Le Lieu
Origin of the name Le Lieu
The village is mentioned in 1155 in the form «loco dompni Poncii heremite» («the place of Dom Pons the hermit»), then in 1408 in the form «le Lieu Poncet». The name comes from the Latin «locus», «place», which here refers to the site of a hermitage or religious settlement; originally it was completed by the name of the hermit Poncet (Pontius), who also left his name to several neighbouring place names (Combe à Poncet, fontaine à Poncet, bois à Poncet).
Founding of Le Lieu
Le Lieu was born of a religious settlement: a monastic community, following an unknown rule, is attested there in 1155. An old hypothesis, which has not been verified, attributes its foundation to the hermit Poncet, between the 5th and the 9th century, as a staging post between the abbey of Saint-Oyend (Saint-Claude) and Romainmôtier. This community disappeared before 1204 and its property passed to the Premonstratensian abbey of Lac de Joux. The earliest known abergement (grant of land to settlers) dates from 1304; the village then became the centre of the clearing of the whole valley. The commune, attested in 1396, extended over the whole Vallée de Joux before L'Abbaye (1571) and then Le Chenit (1646) broke away from it. The neighbouring hamlets, such as Le Séchey and Les Charbonnières, were settled mainly from the 16th century onwards.
History of Le Lieu
1155. First written mention («loco dompni Poncii heremite»): a monastic community following an unknown rule is established at Le Lieu.
before 1204. The monastic community disappears; the abbey of Lac de Joux receives its property.
1304. Earliest known abergement: the village becomes the centre of the clearing of the Vallée de Joux.
1334-1536. Le Lieu is part of the castellany of Les Clées.
1396. The commune of Le Lieu is attested; at that time it extends over the whole Vallée de Joux.
1416. The chapel of Saint-Théodule, in the heart of the village, is visited by delegates of the diocese of Lausanne (another visit in 1453); it is served by the neighbouring abbey.
1489. First mentions of the villages of Les Charbonnières and Le Séchey, which are part of the commune.
1504. The road to Franche-Comté (the «salt road») becomes passable for carts for a short period.
1514. The ironworks of Les Charbonnières start operating, followed by that of Bonport in 1524; they operate until around 1740.
1536. Bernese conquest: Le Lieu passes to the bailiwick of Yverdon, then to that of Romainmôtier in 1566.
1571. L'Abbaye breaks away from the commune of Le Lieu.
1612. Creation of the parish of Le Lieu, which also includes Le Chenit until 1705.
1646. Le Chenit in turn separates from the commune of Le Lieu.
1708. The commune buys from Colonel de May a building which it converts into a commune house, the present town hall.
1719. Creation of five commune fractions; in the 18th century the commune is governed by the Councils of the XII and the XXIV.
1798-1802. The village's old church, four centuries old, is destroyed in 1798 and replaced by the present church.
1858. On 18 July a fire destroys 34 houses and the church and damages the parsonage and the town hall; 169 people are affected. The village is rebuilt with better aligned houses.
1899. Le Lieu becomes a station on the Pont-Brassus railway line.
1939. The number of commune fractions is reduced to three, then to two in 2004, with the abolition of that of Le Lieu.
2024-2027. On 22 September 2024 the communes of Le Lieu, Le Chenit and L'Abbaye approve their merger into a commune «La Vallée de Joux», validated by the Grand Council on 25 November 2025; it is due to come into force on 1 January 2027.
Population of Le Lieu
| 1382 | 30 hearths (households) |
| 1483 | 13 hearths (households) |
| 1550 | 43 hearths (households) |
| 1764 | 980 |
| 1850 | 999 |
| 1900 | 1'161 |
| 1930 | 917 |
| 1950 | 1'020 |
| 1980 | 703 |
| 2000 | 795 |
| 2025 | 926 |
Historic sites in Le Lieu
Reformed church of Le Lieu. Built from 1798 to 1802 to replace the village's medieval church, destroyed in 1798. Ravaged by the fire of July 1858, it received an entirely rebuilt roof structure and bell tower, new bells (cast by Samuel Treboux of Vevey in 1858-1860) and a new clock. Its octagonal plan and its architect, Henri Exchaquet, are given by a single source (to be cross-checked).
Town hall. Building bought by the commune from Colonel de May on 15 October 1708 and converted into a commune house at the end of the same month. Damaged by the fire of 1858 and restructured in the 1960s and 1970s, it has served the commune for more than three centuries; its sign evokes Dom Poncet.
The village, a site of national importance. The village of Le Lieu is listed in the Federal Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites of national importance (ISOS). Rebuilt after successive fires, notably that of 1858, it has almost no very old houses left, despite its status as the oldest village in the valley.
The Dom Poncet walk. Heritage discovery trail around the village created in 2013-2014; it links in particular the churches of Le Lieu, the bread oven, the stream, La Frasse, the Fontaine aux Allemands and Combenoire. It recalls that the first timekeeper (clock) in the whole valley is said to have been built at Le Lieu.
Legends of Le Lieu
Dom Poncet, the founding hermit. Tradition traces the origin of Le Lieu to a hermit named Poncet (Pontius), a monk from the abbey of Condat (Saint-Oyend, today Saint-Claude, in the French Jura), who is said to have settled on the shores of Lac de Joux and attracted disciples, forming a small community that served as a staging post between Saint-Oyend and Romainmôtier. This tradition has never been verified: nothing is known about the man, neither where he came from nor what he actually accomplished, and his dating varies between the 5th and the 9th century. The only certainty is that his name appears from 1155 in that of the village («place of Dom Poncet») and survives in several neighbouring place names.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Lieu, Le »
- Wikipédia, « Le Lieu »
- Archives culturelles de la Vallée de Joux, « 9. Les églises du Lieu »
- Archives culturelles de la Vallée de Joux, « 1858. L'incendie du Lieu de 1858 »
- Archives culturelles de la Vallée de Joux, « Les églises de la Vallée de Joux »
- Archives culturelles de la Vallée de Joux, « Hôtel de Ville du Lieu » (PDF)
- Archives culturelles de la Vallée de Joux, « En souvenir de dom Pontius », par T.-F. Golay (1926)
- Patrimoine Vallée de Joux, « 8. La balade de dom Poncet »
- Wikipedia (en), « Le Lieu » (inscription ISOS)
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Localities of the municipality with a page
Other villages near Le Lieu
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