Echichens
Origin of the name Echichens
The name appears in 1131 in the form «Chichens». Its etymology is not explained by the sources consulted.
Founding of Echichens
The site was occupied as early as Roman times: remains of a villa and Roman coins have been found near Joulens. A Burgundian settlement of the place is put forward by a municipal source (to be cross-checked). No founding charter or founder is known: the village grew as a rural community on land where, from the 12th century, the chapter of Lausanne and the abbey of the Lac de Joux held important property. The lordship, with low and middle justice, depended on the lords of Cossonay. The municipality includes the hamlets of Joulens and Le Vernay.
History of Echichens
Roman period. Roman villa near Joulens, of which remains and coins survive.
1131. First mention of the place, in the form «Chichens».
12th century. The chapter of Lausanne and the abbey of the Lac de Joux hold important property in Echichens.
1173. The church of Notre-Dame of Joulens is listed among the possessions of the chapter of Lausanne.
14th-16th centuries. The lordship, held from the lords of Cossonay with low and middle justice, is divided into several fiefs.
1536. Bernese conquest and Reformation; Echichens belongs to the Bernese bailiwick of Morges until 1798.
1610. The lordship passes to the du Gard family, which keeps it until 1777; its coat of arms later becomes that of the municipality.
1777. The lordship passes to the town of Morges, then to Bern. The same year, pastor François-Samuel Mandrot buys the castle (to be cross-checked).
1802. During the Bourla-Papey uprising, most of the archives are destroyed.
1893-1894. Construction of the present Protestant church.
1927. The municipality adopts the coat of arms of the du Gard family.
1933. Opening of a retirement home.
1964. Opening of the motorway; Echichens becomes a residential municipality while keeping farming, wine-growing and crafts.
1985. Inauguration of the multi-purpose hall.
1989. The municipality buys the castle farm to house its administration.
2008. The new Vaud districts come into force; Echichens remains in the district of Morges.
2011. On 1 July, merger with Colombier, Monnaz and Saint-Saphorin-sur-Morges (which have their own page); the Echichens coat of arms ceases to be official.
Population of Echichens
| 1764 | 140 |
| 1850 | 300 |
| 1900 | 358 |
| 1950 | 393 |
| 1970 | 673 |
| 2000 | 1'119 |
| 2025 | 3'241 (merged municipality of four villages) |
Historic sites in Echichens
Joulens and its church. Hamlet of the municipality. The church of Notre-Dame of Joulens is listed from 1173 among the possessions of the chapter of Lausanne. In the Middle Ages its parish extended beyond Echichens (Chigny belonged to it in 1228); its role as the parish church of Morges until the Reformation remains to be clarified (to be cross-checked).
Echichens Castle. Residence with an 18th-century appearance and squat square towers, possibly the successor of a fortified house. Bought in 1777 by François-Samuel Mandrot, it passed by marriage in 1803 to the de Luze family from Neuchâtel. Restored until 2017, it remains a private home. The castle farm has housed the municipal administration since 1989.
Echichens Protestant church. Church built in 1893-1894.
Remains in Echichens
Roman villa of Joulens. Remains of a villa and Roman coins have been found near Joulens, evidence of the occupation of the slope in Antiquity.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Echichens »
- Feuille des avis officiels du canton de Vaud, « Echichens » (armoiries et historique)
- Swisscastles, « Le château d'Echichens »
- Wikipédia, « Échichens »
- Wikipédia, « Districts du canton de Vaud »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Localities of the municipality with a page
Other villages near Echichens
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