Commugny
Origin of the name Commugny
The place is mentioned in 1018 in the form « Communiacum ». The etymology of this name is not explained in the sources consulted.
Founding of Commugny
A flint found at Bois Baron suggests a prehistoric presence. In the 1st century AD a wealthy Roman villa with a portico, decorated with exceptional wall paintings, occupied the site, in the hinterland of the Roman colony of Nyon. On its ruins a first church was built from the 6th-7th century, around which the village grew. No founder is known: the land of Commugny later belonged to the abbey of Saint-Maurice, which recovered it in 1018 from King Rudolph III of Burgundy.
History of Commugny
prehistory. A flint found at Bois Baron suggests early human presence.
1st century. A Roman villa with a portico, adorned with wall paintings, is built.
6th-7th century. First church built on the site of the villa.
515. According to tradition, Sigismund, King of Burgundy, gave Commugny to the abbey of Saint-Maurice; the donation actually seems to date from the 9th century.
8th-9th century. Second church, completed by a square choir in the 11th century.
1018. Rudolph III returns the land of « Communiacum » to the abbey of Saint-Maurice.
1026. First mention of the parish church, dedicated to Saint Christopher.
12th century. A troubled period: Commugny, an advocacy of the Blonay family, is pledged to the Count of Geneva.
1180 and 1199. The abbey of Saint-Maurice buys back from the Count of Geneva the pledge he held on the advocacy.
1257. Peter of Savoy acquires Commugny.
1271. Commugny becomes part of the lordship, later barony, of Coppet.
before 1450. The fortified house of Marnex is built.
1536-1798. The barony of Coppet belongs to the Bernese bailiwick of Nyon; after the Reformation Commugny becomes the centre of a parish that today includes the municipalities of Terre-Sainte.
1788-1789. The parsonage is remodelled.
1798. Commugny becomes part of the district of Nyon.
1904. The remains of the Roman villa are discovered during work for the new cemetery.
1905. On 28 August a man kills his pregnant wife and his two children; this tragedy fuels the campaign that leads to the ban on absinthe, approved in a federal vote on 5 July 1908.
1959. On 19 April, in Commugny and Oulens-sur-Lucens, the first women in Switzerland vote; in Commugny 57 women take part in the ballot.
around 1960. Until then a farming and wine-growing municipality, Commugny becomes residential with the construction of the A1 motorway.
2000. 75% of the working population works outside the municipality, mainly in Geneva; over a third of the inhabitants are foreigners, many of them international civil servants.
Population of Commugny
| 1764 | 249 |
| 1798 | 282 |
| 1850 | 249 |
| 1900 | 308 |
| 1950 | 337 |
| 1960 | 439 |
| 2000 | 2'603 |
| 2025 | 2'968 |
Historic sites in Commugny
Church of Saint-Christophe. Built on the site of the Roman villa, it succeeds a first church of the 6th-7th century and a second building of the 8th-9th century, to which a square choir was added in the 11th century and seven chapels in the 14th-16th centuries. Mentioned in 1026, it is one of the most remarkable churches of the region. It was restored in 1932, in 1971-1973 and in 1996-1998.
Château de Marnex. Former fortified house whose construction, in its present state, dates from before 1450; it was renovated in the 17th century and includes farm outbuildings.
The parsonage. Built in the 17th century on the site of the baths of the Roman villa, it was remodelled in 1788-1789 and restored in 1976.
Remains in Commugny
Roman villa of Commugny. Villa with a portico from the 1st century AD, discovered in 1904 during earthworks for the wall of the new cemetery. Its wall paintings are unique in Switzerland for their quality, making the site one of the most important in the country for the Roman period. The church and the parsonage were built on its ruins.
Legends of Commugny
The « Vy des Mores ». The name of this path is the subject of two traditions: for some it is the « way of the dead » leading to the cemetery; for others it recalls the passage of the Moors (Saracens).
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Commugny »
- Wikipédia, « Commugny »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Other villages near Commugny
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