Payerne
Origin of the name Payerne
The place is mentioned in 961 in the phrase "ecclesie sancte Marie Paterniacensis", then in 1049 as "in loco Paterniaco". The name comes from a Gallo-Roman estate called "Paterniacum", after a Roman family or owner named Paternus, whose name appears on an inscription found on site. The old German name is "Peterlingen".
Founding of Payerne
The site was occupied in Roman times by a villa. In the 10th century a monastery linked to the Cluniac order was founded here: construction of the priory began around 961-965 on the initiative of Adelaide of Burgundy, daughter of Queen Bertha. The monastery, raised to an abbey in 1444, held lordship over Payerne. The town grew around it and obtained liberties, attested in 1348 with the creation of a Council of Twelve (a charter granted in 1240 by Peter II of Savoy is mentioned by other sources, to be cross-checked).
History of Payerne
Roman period. Roman settlement remains inside and outside the later town walls; an inscription bears the name Paternus.
961. First mention, in the phrase "ecclesie sancte Marie Paterniacensis".
961-965. Adelaide of Burgundy begins building a Cluniac priory on the site of a former Roman villa.
1033. Emperor Conrad II is crowned King of Burgundy in the monastery church.
mid-11th century. Construction of the second church, which forms the core of the present abbey church.
1235. A fire makes rebuilding necessary.
1348. Liberties granted to Payerne create a Council of Twelve.
1416. The town has 340 hearths (households).
1420. Another fire.
1444. The priory is raised to the rank of abbey.
1536. The Bernese impose the Reformation; Bern grants Payerne a privileged status.
1565. Final closure of the monastery.
1764. The town has 1'685 inhabitants.
1876. Opening of the Fribourg-Yverdon railway line, followed in 1877 by the Palézieux-Lyss line.
1900. The town has 5'224 inhabitants.
1920s. Excavations and restoration of the abbey church begin.
1926. Creation of the military airfield.
2000. The town has 7'294 inhabitants.
2007. Launch of a major conservation project for the abbey church.
2020. The restored abbey church reopens as a museum site.
Population of Payerne
| 1416 | 340 hearths (households) |
| 1764 | 1'685 |
| 1803 | 2'002 |
| 1850 | 3'078 |
| 1900 | 5'224 |
| 1950 | 5'649 |
| 2000 | 7'294 |
| 2025 | 10'972 |
Historic sites in Payerne
Payerne Abbey Church. Romanesque Cluniac church whose core dates from the mid-11th century, on the site of the priory founded around 961-965. Emperor Conrad II was crowned King of Burgundy here in 1033. Restored from the 1920s and again from 2007, it reopened in 2020 as a museum site; it is a cultural property of national importance.
Parish church. Reformed parish church, also listed as a cultural property of national importance.
Brandons de Payerne. Traditional carnival held every year in February-March.
Remains in Payerne
Roman villa beneath the abbey church. The monastery was built on the site of a Roman villa; Roman remains have been found inside and outside the town walls, including an inscription bearing the name Paternus.
Legends of Payerne
Queen Bertha. Queen Bertha of Swabia (died around 966), mother of Adelaide of Burgundy, founder of the monastery, has remained in the region's popular memory as a benevolent and hard-working ruler. The saying "du temps que Berthe filait" ("in the days when Bertha spun"), evoking a lost golden age, is associated with her by local tradition. Bertha's exact role in founding the monastery is partly a matter of tradition: historical sources attribute the initiative for the building to her daughter Adelaide.
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Payerne (commune) »
- Wikipédia FR, « Abbatiale de Payerne »
- Wikipédia FR, « Payerne »
- Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
Localities of the municipality with a page
Other villages near Payerne
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