Mollens
Origin of the name Mollens
The name of the village first appears in writing around 1111, in the form of a personal name, « Enguizo de Morlens ». Another source, for its part, places the first mention under the form « Morlens » in 1139; this slight discrepancy in date between the sources could not be settled with certainty, but all agree that the old name of the place was indeed Morlens. The current form, Mollens, appears from 1228 onward and then stabilises. The precise origin of the word remains uncertain given the sources consulted. Many place names of the canton of Vaud ending in « -ens » are of Burgundian origin, formed from a Germanic personal name followed by a suffix meaning roughly « at the people of »; this is a well-known pattern in the place-name study of the canton of Vaud, but no specialised source could be consulted directly to confirm which personal name might underlie Morlens, nor to rule out another hypothesis (a link with the Latin mola, the millstone or the mill, is sometimes mentioned for similar names, but nothing verified allows this to be asserted here). This point would deserve further investigation using a reference work on the place-name study of the canton of Vaud, which we were not able to consult directly for this entry. The inhabitants are called the Mollensards, with the variant Mollognards also found. They also bear a nickname in Vaud patois, « lè Mitcha-Boû », that is, the wood-splitters, a probable allusion to the importance of the forest and of forestry in the village economy. This nickname appears in a reference work on the nicknames of the canton of Vaud.
Founding of Mollens
The territory of Mollens was frequented long before a village organised itself there. The rock shelter of the Mollendruz, on the heights of the municipality, is said, according to one source consulted, to have yielded a sequence of prehistoric occupations presented as practically unique in Switzerland, ranging from the end of the Palaeolithic to the Neolithic, with traces of reindeer and horse hunters dated to around 10 000 years before our era, at the very end of the last glacial period; neither the municipality's official website nor the Wikipedia article consulted for this entry mention this site, and this information should therefore be cross-checked with a specialised archaeological source. Gallo-Roman remains were also uncovered in 1846, during work that revealed tile-kiln structures as well as bronze medals between Mollens and the neighbouring village of Ballens; traces of a Roman road are also reported in the municipality. The village as an organised community took shape in the High Middle Ages. A cemetery from the 8th to the 12th century, uncovered in 2014 beneath the former communal forge, attests to an early medieval occupation, predating the first written mentions of the name. It was, however, the religious attachment that durably structured the village thereafter: the church of Mollens came under the priory of Romainmôtier from 1139, and in 1167 the locality entered the Cluniac network, becoming, according to the sources consulted, a small monastic centre responsible for collecting land revenues on behalf of the abbey. On the seigneurial side, a branch of the lords of Mont-la-Ville held the advocacy (avouerie) of the place, attested in 1272 and then in 1358; a jurisdictional dispute was settled in 1281 in favour of the priory, which later gave way, over time, to a more communal administration. Mollens therefore does not appear to be a foundation planned by a single identifiable founder, but rather the gradual result of the establishment of a Cluniac priory on land already occupied since antiquity, around which the parish, the seigneury, and then the municipality as we know it today were subsequently organised.
History of Mollens
around 10 000 BC. Successive prehistoric occupations at the Mollendruz rock shelter, with traces of reindeer and horse hunters at the end of the last glacial period; the sequence is described as practically unique in Switzerland, from the final Palaeolithic to the Neolithic.
Roman era. Passage of a Roman road across the present-day territory of the municipality; remains of a tile kiln and bronze medals discovered in 1846 between Mollens and Ballens.
8th to 12th century. Occupation of a medieval burial site, uncovered in 2014 beneath the former communal forge, predating the first written mentions of the village's name.
1111. First known written mention of the name of the place, in the form of a personal name, « Enguizo de Morlens » (another source, for its part, places this first mention in 1139, under the same form Morlens).
1139. The church of Mollens is attached to the priory of Romainmôtier.
1167. The village enters the Cluniac network, dependent on the priory of Romainmôtier, as a small centre for collecting land revenues.
1228. First attestation of the current form of the name, « Mollens ».
1257. A leper house is attested at Mollens.
1272 and 1358. The advocacy (avouerie) of the place is held by a branch of the lords of Mont-la-Ville.
1281. A jurisdictional dispute over Mollens is settled in favour of the priory of Romainmôtier.
1416. The village has 46 hearths (households), one of the oldest known counts for the locality.
1539-1798. Under the Bernese Ancien Régime, Mollens is part of the bailiwick of Morges; the municipality is governed by a council of ten members.
