Saint-Blaise
Origin of the name Saint-Blaise
The place first appears in 1011 under the name « Arins », when King Rudolph III of Burgundy gave the Arins estate to his wife Irmengard; the millennium of this mention was celebrated in 2011. In 1209 the locality is called « Sanctus Blasus », after Saint Blaise, patron of the parish church. The former German name was « St. Blasien », no longer in use today. The name « Arens » is said to have long remained attached to the upper part of the village, and the old name is said to refer to the sandy soil (to be cross-checked).
Founding of Saint-Blaise
No founding charter or founder is known: the village grew gradually on land occupied since prehistory. The lakeside settlement of Saint-Blaise-Bains des Dames has yielded several Neolithic occupation phases (Horgen, Lüscherz and Auvernier cultures); Hallstatt period burials, a Roman villa at Les Tuiles, remains of Roman roads (Vy d'Etra, chemin du Diable), two Roman harbours and a Burgundian cemetery at Le Vignier are also known. The Arins estate enters written history in 1011, through the gift of King Rudolph III of Burgundy to Queen Irmengard. The Ruau, the stream running through the village, shaped settlement and activity: in 1191 the abbey of Fontaine-André granted the right to build a mill on it, and its water drove mills, sawmills and fulling mills until 1950. In the Middle Ages Saint-Blaise was the seat of a mairie depending on the castellany of Thielle, whose courts it housed; the castellan was also maire of Saint-Blaise. The political community was established in 1523.
History of Saint-Blaise
Neolithic. The lakeside settlement of Saint-Blaise-Bains des Dames is occupied several times, by communities of the Horgen, Lüscherz and Auvernier cultures.
Roman period. A villa is built at Les Tuiles; the area is crossed by Roman roads (Vy d'Etra, chemin du Diable) and has two harbours.
Early Middle Ages. A Burgundian cemetery is laid out at the place called Le Vignier.
1011. King Rudolph III of Burgundy gives the « Arins » estate to his wife Irmengard: this is the first written mention of the place.
1177. The tithe of Saint-Blaise is collected by the abbey of Fontaine-André; in 1208 it is shared with the chapter of Neuchâtel.
1191. The abbey of Fontaine-André grants the right to build a mill on the Ruau.
1209. The locality appears under the name « Sanctus Blasus ».
1228. The church, dedicated to Saint Blaise, belongs to the deanery of Solothurn.
1523. The political community of Saint-Blaise is established; the emancipation of the subjects takes place during the 16th century.
1531. The parish adopts the Reformation. It includes Voëns-Maley, Hauterive, La Coudre (until 1948) and Marin (until 1978).
1642. Date of the oldest fountain still visible in the village, in the rue du Temple.
1750-1837. Two calico printing works (printed cotton cloth) operate in Saint-Blaise.
1848. Saint-Blaise becomes part of the district of Neuchâtel, to which it belongs until 2017 before joining the Littoral region; the castellany of Thielle disappears.
1860. The municipality is established.
1888. The hamlets of Voëns and Maley are united with the municipality of Saint-Blaise.
1903. Adolf von Martini founds a car factory in Saint-Blaise.
1922. The Catholic parish is founded; its church is built in 1939.
1934. After the liquidation of the Martini company, voted on 12 June 1934, the factory becomes the Fabrique d'appareils électriques et de chaudronnerie (FAEL SA), which remains in Saint-Blaise until 2007.
1956. Opening of a Jowa industrial bakery, a Migros subsidiary, moved to Marin in 2012.
1970. The renowned quarries of Saint-Blaise cease operating.
1995. Saint-Blaise is connected to the A5 motorway.
2011. The village celebrates the millennium of its first mention; a fountain designed by the architect Mario Botta is inaugurated for the occasion.
26 November 2023. The voters of Saint-Blaise, Hauterive, La Tène and Enges approve the merger of their municipalities.
1 January 2025. Saint-Blaise becomes a locality of the new municipality of Laténa, together with Enges, Hauterive and La Tène; the central administration of Laténa is based in Saint-Blaise.
