Mormont
Origin of the name Mormont
First written mention in 814 in the form « Mauromonte »; the name is said to derive from the Roman-era personal name Maurus (to be cross-checked).
Founding of Mormont
The Mormont is not a village but a small wooded limestone massif, perpendicular to the Jura range, overlooking Eclépens and La Sarraz. This horst, linked to the folding of the Jura, forms the watershed between the Rhône basin (Venoge valley) and the Rhine basin (Orbe valley). The massif, listed in the Federal Inventory of Landscapes (IFP 1023, « Massif boisé du Mormont », 299 hectares in the municipalities of Bavois, Eclépens, La Sarraz and Orny), bears on its summit a Helvetian sanctuary dating from around 100 BC, discovered in 2006. Its limestone, quarried for building stone, lime and then cement, supplies the Eclépens cement works.
History of Mormont
around 100 BC. Helvetians lay out on the summit of the Mormont a site with more than 200 pits containing various deposits, post holes and a few hearths; the main occupation seems to have been brief, perhaps a generation or a few years.
Roman period. The Roman road Lausanne-Orbe passes over the Mormont; a milestone was found on the northern slope, not far from the canal.
814. First written mention of the hill in the form « Mauromonte » (to be cross-checked).
Middle Ages. The Mormont limestone is probably already quarried at this time for building stone, then used to produce lime in craft kilns.
1638. Digging of the Entreroches canal begins, a waterway intended to link the Rhône and Rhine basins; the project had been presented in 1635 by Élie Gouret.
1648. The canal opens to navigation; the Orny-Eclépens section crosses the Mormont through the Entreroches gorge.
1829. End of operation of the Entreroches canal, after a storm destroyed an aqueduct bridge.
1850-1855. Construction of the Mormont railway tunnels, begun in 1850 and opened in 1855: they are the two oldest tunnels in Switzerland.
1953. Opening of the Eclépens cement works, supplied from the mid-20th century by industrial quarrying of the Mormont limestone.
1992. The cement works now belongs to Holderbank Ciments et Bétons.
2006. Discovery of the Helvetian sanctuary during archaeological investigations preceding the extension of the quarry; excavations begin.
2012. Excavation campaign from April to mid-October led by Archeodunum SA: six new offering pits, a two-handled iron cauldron, a whole cow and the partial skeleton of a child aged about 5 are uncovered.
2015. Excavations resume over about 20'000 m² before limestone extraction restarts: 45 new features, coins, ornaments and a new section of the Roman road identified in 2006.
2020. In October, environmental activists occupy part of the hill to oppose the extension of the quarry (ZAD du Mormont).
2021. On 30 March, the police clear the ZAD, set up on plots in La Sarraz owned by Holcim, which had about 150 occupants.
Historic sites in Mormont
The Haut de Mormont and its sanctuary. Summit of the hill where a Celtic site of international importance was discovered in 2006, dated to around 100 BC and excavated over an area of about 11 hectares. The site is listed as a cultural property of national importance (to be cross-checked).
Entreroches gorge. Gorge cutting through the Mormont to the east, through which the Entreroches canal ran, opened in 1648 and abandoned in 1829. Restored sections are now followed by a hiking trail.
Mormont railway tunnels. Opened in 1855 on the Lausanne-Yverdon line after works begun in 1850, they are the two oldest tunnels in Switzerland.
Eclépens quarry and cement works. South of the massif, the quarry extracts Mormont limestone for the Eclépens cement works, in operation since 1953. The successive archaeological excavations were carried out ahead of its extension.
Wooded massif of the Mormont. Landscape listed in the Federal Inventory of Landscapes (IFP 1023), a mosaic of thermophilous forests and open spaces with a sub-Mediterranean character, in the municipalities of Bavois, Eclépens, La Sarraz and Orny.
Remains in Mormont
Helvetian sanctuary. More than 200 pits, numerous post holes and a few hearths have yielded unusual deposits: human remains (crouched individuals, severed heads), bones of sacrificed animals, bronze vessels, pottery, coins, ornaments, iron tools and millstones. The function of the site remains enigmatic, but a cult interpretation is favoured.
Remains of the Entreroches canal. Dug from 1638 and abandoned in 1829, the canal left visible remains in the Entreroches gorge, including the Maison du canal and stone retaining walls listed as historic monuments.
Roman road and milestone. The Roman road Lausanne-Orbe crossed the Mormont; a milestone was found on the northern slope and sections of roadway were identified during the excavations of 2006, 2012 and 2015.
Sources
- État de Vaud, Archéologie cantonale, « Sites fouillés : une sélection »
- État de Vaud, communiqué du 28 septembre 2012, « Les fouilles archéologiques se poursuivent sur le sanctuaire helvète de la colline du Mormont »
- État de Vaud, communiqué du 30 juillet 2015, « Les fouilles archéologiques ont repris au sommet de la colline du Mormont »
- État de Vaud, actualité du 30 mars 2021, « La police procède à l'évacuation du squat de la ZAD du Mormont »
- Office fédéral de l'environnement, Inventaire fédéral des paysages, objet IFP 1023 « Massif boisé du Mormont »
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Eclépens »
- Wikipédia, « Mormont (Vaud) »
- Wikipedia (en), « Mormont »
- Wikipédia, « Canal d'Entreroches »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Other villages near Mormont
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