Froideville

Canton of Vaud · District: Gros-de-Vaud · About 2'700 inhabitants according to the most recent data available (2'728 inhabitants on 31 December 2023); a provisional estimate for 2025 indicates 2'708 inhabitants, a slightly lower figure still to be confirmed by the next official statistics.

Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Remains Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Froideville

In 1284, a first written document designates Froideville under the Latin form « Frigida Villa », which can be translated as « the cold estate » or « the cold village ». This name very probably refers to the location of the place, away from the major routes and at a fairly high altitude for the region (around 800 to 900 metres), on the wooded and damp plateau of the Jorat, exposed to fog and to harsher winters than in the nearby Lausanne plain. This first mention from 1284 is not an isolated fact: it corresponds exactly to the founding act of the village, which is rare enough to be worth noting, the administrative birth and the first written trace of the name coinciding in the same document. No distinct patois form of the name could be found in the sources consulted, which does not mean it never existed, simply that it does not appear to have been documented or did not differ noticeably from the French form. The official demonym for the inhabitants likewise could not be confirmed with certainty: a source consulted on this precise point explicitly states that the information is not available. On the other hand, a well-attested traditional nickname circulates for the people of Froideville, reported by two independent sources: they are called « lè Caca-Tchou », literally the « cabbage-poopers », a nickname referring to cabbage growing, long very present in the region, and to a local cabbage sausage that made its reputation.

Founding of Froideville

Froideville was not founded all at once by a lay lord, but was born, like several villages of the Jorat, from the activity of a Cistercian abbey. This abbey, first established before 1126 under the name Grâce-Dieu a few kilometres from its final site, was transferred between 1142 and 1147 to the small valley of the Talent, at the place that would become Montheron. Attached to the abbey of Bellevaux, in Haute-Saône, itself descended from the Morimond line within the Cistercian order, this foundation had received the support of the bishop of Lausanne and the regional nobility. In the 13th century, the monks of Montheron cleared and developed the forests and farmland of the Jorat, work to which the abbey owed a good part of its modest but real prosperity, which also contributed, further afield, to the development of the Lavaux vineyard. Gradually, laypeople joined or replaced the monks in working this land and settled on the fringes of the abbey's estates: the village of Froideville thus formed from this community of subjects dependent on the abbey. According to the source that reports this episode in the most detail, on 26 September 1284 the imperial bailiff Richard de Corbières granted, by an official act, to the « communiers de Froideville », servants of the convent of Montheron, the same rights enjoyed by the monks themselves; this date is taken as that of the official birth of the village, as a community with its own rights. Only the year 1284 and the form « Frigida Villa » could be independently confirmed by a second source; the detail about the bailiff and the act itself rests on the reference entry of the Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, which remained inaccessible during the checks carried out for this entry, and would deserve to be cross-checked again. This did not, however, mean immediate independence: until the Reformation, Froideville remained subject to both the spiritual and temporal authority of the abbey of Montheron, its inhabitants remaining liable for dues and feudal rights owed to the convent. It was only on 16 March 1455 that Abbot Jean de Cheseaux freed the inhabitants from these bonds of servitude, in exchange for financial compensation whose exact amount varies according to the sources consulted, one mentioning 43 gold florins, the other 45 gold florins; this point would deserve to be settled by direct consultation of the medieval deed concerned.

History of Froideville

before 1126. Founding, under the name Grâce-Dieu, of the Cistercian community that would later become the abbey of Montheron, a few kilometres from its final site.

1142-1147. Transfer of the abbey to the small valley of the Talent, at the site of Montheron; the establishment, attached to the abbey of Bellevaux (Cistercian Morimond line), receives the support of the bishop of Lausanne and the regional nobility.

13th century. The monks of Montheron clear and cultivate the forests and lands of the Jorat; laypeople gradually settle on the fringes of the abbey's estates, gradually forming the village community of Froideville. No prehistoric or Roman archaeological remains specific to the territory of Froideville could be identified in the sources consulted; the documented history of the place begins with this medieval clearance phase.

26 September 1284. According to the source that documents this episode in the most detail (which remained inaccessible during the checks carried out for this entry), the imperial bailiff Richard de Corbières grants to the « communiers de Froideville », servants of the convent of Montheron, the same rights as the monks. This act would constitute both the first known written mention of the village's name, under the Latin form « Frigida Villa » (independently confirmed for the year 1284), and the founding act of its birth as an organised community.

before 1455. Before the Reformation, Froideville remains subject to the spiritual and temporal authority of the abbey of Montheron; its inhabitants are bound by feudal dues owed to the convent.

16 March 1455. Abbot Jean de Cheseaux frees the inhabitants of Froideville from their bonds of servitude to the convent, in exchange for financial compensation whose precise amount differs according to the sources (43 or 45 gold florins).

1528. The abbey of Montheron places itself under the protection of the city of Lausanne, amid growing religious tensions.

1536. The Bernese conquest of the Pays de Vaud leads to the suppression of the convent of Montheron with the introduction of the Protestant Reformation. Froideville comes under Bernese administration and now depends on Lausanne. It is also during this period, according to one source, that the boundary stone known as the « des Trois Jorats » is erected, marking the boundary between the territories of Froideville, Montpreveyres and Lausanne; another source instead mentions an inauguration of the monument in 1929, which could correspond to a renewal or restoration of the stone rather than to its original placement, though this could not be confirmed with certainty.

