Noville
Origin of the name Noville
Name origin: Noville is mentioned as « Nova villa » in 903, then « Nouila » in 1162/1173. In old documents it is sometimes difficult to distinguish Noville from Villeneuve, which was also called « Villa Nova ». The precise etymology is not explained by the sources consulted.
Founding of Noville
The sources consulted say neither when nor by whom the village was founded. An early medieval cemetery discovered at Crebelley attests to early settlement, and the village is mentioned from 903. In the Middle Ages the abbey of Saint-Maurice and various lords held rights over the lands of Noville, which belonged in temporal matters to the castellany of Chillon and in spiritual matters to the diocese of Sion. Lying on slight rises in the plain, the village and the hamlet of Crebelley long had to cope with the floods of the lake and the shifting course of the Rhône.
History of Noville
Early Middle Ages. A cemetery is established at Crebelley.
903. First mention of the village as « Nova villa ».
1162/1173. Mentioned as « Nouila ».
1177. The parish church dedicated to Saint Maurice, dependent on the Great Saint Bernard, is attested.
13th century. From this period at the latest, Noville, Villeneuve, Rennaz and Crebelley jointly use certain woods and pastures.
1309. A confraternity of the Holy Spirit is attested.
1476. Start of Bernese rule: until 1798 Noville is part of the governorship and mandement of Aigle, as a castellany with Rennaz and Roche.
1798. Noville joins the district of Aigle.
1809. Division of the jointly held property with Villeneuve.
1834. Rennaz separates from Noville and becomes a municipality.
1840-1850. Construction of the Grand Canal; together with the embankment of the Rhône, it allows the arable land to be extended (tobacco, market gardening).
1840. First division of the jointly held property with Rennaz, followed by others in 1877, 1905 and 1992.
1871. Construction of the school, designed by the architect François Jaquerod.
1947. Founding of the dairy cooperative.
1980s. Start of residential development.
2000. The village has twenty-five farms; more than three fifths of the working population are commuters.
2008. The dairy cooperative is dissolved.
Population of Noville
| 1798 | 207 |
| 1850 | 376 |
| 1900 | 415 |
| 1950 | 467 |
| 1980 | 427 |
| 2000 | 647 |
| 2022 | 1'169 |
| 2025 | 1'214 |
Historic sites in Noville
Church of Saint-Maurice. Parish church dedicated to Saint Maurice, attested in 1177; it was under the canons of the Great Saint Bernard.
School of 1871. School building erected in 1871 by the architect François Jaquerod.
Les Grangettes nature reserve. Wetland at the mouth of the Rhône in Lake Geneva, of national and international importance.
Grand Canal. Dug from 1840 to 1850 to drain the plain, it allowed crops to be extended, together with the embankment of the Rhône.
Remains in Noville
Crebelley cemetery. An early medieval cemetery was discovered in the hamlet of Crebelley; it is the oldest known evidence of settlement in the municipality.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Noville » (version allemande consultée)
- Wikipédia, « Noville (Vaud) »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Other villages near Noville
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