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Villages / Vaud / Goumoens-la-Ville

Goumoens-la-Ville

Canton of Vaud · District: Gros-de-Vaud · about 650 inhabitants (2009, before the 2011 merger)
Part of the municipality of Goumoëns
Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Remains Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Goumoens-la-Ville

The village is first attested in 1228 in the form "Guimuens li Vila" (date and spelling confirmed by two independent sources). The name derives from that of the noble de Goumoëns family, lords of the place from the Middle Ages onward; the element "la Ville" designates the main settlement of the former lordship, as opposed to the two other branches, Goumoens-le-Jux and Goumoens-le-Châtel.

Founding of Goumoens-la-Ville

Goumoens-la-Ville arose from the break-up, in the early 13th century, of the old lordship of Goumoëns, attested from 1097 by the existence of a castrum in the Talent valley, some ten kilometres north of Lausanne. The noble de Goumoëns family, whose origin is said to go back to Léotald de Goumoëns and his four nephews around 1030 (to be cross-checked), divided the territory among the descendants of Guy de Goumoëns, known as Barata, founder of the abbey of Montheron in 1135, giving rise to three distinct branches: Goumoens-le-Jux, Goumoens-le-Châtel (today Saint-Barthélemy) and Goumoens-la-Ville. The latter, endowed with a large parish from the 12th century, quickly became the most important of the three branches, supplanting Goumoens-le-Châtel. The lords of Goumoëns were vassals of the counts of Montfaucon-Montbéliard, themselves vassals of the Duke of Burgundy, and, for certain lands, vassals of the bishop of Lausanne.

History of Goumoens-la-Ville

around 1030. Léotald de Goumoëns and his four nephews, presumed ancestors of the noble de Goumoëns family (to be cross-checked, a single source consulted).

1097. First attested mention of the lordship of Goumoëns, through the existence of a castrum in the Talent valley.

1135. Guy de Goumoëns, known as Barata, founds the abbey of Montheron.

early 13th century. Break-up of the lordship of Goumoëns into three branches: Goumoens-le-Jux, Goumoens-la-Ville and Goumoens-le-Châtel. Goumoens-la-Ville, with its large parish, becomes the most important branch.

1228. First mention of the village under the name "Guimuens li Vila".

13th century. Henri II de Goumoëns leads the seigneurial branch of Goumoens-la-Ville (to be cross-checked, a single source).

1476-1798. The village belongs to the joint bailiwick of Orbe and Échallens, administered by Berne and Fribourg.

1477. François de Goumoëns buys the château Dessus.

1501. A church bell is dated to this year (to be cross-checked, a single source).

1536. End of the church's religious dependence on the abbey of Lac de Joux.

1575. The community joins the Protestant Reformation, later than many other Vaud regions.

1614. Construction of the current residential building of the château Dessous.

1798-2006. The village belongs to the district of Échallens.

1888. Goumoens-la-Ville gets one of the first secondary-type schools in the canton of Vaud.

1924. The château Dessous becomes a medico-social institution (EMS), after being bequeathed by its last chatelaine, Madame Couvreu de Goumoëns (to be cross-checked).

1940. Construction of a water tower in neo-medieval style, dominating the region (to be cross-checked, a single source).

31 August 2006. Transfer from the district of Échallens to the new district of Gros-de-Vaud.

1 July 2011. Merger with Eclagnens and Goumoens-le-Jux to form the new municipality of Goumoëns.

Population of Goumoens-la-Ville

Population of Goumoens-la-Ville
141640 hearths (households)
176464 communiers (holders of communal rights)
1803336
1850443
1900449
1920392
1950384
2000611
2009650

Historic sites in Goumoens-la-Ville

Reformed church of Saint-Théodule. According to one source, this may be the oldest church in the territory of the canton of Vaud, with parts of the choir dating back to the Carolingian era, that is, the 9th century (to be cross-checked). The building was dependent on the abbey of Montbenoît until 1476, then on the abbey of Lac de Joux until 1536, before the parish joined the Reformation in 1575. It reportedly retains 15th-century frescoes depicting musician angels as well as stained-glass windows by Jacques Wasem and Charles Clément, and a bell dated 1501 (to be cross-checked, these artistic details rest on only one source).

Dessus Castle. Former seigneurial residence of the Goumoens-la-Ville branch, the château Dessus was bought back in 1477 by François de Goumoëns. The building today houses an inn.

Dessous Castle. Another residence of the lords of Goumoëns-la-Ville, whose current residential building, the château Dessous, was erected in 1614. Its last chatelaine, Madame Couvreu de Goumoëns, reportedly bequeathed the building to an institution for elderly people (to be cross-checked); it has functioned as a medico-social institution (EMS) since 1924.

Neo-medieval water tower. Tower built in 1940 in neo-medieval style, which visually dominates the region (to be cross-checked, a single source consulted).

Remains in Goumoens-la-Ville

Remains of the two seigneurial castles. The Dessus and Dessous châteaux, historic seats of the Goumoëns-la-Ville branch of the noble family, partly survive and have been repurposed, as an inn and as a medico-social institution respectively.

Carolingian choir of the church of Saint-Théodule. Architectural elements of the church's choir are said to date back to the Carolingian era (9th century), which would make it, according to one source, the oldest church in the canton of Vaud (definitely to be cross-checked, this information is not confirmed by the Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse).

Sources

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