Montcherand
Origin of the name Montcherand
First written mention in 1324 in the form «Montcherant». The first element of the name is «mont» (mountain), recalled by the municipal coat of arms; the rest of the name is not explained by the sources consulted (to be cross-checked).
Founding of Montcherand
The village developed around its church, built on a promontory overlooking the river Orbe. A first chapel is said to have stood there in the 10th century, followed by a priory church in the 11th century (to be cross-checked). The church depended on the priory of Baulmes, itself joined to the monastery of Payerne, a major house of the order of Cluny; Montcherand was thus part of the network of Cluniac sites. The sources differ on the date of this attachment to Payerne, 11th or 12th century (to be cross-checked). No founder is named. In the Middle Ages the village belonged to the lordship (terre) of Les Clées, and the priory of Baulmes, then the abbey of Payerne, held substantial estates there. The place was a stage on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela and on the Via Francigena, but long remained a very small settlement.
History of Montcherand
7th-8th century. Bloomery furnaces for iron smelting operate at La Léchère.
10th century. A chapel is said to have been built on the promontory overlooking the Orbe (to be cross-checked).
11th century. Construction of the church of Saint-Étienne, dependent on the priory of Baulmes, then on the Cluniac monastery of Payerne; one source mentions a fire in the original church at the end of the century, followed by rebuilding (to be cross-checked).
late 11th-early 12th century. Execution of the apse wall paintings: Christ in glory surrounded by the symbols of the evangelists, and the college of the twelve apostles.
late 13th century. The church of Saint-Étienne is a parish church.
1324. First written mention of the village, in the form «Montcherant».
1416. The village has 14 hearths.
1453. The village has only 6 hearths left.
16th century. A feudal castle watches over the passage of the road to Les Clées (to be cross-checked).
1536. Bernese conquest of Vaud: Montcherand is attached to the castellany of Les Clées, in the bailiwick of Yverdon. With the Reformation the church becomes a Protestant temple and its paintings are covered with whitewash; a window is cut into the apse. The parish then becomes an annex of Rances.
1662. The parish of Montcherand is joined to that of Orbe.
1790. Construction of the present castle by Guignard of Orbe, modelled on the castle of Chamblon, on the site of the old feudal castle.
1798. Under the Helvetic Republic, Montcherand belongs to the canton of Léman (until 1803) and is assigned to the district of Orbe; it is part of the canton of Vaud from 1803.
1846. The parish is joined to Rances.
1902. Discovery of the Romanesque wall paintings under the Reformation whitewash; they are restored from 1903, and the original layout of the church is re-established.
1908. The Montcherand hydroelectric power station goes into operation.
1931. The parish is joined to Lignerolle.
1934. On 10 June, a far-right demonstration organised by Georges Oltramare, leader of the Union nationale, burns an effigy of the politician Léon Nicole in the village centre; the episode is known as the «Montcherand incident» (to be cross-checked).
1949. Commissioning of the 45 m industrial funicular of the Montcherand power station, one of the steepest in Switzerland.
1958. The castle is bought by Jean André, of Lausanne, who turns it into a reception centre for children.
1970-1971. New restoration of the wall paintings, followed by a final one in 1991-1992 that gives them their present appearance.
1990. Opening of the Orbe-Vallorbe motorway, which encourages new residents to settle.
2000. The parish is joined to Ballaigues-Lignerolle.
2006. Dissolution of the district of Orbe: Montcherand joins the district of Jura-Nord vaudois.
Population of Montcherand
| 1416 | 14 hearths (households) |
| 1453 | 6 hearths (households) |
| 1764 | 135 |
| 1803 | 178 |
| 1850 | 289 |
| 1900 | 258 |
| 1910 | 295 |
| 1930 | 296 |
| 1950 | 262 |
| 1970 | 245 |
| 1990 | 314 |
| 2000 | 404 |
| 2020 | 505 |
| 2025 | 494 |
Historic sites in Montcherand
Church of Saint-Étienne. Romanesque church with a rectangular nave and apse, topped by a small bell turret perhaps dating from 1774. Formerly the church of a priory dependent on Payerne, and a stage on the route to Santiago de Compostela and the Via Francigena, it became a Protestant temple at the Reformation. It is listed as a Swiss cultural property of national significance and is one of the Cluniac sites.
Montcherand Castle. Long façade between two square towers, on a knoll overlooking the road from Orbe to Ballaigues. Built in 1790 by Guignard of Orbe, modelled on the castle of Chamblon, it belonged to Henri Guignard (1765-1819), captain of engineers in France and military commander at Orbe in 1802, who drew up a first route for the Simplon road in 1801. In the 19th century it was lived in by the Bernese patrician families de Stürler, de Muralt and de Mülinen; restored in the early 20th century by the forestry expert Auguste Barbey, it became a reception centre for children in 1958.
Village core. Village perched on a hill around its church, with characteristic farmhouses from the 17th to the 19th century; the whole village is listed in the Federal Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites (ISOS).
Orbe gorges. The southern boundary of the municipality follows the course of the Orbe, whose gorges form a nature reserve; the Montcherand power station and its 1949 industrial funicular are located there.
Remains in Montcherand
Romanesque wall paintings of the apse. Dated to the late 11th or early 12th century, they are among the oldest figurative painted ensembles in Switzerland. The upper register shows Christ in majesty surrounded by the creatures of the evangelists (only the winged ox of Luke remains visible); the lower register shows the college of the twelve apostles around a lost central figure. Covered with whitewash at the Reformation in 1536, they were rediscovered in 1902 and restored in 1903, 1970-1971 and 1991-1992.
Bloomery furnaces of La Léchère. Bloomery furnaces for smelting iron ore operated at La Léchère, mainly in the 7th and 8th centuries.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Montcherand »
- Commune de Montcherand, « Église et fresques »
- Wikipédia, « Montcherand »
- Wikipédia, « Église Saint-Étienne de Montcherand »
- Wikipedia (de), « Montcherand »
- Wikipedia (en), « Montcherand »
- Clunypedia, « Prieuré de Montcherand »
- Archeoplus, « Montcherand (VD) »
- Swisscastles, « Château de Montcherand »
- Standseilbahnen der Schweiz, « Montcherand Centrale »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Other villages near Montcherand
Missing information, or do you have a source? Suggest a correction or addition. Every submission is checked before it's published.
Suggest a change