Lonay
Origin of the name Lonay
The name is attested in 1152-1160 in the form «Lonna» (around 1155), then «Losnay» in 1177, «Losnai» around 1200 and «Lonay» in 1324. Two explanations are proposed: a Latin name, Lonus, with the suffix «-acum», or rather a formation based on Lusenus, according to the old forms (to be cross-checked).
Founding of Lonay
The area was occupied in Roman times (1st-2nd century remains at Les Combes) and in the early Middle Ages (Roman-Dessus cemetery). No founder of the village is known. In the Middle Ages Lonay was a rural parish of the diocese of Lausanne: its church of Saint-Germain was ceded by the bishop to the chapter of Lausanne in 1220. Vines have been grown here since the 12th century. The municipality comprises the village and the hamlet of Roman.
History of Lonay
1st-2nd century. Roman remains at Les Combes, including a late 1st-century tomb.
Early Middle Ages. Cemetery at Roman-Dessus.
12th century. Wine-growing begins.
1152-1160. First mention, in the form «Lonna».
1177. The name appears in the form «Losnay».
1220. The bishop cedes the church of Saint-Germain to the chapter of Lausanne.
1228. Saint-Germain is a parish church.
1285. The parish of Echandens is attached to that of Lonay.
1342. Lonay belongs to the castellany of Morges (to be cross-checked).
1437. A tile works is built.
1668. The parsonage, a winegrower's house, is rebuilt.
around 1677. The tower of Roman-Dessous is converted into a manor house.
1740-1741. The nave of the church is rebuilt.
1798. Lonay becomes part of the district of Morges.
1855. The railway arrives.
1880. The tile works is mechanised; until 1913 it is one of the largest in French-speaking Switzerland.
1960s. The Lausanne-Geneva motorway and the marshalling yard transform the municipality.
1981. The Hoffmann kiln of the tile works is demolished; a women's prison is built on the site.
2016. A giant steel ant is installed, an allusion to the inhabitants' nickname.
2025. The municipality has 2'719 inhabitants.
Population of Lonay
| 1764 | 276 |
| 1798 | 226 |
| 1850 | 439 |
| 1900 | 462 |
| 1950 | 534 |
| 1960 | 1'000 |
| 2000 | 1'900 |
| 2025 | 2'719 |
Historic sites in Lonay
Reformed church, former church of Saint-Germain. Church ceded in 1220 by the bishop to the chapter of Lausanne, a parish church in 1228. The nave was rebuilt in 1740-1741, with a light bell tower; the chancel arch dates from the 15th century and the stained-glass windows from 1946 and 1976.
La Cure. Winegrower's house rebuilt in 1668, restored in 2001-2002.
Roman-Dessous. Former tower converted into a manor house around 1677.
La Réale. Tall house of dressed stone, with mullioned windows, in late Gothic style.
The ant. Steel sculpture of a giant ant by Dominique Andreae, installed in 2016; it recalls the inhabitants' nickname, «les Fourmis» (they are also called «les Branle-Cloches»).
Remains in Lonay
Roman remains at Les Combes. 1st-2nd century remains, including a late 1st-century tomb, discovered between 1920 and 1940.
Roman-Dessus cemetery. Early medieval cemetery in the hamlet of Roman.
Former tile works. Tile works built in 1437, mechanised from 1880, one of the largest in French-speaking Switzerland until 1913. Its Hoffmann kiln was demolished in 1981.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Lonay »
- Wikipédia, « Lonay »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Localities of the municipality with a page
Other villages near Lonay
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