1542. Under Bernese rule, a first Bernese lord of Mollens is mentioned, Jean Steiger, avoyer (chief magistrate) of Bern.
1593. The parish of Mollens is attached to that of Bière.
1761. A major fire strikes the village.
1791. Construction, or reconstruction according to some sources, of the current château by Nicolas-Alexandre de Watteville.
5 April 1798. A devastating fire destroys 48 houses as well as the church, where the communal archives were kept, entirely lost; the bells melt in the fire.
1798-2006. Mollens is part of the district of Aubonne.
1833. The parish of Mollens is attached to that of Ballens.
until 1912. A sawmill remains active in the village.
31 August 2006. Reorganisation of the districts of the canton of Vaud: the district of Aubonne is dissolved and Mollens joins the new district of Morges.
2014. Discovery of a medieval cemetery (8th-12th century) beneath the former communal forge.
Today. Mollens remains an independent municipality of the canton of Vaud, district of Morges; no merger with a neighbouring municipality has been identified in the sources consulted. The village as a whole is listed in the Federal Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites (ISOS) and is part of the network of Cluniac Sites.
Population of Mollens
| 1416 | 46 hearths (count in households, not individual inhabitants) |
| 1764 | 351 |
| 1850 | 530 |
| 1853 | 553 (confirmed by the official website of the municipality of Mollens VD) |
| 1900 | 481 |
| 1950 | 355 |
| 1980 | 216 (lowest demographic low point identified in the sources consulted) |
| 2000 | 272 |
| 2018 | 283 |
| 2023 | 322 |
Historic sites in Mollens
The Château de Mollens. Built in 1791 by Nicolas-Alexandre de Watteville, the château is notable for its courtyard oriented toward the garden and for a monumental gateway supported by six stone pillars. It remains today one of the village's visual landmarks and, according to the sources consulted, can be visited.
The church of Mollens. Of medieval origin, the church was linked from the 12th century to the Cluniac network and to the priory of Romainmôtier, on which it was administratively dependent until the early 14th century. Destroyed in the fire of 5 April 1798, which took the communal archives with it, it was subsequently rebuilt. The building is today listed in the Federal Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites (ISOS).
The historic village fabric. The village of Mollens as a whole is listed in the ISOS. It has a characteristic layout described as « herringbone », that is, a network of lanes branching off a central axis, typical of the rural villages at the foot of the Jura vaudois that have preserved their old structure.
The Mollendruz and Marchairuz passes. Mollens lies between these two passes of the Jura vaudois, routes historically used to link the Pied du Jura to the Vallée de Joux; the Mollendruz pass also gave its name to the prehistoric rock shelter discovered on its slopes.
Remains in Mollens
The Mollendruz rock shelter. According to one source consulted, this archaeological site is said to have yielded a sequence of prehistoric occupations described as practically unique in Switzerland, spanning from the end of the Palaeolithic to the Neolithic, with traces of reindeer and horse hunters dated to around 10 000 years before our era. This information could not be cross-checked with the municipality's official website or with Wikipedia and would deserve verification with a specialised archaeological source.
Gallo-Roman remains. In 1846, excavations between Mollens and Ballens uncovered structures interpreted as the remains of a Roman tile kiln, accompanied by bronze medals. Traces of a Roman road are also reported within the municipal territory, though its precise course could not be confirmed in the sources consulted.
The medieval cemetery at the old forge. In 2014, a cemetery dating from the 8th to the 12th century resurfaced beneath the former communal forge. This discovery attests to an occupation of the site predating, or at the very least contemporary with, the very first written mentions of the village's name.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, article « Mollens (VD) »
- Wikipédia FR, « Mollens (Vaud) »
- Wikipédia EN, « Mollens, Vaud »
- Site officiel de la commune de Mollens (VD), page d'accueil
- Site officiel de la commune de Mollens (VD), page Historique
- Site officiel de la commune de Mollens (VD), page Présentation
- L'Alpage de Mollens, présentation historique de la commune de Mollens VD
- Parc naturel régional Jura vaudois, fiche sur l'église de Mollens
- Localcities, fiche démographique de Mollens (VD)
- Gemeinde-commune-comune.ch, fiche de la commune de Mollens (VD)
- Feuille des avis officiels du canton de Vaud (FAOVD), alphabet des communes, Mollens
Other villages near Mollens
Missing information, or do you have a source? Suggest a correction or addition. Every submission is checked before it's published.
Suggest a change