L'Abbaye

Canton of Vaud · District: Jura-Nord vaudois · 1'599 inhabitants (31.12.2025, municipality)

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

Origin of the name L'Abbaye

The municipality and its main village take their name from the abbey of Premonstratensian canons of the Lac de Joux, founded between 1126 and 1134, around which the locality formed after the Reformation. This abbey was also known as «Domus Dei» and as the abbey of Cuarnens. No early mention specific to the village name was found in the sources consulted. The inhabitants are called the «Bayets».

Founding of L'Abbaye

The abbey of the Lac de Joux was founded between 1126 and 1134 on the initiative of Bishop Barthélemy de Laon, a friend of Saint Norbert (founder of the Premonstratensian order), with the help of his brother Ebal de Grandson-La Sarraz; it was a daughter house of Saint-Martin de Laon. The convent stood on the bank of the Lionne. At first a double monastery, it housed canons and nuns; the female community was moved to Rueyres (municipality of Chardonne) around 1141. The territory depended on the abbey until the Bernese conquest of 1536, which ended conventual life and led to the secularisation of its property. The village then developed gradually around the former abbey church. At municipal level, the valley formed a single community, Le Lieu; L'Abbaye separated from it in 1571 to become an independent municipality, which today includes the villages (fractions) of L'Abbaye, Le Pont and Les Bioux.

History of L'Abbaye

1126-1134. Foundation of the Premonstratensian abbey of the Lac de Joux by Bishop Barthélemy de Laon with the help of his brother Ebal de Grandson-La Sarraz; originally a double monastery.

around 1141. The nuns are separated from the canons and moved to Rueyres, near Chardonne.

1155-1204. Conflicts with the Benedictines of Le Lieu (1155), then directly with the abbey of Saint-Claude (1157); the long dispute ends in 1204 with mutual concessions.

1324. Economic and spiritual crisis of the abbey; a reform is carried out under Abbot Aymon de Montferrand-La Sarraz.

14th century. Construction of the tower, bell tower of the abbey church, called the «tour Aymon» (second quarter of the 14th century).

late 15th century. Beginning of industrial activity on the banks of the Lionne (forges, trip hammers, sawmills); metalworking is attested there from 1481.

1480. Arrival in L'Abbaye of the Rochat family, who came from France and later spread to Les Charbonnières and Le Pont.

1536. Bernese conquest and introduction of the Reformation: the abbey disappears and its property is secularised.

1543. The former abbey church becomes the parish temple.

1566. The territory is attached to the Bernese bailiwick of Romainmôtier.

1571. L'Abbaye separates from the municipality of Le Lieu and becomes an independent municipality.

1654 or 1663. The tower and church burn and the bells melt (on 10 September 1654 according to the tower association, 1663 according to the municipality: to be cross-checked); new bells are installed in 1681.

around 1710-1712. Emergence of the municipal fractions of L'Abbaye, Le Pont and Les Bioux (to be cross-checked).

1731. First appearance of the municipal coat of arms, on communion flagons.

1741-1742. Another fire in the tower destroys the bells and clock; a new bell is cast and the roof timbers rebuilt in 1742.

mid-18th to late 19th century. Watchmaking is practised as home work in the municipality.

1798-2006. The municipality belongs to the district of La Vallée, then to that of Jura-Nord vaudois from 2006.

1865. Complete rebuilding of the church, of which only the medieval bell tower is kept; restorations in 1909 and 1951.

1966. Fire in the old village of L'Abbaye; the tower is spared.

1971. Twinning with the municipality of Yvorne.

2024-2027. Merger with Le Chenit and Le Lieu into a municipality «La Vallée de Joux», approved by popular vote on 22 September 2024, validated by the Grand Council on 25 November 2025, planned to take effect on 1 January 2027.

Population of L'Abbaye

917 (of whom 266 in the village of L'Abbaye)

1764

1'018

1850

1'350

1900

1'304

2000

1'297

2010

1'459

2020

1'599

2025

Historic sites in L'Abbaye

Tower of L'Abbaye (tour Aymon). Massive bell tower of the former abbey church, built in the 14th century, at the earliest from 1324, by Abbot Aymon de Montferrand de La Sarraz. Base of 7 m by 7, about 12 m of masonry. Burnt several times (17th century and 1741), it received a roof structure in 1742 and has been restored with support from the canton, the municipality, patrons and the ARTA association.

Temple of L'Abbaye. Former abbey church that became the parish temple in 1543, entirely rebuilt in 1865 while keeping the medieval bell tower, then restored in 1909 and 1951. The building belongs to the State of Vaud.

Le Pont. Village of the municipality, between the Lac de Joux and Lac Brenet, listed in the Federal Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites (ISOS); it is home to the manoir de Haute-Roche, a cultural property of national importance.

Chapel of Les Bioux. Small temple of 1698 in the village of Les Bioux, presented as the oldest period religious building still standing in the Vallée de Joux.

Remains in L'Abbaye

Bell tower of the Premonstratensian abbey. The 14th-century bell tower, known as the «tour Aymon», is the only visible remnant of the Premonstratensian monastery founded between 1126 and 1134 and gone with the Reformation in 1536.

Legends of L'Abbaye

The Silver Bell (La Cloche d'Argent). According to a locally transmitted tale, the monks leaving the abbey in 1536 are said to have taken a silver bell with them, which is said to have been lost in the Lac de Joux.

Sources

Localities of the municipality with a page

Other villages near L'Abbaye

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