud (VD)
• Bassins (VD)
• Les Serraux (VD)
• Marchissy (VD)