Morrens
Origin of the name Morrens
The village is mentioned in 1147 in the form «Morrens». The name is said to be formed from a personal name, perhaps the Latin Maurus or a Germanic name in Maur-, and the Germanic suffix -ingōs, meaning the people of that person (to be cross-checked).
Founding of Morrens
The sources consulted do not say when or by whom the village was founded. The site was occupied from Roman times, as shown by the Gallo-Roman villa of Le Buy and the ruins of a Roman settlement, and in the early Middle Ages, as graves attest. The village appears in written records in 1147; in the Middle Ages it was a fief of the bishop of Lausanne.
History of Morrens
Roman period. At the place called Le Buy, straddling the territories of Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne and Morrens, stands a large Gallo-Roman villa with several buildings and a potter's kiln. Another Roman settlement lies within the municipality.
Early Middle Ages. Several graves, slab-lined or cut into the molasse, attest occupation in this period; they were discovered in the 19th century.
1147. First mention of the village, in the form «Morrens».
1228. The church of Saint-Nicolas is mentioned. The parish depends on the chapter of Lausanne Cathedral.
1453. The village has 13 hearths.
early 16th century. Morrens, a fief of the bishop of Lausanne, is held by the nobles of Russin.
1530. The lordship is enfeoffed to Jean Réal.
1536-1798. Under Bernese rule, Morrens belongs to the bailiwick of Lausanne. Governed by the assembly of burghers, the village is the seat of a seigneurial court of justice.
1538. At the Reformation, the hamlet of Montheron (now in the municipality of Lausanne) becomes an annex of the parish of Morrens.
1594. The lordship passes to Daniel de Saussure; it remains in this family throughout the Ancien Régime.
1670. Birth in Morrens, on 20 October, of Abraham Davel, son of a pastor, the future Major Davel (1670-1723).
1696. The Saussure family has the castle rebuilt.
1798. Morrens is assigned to the district of Echallens.
1950s. Land consolidation.
1970. Morrens is now part of the Lausanne agglomeration; strong population growth begins and the former farming village becomes a residential municipality.
1998. New excavations of the Gallo-Roman villa of Le Buy (1998-1999).
2008. New Vaud districts (2006 law): Morrens moves from the district of Echallens to the district of Gros-de-Vaud (1 January).
Population of Morrens
| 1453 | 13 hearths (households) |
| 1764 | 41 hearths (households) |
| 1803 | 203 inhabitants |
| 1850 | 326 inhabitants |
| 1900 | 285 inhabitants |
| 1950 | 246 inhabitants |
| 1980 | 623 inhabitants |
| 2000 | 888 inhabitants |
| 2022 | 1'172 inhabitants |
| 2025 | 1'145 inhabitants |
Historic sites in Morrens
Château de Morrens. Centre of the lordship, owned by the de Saussure family from 1594 to the end of the Ancien Régime, it was rebuilt in 1696. It now houses the municipal administration and is listed as a cultural property of regional significance.
Church. Church of medieval origin mentioned in 1228 under the dedication to Saint Nicholas (another source says it was dedicated to Saint Maurice, to be cross-checked). It was altered in the 17th century, then in the 18th century by Gabriel Delagrange, and restored in 1918; its stained-glass window is by Louis Rivier (1925). Cultural property of regional significance.
La Cure, birthplace of Major Davel. Abraham Davel (1670-1723), Major Davel, was born in Morrens in 1670; the parsonage is presented as his birthplace. It was rebuilt in 1780 and given a stair tower between 1900 and 1903. Cultural property of regional significance.
Hamlet of Les Biolettes. Besides the village, the municipality includes the hamlet of Les Biolettes.
Remains in Morrens
Gallo-Roman villa of Le Buy. Straddling Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne and Morrens, this large villa was excavated in the late 19th century and again in 1998-1999. Finds include the foundations of several buildings, a potter's kiln and abundant material: coins, pottery, wall paintings and a mosaic, moved to Lausanne in 1935 and now on view in the entrance hall of the Villa Mon-Repos.
Roman settlement and early medieval graves. The ruins of a Roman settlement were identified in 1977. Several early medieval graves, slab-lined or cut into the molasse, had been discovered in the 19th century.
Legends of Morrens
The «Bears» and the «Red Breeches». According to tradition, the people of Morrens are nicknamed the «Bears» («lè-z-Or» in Vaud dialect) and «lè Tsôsse Rodze», the red breeches. For the first nickname, it is told that a villager once mistook a big dog for a bear at night.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Morrens (VD) »
- Wikipédia (français), « Morrens »
- Wikipedia (anglais), « Morrens »
- Wikipédia (français), « Jean Daniel Abraham Davel »
- Wikipédia, « Districts du canton de Vaud »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Other villages near Morrens
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