1590-1592. Construction of a Protestant temple on the site of the former abbey of Montheron, on which the reformed parish covering, among others, Froideville then depends.

1764. First available population figure for Froideville: 295 inhabitants.

1778. Addition of a baroque facade to the temple of Montheron.

1798. The Pays de Vaud becomes an independent canton during the period of the Helvetic Republic. Froideville joins the new district of Echallens, to which it will belong for more than two centuries.

1803. The hamlet of Montheron, where the former abbey had been established, is temporarily attached administratively to Froideville.

1813. Montheron is permanently detached from Froideville and attached to the municipality of Lausanne, causing a loss of territory for Froideville but also the end of certain upkeep charges.

1850. The population of Froideville reaches 454 inhabitants, one of the high points of the 19th century before the rural exodus that will affect the region in the following decades.

1900. The population falls back to 360 inhabitants, reflecting the rural depopulation movement then affecting a large part of the Vaud countryside.

1919. Adoption, according to one source consulted, of the current municipal coat of arms: a shield divided per fess, azure with an anchored cross or (recalling the Cistercian monastic past) and gules with a plough argent (evoking the village's agricultural vocation).

1950. The population continues to decline, to 289 inhabitants.

1960. Demographic low point of the village with 266 inhabitants, before the start of a complete reversal of the trend in the following decades.

1960s. Beginning of the development of residential neighbourhoods around the historic village centre, driven by the growing proximity to the Lausanne agglomeration.

1980. The population reaches 994 inhabitants, a sign of growth already very marked compared to the low point of the 1960s.

1985. Construction of the ecumenical centre of Froideville, including a chapel fitted with an organ, used in particular by the reformed parish covering Morrens and Montheron.

1990. The population stands at 1'293 inhabitants.

2000. The village has 1'453 inhabitants. Between 1999 and 2009, demographic growth reaches around 16.7%, driven both by net migration and by births exceeding deaths.

1 January 2008. As part of the territorial reform of the canton of Vaud, the district of Echallens, on which Froideville had depended since 1798, is dissolved. Froideville joins the new district of Gros-de-Vaud, whose seat remains Echallens.

2010. The population reaches 1'758 inhabitants according to a statistical estimate.

1 December 2014. The inhabitants of Froideville, like those of Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Cugy and Morrens, reject in a popular vote the project to merge the four municipalities into a new entity called « Haut-Talent ». A source states that the syndic (mayor) of the time was the only member of the municipal executive to publicly support this project, a detail that would deserve further cross-checking. Froideville remains an independent municipality.

2020. The population crosses a new threshold with 2'695 inhabitants.

2023. On 31 December, Froideville has 2'728 inhabitants, confirming its transformation into a residential municipality largely integrated into the Lausanne agglomeration, without ever having merged with a neighbouring municipality.

2025. A provisional estimate puts the population at around 2'708 inhabitants, a slight decline compared to 2023, a figure still to be confirmed by the final statistics. Froideville remains to this day a politically independent municipality of the district of Gros-de-Vaud.

Population of Froideville

295

1764

470

1803

454

1850

360

1900

289

1950

266

1960

994

1980

1'293

1990

1'453

2000

1'758

2010

2'695

2020

2'728

2023

2'708

2025

Historic sites in Froideville

Borne des Trois Jorats. This stone monolith marks, at the highest point of the wooded massif of the Jorat (about 929 metres), the meeting of the territories of Froideville, Montpreveyres and the city of Lausanne, that is, today, the districts of Gros-de-Vaud, Lavaux-Oron and Lausanne. Its origin goes back to the 16th century, in the context of the administrative reorganisation of the Pays de Vaud by the Bernese bailiffs after 1536; one source places its placement precisely in 1536, while another mentions an inauguration in 1929, which could refer to a restoration or renewal of the monument rather than a contradiction about its origin. The boundary stone, decorated with the coats of arms of the jurisdictions concerned, remains today a popular walking destination in the woods of the Jorat and continues to mark a very real administrative boundary.

Ecumenical centre of Froideville. Built in 1985 on the rue du Bas de la Fin, this building houses a chapel fitted with an organ and serves as a shared place of worship, in particular for the reformed parish covering Froideville together with the neighbouring villages of Morrens and Montheron. Its ecumenical purpose makes it a relatively recent place of religious gathering, but one well established in current municipal life.

Former abbey of Montheron, cradle of the village. Although the site of the Cistercian abbey is today located within the territory of the municipality of Lausanne, following the attachment of Montheron to it in 1813, it remains inseparable from the history of Froideville since the village formed directly from the community of subjects of this abbey. The Protestant temple that stands there today, built in 1590-1592 and given a baroque facade added in 1778, occupies the site of the former monastery suppressed in 1536.

Remains in Froideville

Borne des Trois Jorats, remnant of Bernese administration. Beyond its function as a heritage landmark still used today, this boundary stone constitutes a direct material remnant of the administrative reorganisation imposed by Bern on the Pays de Vaud after the 1536 conquest, when the new Bernese jurisdictions redrew the boundaries inherited from the seigneurial and abbatial era. It bears concrete, on-the-ground witness to the moment when Froideville shifted from the tutelage of the abbey of Montheron to Bernese administration, a decisive turning point in its political history.

Sources

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