La Chaux (Cossonay)
Origin of the name La Chaux (Cossonay)
The hamlet of Ittens is mentioned from 964 («Villa Ittinges»); La Chaux appears in 1228 («La Chaus») and in 1277 («de Calce»). The name comes from the Franco-Provençal «chaux», a pasture or flattened summit, itself from the Gaulish «calmis», poor land (to be cross-checked). The inhabitants are called Chauyonais.
Founding of La Chaux (Cossonay)
Romans were present in the area, where a large settlement at the place called Les Chambres has been known since 1842 (to be cross-checked). In the Middle Ages La Chaux and Ittens formed two separate lordships. The lords of Cossonay gave La Chaux to the Templars before 1223, who established a commandery there; after the order was suppressed in 1312, it passed to the Knights of St John of Jerusalem (Hospitallers). The two lordships were united in 1674.
History of La Chaux (Cossonay)
Roman period. Roman presence at several sites in the area, including the Les Chambres settlement (to be cross-checked).
Early Middle Ages. Burgundian cemetery, discovered in 1842 and 1847, now vanished.
964. First mention of Ittens as «Villa Ittinges».
before 1223. The lords of Cossonay give La Chaux to the Templars.
1228. Mention of «La Chaus».
1277. Mention of «de Calce».
1312. Suppression of the Templar order; the commandery passes to the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, who manage the hospices of Orbe, Villars-Sainte-Croix and Montbrelloz from La Chaux.
1474. La Chaux has 14 hearths.
15th century. Construction of the chapel of Saint-Michel, the future church.
1536. Bernese conquest and Reformation: the commandery is secularised.
1540. The commandery is sold to Robert du Gard.
1560. La Chaux has 29 hearths.
1613. The church is enlarged.
1674. Through her marriage to Daniel de Chandieu, Anne du Gard unites the lordships of La Chaux and Ittens.
1764. The village has 235 inhabitants.
1781. The church is enlarged again.
1798. La Chaux becomes part of the district of Cossonay.
1858. Rebuilding of the Lausanne-Vallée de Joux road over the Mollendruz, which runs through the municipality.
1922. Adoption of the coat of arms with two Maltese crosses, recalling the Templars and the Hospitallers (to be cross-checked).
2006-2008. The law on territorial organisation, in force from 1 September 2006, abolishes the district of Cossonay; the municipality becomes part of the district of Morges, effective 1 January 2008.
Population of La Chaux (Cossonay)
| 1474 | 14 hearths (households) |
| 1560 | 29 hearths (households) |
| 1764 | 235 |
| 1850 | 484 |
| 1900 | 364 |
| 1950 | 320 |
| 1970 | 214 |
| 2000 | 352 |
| 2025 | 421 |
Historic sites in La Chaux (Cossonay)
The Commandery. Seat of the commandery of the Templars and then of the Hospitallers, the main house of the Order of St John in the Pays de Vaud until the early 16th century, secularised at the Reformation and sold in 1540. Converted into a country house around 1676, listed as a historic monument in 1960 and damaged by fires in 1947 and 1961, it retains an eastern facade in Flamboyant Gothic style (to be cross-checked).
Church. Former 15th-century chapel of Saint-Michel, enlarged in 1613 and 1781. It holds two bells of 1621 and 1730 that came from Burgundy (Saulieu and Thil) after the French Revolution (to be cross-checked).
Villages of La Chaux and Ittens. The municipality brings together two villages, La Chaux on the left bank of the Veyron and Ittens on the right bank, formerly separate lordships united in 1674.
The mill. On the Veyron, it successively housed a mill, a sawmill, an oil mill and a threshing mill until the early 20th century (to be cross-checked).
Remains in La Chaux (Cossonay)
Roman settlement of Les Chambres. Large Roman settlement known since 1842, one of four Roman sites identified in the area (to be cross-checked).
Burgundian cemetery. Early medieval cemetery discovered in 1842 and 1847; it has since vanished.
Gothic facade of the Commandery. The only witness to the commandery's former grandeur, the Gothic eastern facade has survived conversions and fires (to be cross-checked).
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « La Chaux (Cossonay) »
- Wikipédia, « La Chaux (Cossonay) »
- Wikipedia (EN), « La Chaux (Cossonay) »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
- Wikipédia, « Districts du canton de Vaud »
Other villages near La Chaux (Cossonay)
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