Donatyre

Origin of the name Donatyre

The name Donatyre is first attested in 1228 in the form Donnatieri. The forms Domna Thecla (1343), Dompna Thecla alias Donatiere (1453), Donnatyre (1584) and then Donatire (1849) are found afterwards. These names refer to Saint Thecla (in Latin Domina Thecla), martyr of Iconium, to whom a chapel of the village is said to have been dedicated. Another source, however, mentions a church once dedicated to Saint Stephen: this point would deserve closer cross-checking, as the two dedications could correspond to different buildings or different periods.

Founding of Donatyre

Donatyre has no single identified founder, neither a religious order nor a building lord: the place developed directly on the outskirts of Aventicum, the Roman capital of Helvétie, with part of the future village even lying inside the line of the ancient fortified wall of the antique city, the other part outside it. Early medieval graves found beneath the church attest to continuous occupation of the site from that period, even before the first written mentions. Throughout the Middle Ages, the village fell under the temporal authority of the bishop of Lausanne, while the nobility of Avenches also held significant land rights there. It is thus a shared episcopal and seigneurial authority, rather than a foundation planned by a single actor, that gradually structured the village community.

History of Donatyre

1st to 4th century. The future village develops in the immediate vicinity of Aventicum, Roman capital of the province of Helvétie. Part of the site lies within the line of the Roman fortified wall, the other part outside it.

Early Middle Ages. Graves from this period are uncovered beneath the present-day church, attesting to occupation of the site before the first written mentions.

11th century. The choir of the present-day church is built. According to one source, the building was partly constructed with stones from the old Roman city wall of Aventicum, and Roman sarcophagi were discovered there.

1228. First known written mention of the place, in the Latin form Donnatieri.

1343. The place is mentioned in the form Domna Thecla, which explicitly refers to Saint Thecla.

15th century. The church is remodelled.

1453. New attested form of the place name: Dompna Thecla alias Donatiere.

1536. After the Bernese occupation of the Pays de Vaud, Donatyre comes under the jurisdiction of the municipality of Avenches and joins the Bernese bailiwick of Avenches, which will last until 1798.

1584. The form Donnatyre, close to the current name, is attested.

1712. A stained-glass window of the church, still preserved today, is dated to this year.

1764. The village has 117 inhabitants.

1798. With the fall of the Ancien Régime and the establishment of the Helvetic Republic, Donatyre is briefly attached to the canton of Fribourg.

1803. The Act of Mediation restores Donatyre, along with the entire district of Avenches, to the canton of Vaud, then forming a Vaud enclave within Fribourg territory.

1849. The form Donatire is attested to designate the village.

1850. The village reaches its known demographic peak with 198 inhabitants.

1860. The population stands at 179 inhabitants.

1900. The population stands at 148 inhabitants.

1906-1907. The church is restored. In the apse, the frescoes of the Saint-Étienne chapel of Montcherand are reproduced by the painter Ernest Correvon (1873-1965).

1978. The church undergoes a further restoration.

1980. The population reaches its known minimum with 101 inhabitants.

2000. The population rises again to 127 inhabitants.

2003. Last known census of Donatyre as an independent municipality: 140 inhabitants.

June 2005. Donatyre's electorate approves the merger project with the municipality of Avenches.

1 July 2006. Donatyre officially merges with Avenches, losing its status as an independent municipality. The village becomes a locality of the municipality of Avenches, in the district of Avenches (incorporated since 2008 into the Broye-Vully district).

Population of Donatyre

Population of Donatyre

1764	117
1850	198
1860	179
1900	148
1980	101
2000	127
2003	140

Historic sites in Donatyre

The temple (chapel) of Donatyre. A building in the Romanesque style whose choir dates back to the 11th century, remodelled in the 15th century and then restored in 1906-1907 and in 1978. It preserves a stained-glass window dated 1712 and an apse fresco created in 1906-1907 by Ernest Correvon, inspired by that of the Saint-Étienne chapel of Montcherand. The building is listed as a Swiss cultural property of national importance.

The line of the ancient Roman wall of Aventicum. The village developed along, and partly inside, the line of the fortified wall of the ancient Roman city of Aventicum, a memory it still preserves today in its layout.

Remains in Donatyre

Remains of the Roman wall of Aventicum. Roman remains, described as minor, have been recorded at Donatyre, including a section of wall linked to the fortifications of ancient Aventicum.

Roman sarcophagi and early medieval graves. Roman sarcophagi have been discovered inside the church, and early medieval graves have been uncovered beneath the building, attesting to continuous funerary use of the site from late Antiquity onward.

Legends of Donatyre

The inhabitants' nicknames. The inhabitants of Donatyre traditionally bore the nicknames «Les Groseilles» (the Redcurrants) and «Les Pique-lune» (the Moon-pokers). No detailed account explaining the origin of these nicknames could be found in the sources consulted; their precise meaning remains to be documented.

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, article « Donatyre »
• Wikipédia (français), article « Donatyre »
• Wikipédia (français), article « Temple de Donatyre »
• Wikipedia (English), article « Donatyre »
• Commune d'Avenches, présentation officielle de la commune
• Atlas des localités de Suisse, fiche « Donatyre »
• notreHistoire.ch, « École de Donatyre »

Other villages near Donatyre

• Avenches (VD)
• Oleyres (VD)
• Faoug (VD)
• Salavaux (VD)
• Cotterd (VD)