Palézieux
Origin of the name Palézieux
The name Palézieux is attested as early as 1134, in old forms such as Pallexiu, de Palaisol, Palatiolum (1141), Palaisol (1154), Palesuez (1218) and Palexieu (1545). It derives from the Latin diminutive palatiolum, meaning a small palace or a small lordly residence.
Founding of Palézieux
The site has been occupied since Antiquity, with a Roman villa said to have stood on the old road linking Vevey to Moudon (to be cross-checked). In the 12th century, a local noble family, known by the name Palézieux and mentioned from 1154, had a château built to control the bridge over the Broye, at the confluence of the Broye and the Mionnaz. This family ran into financial difficulties from 1276 and went bankrupt in 1302. Nicolas de Billens then bought the château and the lordship. On 9 May 1344, Humbert de Billens officially founded a market town surrounded by walls and ditches, endowed with broad liberties and important market rights, giving rise to the fortified village as it is known today.
History of Palézieux
Antiquity. Presence of a Roman villa on the road linking Vevey to Moudon (to be cross-checked).
1134. First written mention of the place, in an old form of the name (Pallexiu or de Palaisol depending on the source).
1141. The place is mentioned in the form Palatiolum.
1154. Mention of the Palézieux family and of the name form Palaisol.
1196. The parish church, already mentioned as early as the 12th century, is ceded to the abbey of Hautcrêt.
1218. The name of the place appears in the form Palesuez.
1263. Hugues de Palézieux becomes the first bailiff of Vaud in the service of Count Peter II of Savoy (to be cross-checked).
1276-1302. The Palézieux family goes through serious financial difficulties and goes bankrupt in 1302.
1302. Nicolas de Billens acquires the château and the lordship of Palézieux.
9 May 1344. Humbert de Billens founds a market town surrounded by walls and ditches, with broad liberties and important market rights.
1381. By inheritance, the territory passes to François de Gruyère.
16th century. After the bankruptcy of the counts of Gruyère, the lordship comes under Bernese rule.
1519. The church bell is cast; decorated with a coat of arms bearing three stars and a crane, given by Marguerite de Vergy, it carries a Latin Marian inscription and is today displayed at the school centre.
1545. The name appears in the form Palexieu.
1557-1798. Palézieux is part of the Bernese bailiwick of Oron.
1700. The bridge over the Broye is swept away by floodwater.
1707. Construction of the presbytery.
1750. Reconstruction of the bridge over the Broye, after several petitions from the inhabitants.
1798. End of Bernese rule with the creation of the canton of Vaud.
1828-1829. The church is entirely rebuilt in the neoclassical style by the Vevey architect Philippe Franel.
1862. Opening of the Lausanne-Berne railway line, which bypasses the historic village and gives rise to the hamlet of Palézieux-Gare, then limited to about ten houses.
1863. Founding of an agricultural institute at Serix, on the municipal territory.
1875. Commissioning of a stop at Palézieux-Village on the Broye line linking Palézieux to Lyss (date to be cross-checked depending on the source).
1901-1903. Opening of the narrow-gauge line linking Palézieux to Châtel-Saint-Denis, later extended to Montbovon (Palézieux-Bulle-Montbovon), making Palézieux-Gare a junction of three railway lines.
1962-1992. The Siemens-Albis SA company establishes itself on the municipal territory.
1977. The group le Beau Lac de Bâle dedicates a humorous song to Palézieux (to be cross-checked).
1994. The agricultural institute of Serix becomes the Institut romand d'éducation de Serix.
1 January 2012. Palézieux merges with Bussigny-sur-Oron, Châtillens, Chesalles-sur-Oron, Écoteaux, Oron-la-Ville, Oron-le-Châtel, Les Tavernes, Les Thioleyres and Vuibroye to form the new municipality of Oron.
Population of Palézieux
| 1416 | 50 hearths (households) |
| 1764 | 261 |
| 1850 | 426 |
| 1900 | 587 |
| 1950 | 635 |
| 2000 | 1'091 |
| 2010 | 1'314 |
| 2011 | 1'288 |
Historic sites in Palézieux
Palézieux Castle. Built in the 12th century by the lords of Palézieux to control the bridge over the Broye, it passed in 1302 into the hands of the lords of Billens. Today only ruins remain, but the site remains an emblematic place in the village.
Palézieux Church. The parish has existed since the 12th century, and the church was ceded in 1196 to the abbey of Hautcrêt. The present neoclassical building was entirely rebuilt in 1828-1829 by the Vevey architect Philippe Franel. Its bell, cast in 1519 and given by Marguerite de Vergy, is today kept at the school centre.
The presbytery. The village's presbytery was built in 1707.
Palézieux railway station. A major railway hub of the canton of Vaud, Palézieux-Gare station sees three lines cross: the Lausanne-Berne axis (and beyond towards Zurich or Lucerne), the Broye line towards Moudon and Payerne, and the narrow-gauge line towards Châtel-Saint-Denis and Montbovon. A second stop, Palézieux-Village, serves the historic market town on the Broye line.
Serix Institute. Founded as an agricultural institute in 1863, it became in 1994 the Institut romand d'éducation de Serix.
Bridge over the Broye. A strategic crossing point since the Middle Ages, the bridge was swept away by a flood in 1700 and then rebuilt in 1750 after several efforts by the inhabitants.
Remains in Palézieux
Ruins of the medieval château. The remains of the fortified château built in the 12th century by the Palézieux family, later occupied by the lords of Billens, remain visible on the village site.
1519 bell. Old church bell, cast in 1519, decorated with a coat of arms bearing three stars and a crane, given by Marguerite de Vergy and bearing a Latin Marian inscription; it is today displayed at the village school centre.
Roman villa. Remains of a Roman villa are said to have stood on the old road linking Vevey to Moudon, evidence of ancient occupation of the site (to be cross-checked).
Sources
- Emmanuel Abetel, « Palézieux », Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse
- Wikipédia, article « Palézieux »
- Site officiel de la commune d'Oron, page village Palézieux
Other villages near Palézieux
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