Sainte-Croix

Canton of Vaud · District: Jura-Nord vaudois · 5'149 inhabitants (31.12.2025, municipality)

Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Remains Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Sainte-Croix

First mentioned in 1177 as «Sancta Crux», then «Saint Crueyz» in 1317; former German name «Heilig Kreuz». The name refers to the Holy Cross, to which the chapel recorded in 1375 at the place called La Villette was dedicated; the sources consulted do not explain the origin of the name any further (to be cross-checked).

Founding of Sainte-Croix

The territory of Sainte-Croix, at the foot of the Chasseron, has yielded Neolithic and Bronze Age remains as well as Roman coins. The place appears in 1177, with two mills, in a document concerning the abbey of the Lac de Joux. The area was settled from the 12th century by the lords of Grandson and belonged to the lordship of Champvent. In 1317 Peter II of Grandson formed the lordship of Sainte-Croix and built a castle at the mouth of the Covatanne gorges, to defend himself against his neighbour Hugh of Chalon-Arlay, who in 1319 built the fortress of Franc Castel on the Col des Étroits. The small town grew up on an important route between Yverdon and Pontarlier: the salt road of the Côte de Vuitebœuf, which avoided the Jougne toll. After stock-raising and farming, metalworking, watchmaking, lace-making, then the music box and precision mechanics made its prosperity. The municipality comprises twenty-seven localities in two valleys, that of Sainte-Croix and that of Les Granges; this entry covers the municipality and the town.

History of Sainte-Croix

Prehistory. Neolithic and Bronze Age remains; Roman coins have also been found in the municipality.

1177. First mention, «Sancta Crux», with two mills, in a document concerning the abbey of the Lac de Joux.

12th century. The area is settled by the Grandson family and belongs to the lordship of Champvent.

1317. Peter II of Grandson forms the lordship of Sainte-Croix and builds a castle at the mouth of the Covatanne gorges.

1375. A chapel dedicated to the Holy Cross is recorded at the place called La Villette; it depends on the parish of Peney (municipality of Vuitebœuf).

1397. After the death of Otto III of Grandson, the lordship passes to the House of Savoy. Sainte-Croix, probably granted franchises by the Grandson family, takes part in the Estates of Vaud as a «bonne ville».

1476. Burgundian Wars: the castle of Sainte-Croix is set on fire.

1536. Bernese conquest: Sainte-Croix belongs to the bailiwick of Yverdon until 1798; Franc Castel is dismantled by Bern. The municipality is divided into twelve «dizaines», run by a Council of Twelve and a Council of Twenty-Four.

1540. The chapel becomes a parish church after the Reformation (parish shared with Bullet until 1663).

late 16th century. Thanks to the extensive forests, blast furnaces (Mouille-Mougnon, Dénériaz-Noirvaux) follow the earlier ironworks; the iron mines belong mostly to burghers of Vallorbe, Yverdon and Neuchâtel.

1744. A fire destroys the parsonage, part of the village and the church; the church is rebuilt between 1745 and 1748.

mid-18th century. Watchmaking and lace-making, often done at home for Neuchâtel merchants, take over from metalworking. Until this time the salt road avoiding the Jougne toll makes Sainte-Croix an important stage between Yverdon and Pontarlier.

1798. Sainte-Croix is the third most populous municipality in Vaud, after Lausanne and Vevey. Allied with other municipalities of the Vaud Jura, it tries to resist the new regime and fights for Bern's cause. It belongs to the Grandson district until 2006; its prefecture is abolished in 1949.

1811. Start of the music box industry in Sainte-Croix and L'Auberson; the Paillard dynasty appears in 1814, followed by Thorens (1883), Reuge (1886) and Lador (1890).

1843. New road to Vuitebœuf; in 1848 roads are added to Pontarlier via L'Auberson and to the Val-de-Travers through the Noirvaux valley.

1860. First hotel: Sainte-Croix and Les Rasses (municipality of Bullet) turn to tourism.

1893. Opening of the Yverdon-Sainte-Croix railway, which boosts tourism.

1974-1975. The recession causes a sharp fall in population and the closure of several companies; Paillard closes in 1984.

1985. Creation of the Centre international de la mécanique d'art (CIMA).

2006. Dissolution of the Grandson district: Sainte-Croix joins the Jura-Nord vaudois district.

Population of Sainte-Croix

1'834

1764

2'833

1798

3'541

1850

5'914

1900

6'575

1950

6'925

1960

6'240

1970

4'543

1980

4'333

2000

5'149

2025

Historic sites in Sainte-Croix

Sainte-Croix Reformed church. Successor to the chapel of the Holy Cross (1375) at La Villette, which became a parish church in 1540; the church of 1569 was replaced in 1642 and moved to the centre of the village, then rebuilt between 1745 and 1748 after the fire of 1744.

Catholic church of Saint-François-de-Sales. Consecrated in 1895, it became a parish church in 1935.

Centre international de la mécanique d'art (CIMA). Founded in 1985, it bears witness to the music box industry, present in Sainte-Croix since 1811.

Musée des arts et des sciences. Museum founded in 1872 in Sainte-Croix.

Musée Baud in L'Auberson. Music box museum opened in 1955 in the village of L'Auberson, within the municipality.

Heritage sites of national importance. The villages of Sainte-Croix and L'Auberson and the hamlet of La Chaux are listed in the Federal Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites of national importance (ISOS).

La Vraconne nature reserve. Protected raised bogs within the municipality.

Remains in Sainte-Croix

Castle of Sainte-Croix. Castle built after 1317 by Peter of Grandson on a rock above the Covatannaz gorges, to control the road from Yverdon via Vuitebœuf and to defend himself against Hugh of Chalon-Arlay; it was set on fire in 1476 during the Burgundian Wars. In the hamlet of Château de Sainte-Croix few remains survive: the site of the entrance gate on the west, with massive walls on either side, and the base of a tower. Around 1900 the owner discovered a staircase and a corridor, which were filled in without being studied.

Franc Castel. Fortress built in 1319 by Hugh of Chalon-Arlay on the Col des Étroits, dismantled by Bern in 1536. Only the ditches remain, visible in a pasture.

Rutted road of the Côte. Salt road linking Franche-Comté to Vaud via Vuitebœuf and Sainte-Croix, rebuilt in 1711 and 1760, with ruts cut into the rock; popular tradition holds it to be a Roman road.

Sources

Localities of the municipality with a page

Other villages near Sainte-Croix

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