Population of Saint-Blaise
| 1750 | 597 |
| 1850 | 1'014 |
| 1900 | 1'650 |
| 1950 | 1'859 |
| 2000 | 3'117 |
| 2010 | 3'105 |
| 2020 | 3'228 |
| 2024 | 3'198 |
Historic sites in Saint-Blaise
The temple of Saint-Blaise. The church, dedicated to Saint Blaise, is mentioned in 1228 in the deanery of Solothurn and becomes Protestant in 1531. The present building combines a Romanesque tower, a Gothic vault and neo-Gothic stained glass by Edmond Bille (1878-1959); it is said to stand on the site of a Carolingian chapel and its portal to date from 1516 (to be cross-checked).
The Hôtel du Cheval-Blanc. Historic inn on the Grand-Rue, still in business, whose origins are said to go back to the 13th century (to be cross-checked).
The Maison de la Dîme. Renaissance building of 1581, where the tithe was collected, restored in 1988-1989 (to be cross-checked).
The Maison Neuve. Village house built in 1660, notable for its covered gallery (to be cross-checked).
The Hôtel communal. Building erected in 1694, sometimes attributed to Béat Fischer (to be cross-checked).
The Moulin du Haut and the twelve fountains of the Ruau. The Ruau, a stream that never runs dry, has driven mills since the grant of 1191. The Moulin du Haut had up to three wheels on its façade in the 18th and 19th centuries. Today the course of the stream is lined with twelve fountains, from the oldest (1642, rue du Temple) to the one designed by Mario Botta for the 2011 millennium.
Remains in Saint-Blaise
The lakeside settlement of Saint-Blaise-Bains des Dames. Excavations of this lakeshore site revealed several Neolithic occupation phases, attributed to the Horgen, Lüscherz and Auvernier cultures.
Roman roads and harbours. Remains of Roman roads are known in the area, notably the Vy d'Etra and the chemin du Diable, where cart ruts are said to be still visible (to be cross-checked). Two Roman harbours and a villa at Les Tuiles complete the picture of the Roman period.
The Burgundian cemetery of Le Vignier. Early medieval cemetery attributed to the Burgundians, found at the place called Le Vignier, alongside older Hallstatt period burials discovered in the area.
The mechanism of the Moulin du Haut. The mill wheel, put back in place in 1979 and restored in 2003 (to be cross-checked), bears witness to milling on the Ruau attested since 1191.
Legends of Saint-Blaise
The bottomless Loclat. The inhabitants of Saint-Blaise are nicknamed the Loqueux (« lé Léquia » in patois), after the Loclat, a small pond in the village which, according to popular tradition, has no bottom (to be cross-checked).
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Saint-Blaise (NE) »
- Wikipédia en français, Saint-Blaise (Neuchâtel)
- Wikipédia en anglais, Saint-Blaise, Switzerland
- Commune de Laténa, page consacrée à la fusion
- Geneawiki, Saint-Blaise (ancienne commune)
- RTN, La commune fusionnée de Laténa verra le jour (26.11.2023)
- ObjectifNE, Projet de fusion Enges, Hauterive, La Tène et Saint-Blaise
- Swiss Spectator, La châtellenie de Thielle
- Swiss Spectator, Le temple de Saint-Blaise
- Brochure patrimoniale, Balade des douze fontaines au fil du Ruau (commune de Laténa)
- Wikipédia en français, Martini (constructeur automobile)
- Wikipédia en français, Friedrich von Martini
- Dardel.info, Les automobiles Martini à Saint-Blaise
- Edunet, Les automobiles Martini
- Musée d'art et d'histoire de Neuchâtel, Usine Martini à Saint-Blaise
- Localcities.ch, Commune de Saint-Blaise, données OFS 2023
- État de Neuchâtel, arrêté du 5 février 2025 homologuant le recensement cantonal de la population au 31 décembre 2024
- État de Neuchâtel, arrêté du 5 février 2025 homologuant le recensement cantonal de la population au 31 décembre 2024
Other villages near Saint-Blaise
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