Petit-Val is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. It is located in the French-speaking

Bernese Jura Bernese Jura (, , German: Berner Jura) is the name for the French-speaking area of the Switzerland, Swiss canton of Bern, and from 2010 one of ten Administrative divisions of Switzerland, administrative divisions of the Cantons of Switzerland, cant ...

(''Jura Bernois''). On 1 January 2015 the former municipalities of Châtelat,

Monible Monible is a former municipality in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura (''Jura Bernois''). On 1 January 2015 the former municipalities of Châtelat, ...

Sornetan Sornetan is a former Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Jura bernois (administrative district), Jura bernois administrative district in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Bern (canton), Bern in Switzerland. It is located in the ...

and Souboz merged to form the new municipality of Petit-Val.Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz
published by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 2 January 2013

History

Châtelat

Châtelat is first mentioned in 1335 as ''Schestellat''. For most of the village's history, it belonged to the court and

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

of Sornetan under the

provost Provost may refer to: Officials Ecclesiastic * Provost (religion), a high-ranking church official * Prince-provost, a high-ranking church official Government * Provost (civil), an officer of local government, including the equivalent ...

Moutier-Grandval Abbey Moutier-Grandval Abbey was a Benedictine abbey near the villages of Moutier and Grandval in today's Bernese Jura, Canton of Bern in Switzerland. It was founded around 640, when Grandval already existed; Moutier grew up around the abbey. Histor ...

. Châtelat remained part of the parish after they both converted to the new faith during the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

in 1531. In the following years, a colony of

Mennonites Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

was established in the village of Moron on the slopes of the Moron mountain. Moron was located at the far end of the valley, at an elevation of and like many Mennonite settlements was in a poorly accessible location. After the 1797 French victory and the

Treaty of Campo Formio The Treaty of Campo Formio (today Campoformido) was signed on 17 October 1797 (26 Vendémiaire VI) by Napoleon Bonaparte and Count Philipp von Cobenzl as representatives of the French Republic and the Austrian monarchy, respectively. The trea ...

, Châtelat became part of the French

Département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...

Mont-Terrible Mont-Terrible () was a department of the First French Republic, with its seat at Porrentruy. The Mont Terrible for which the department was named is now known as , a peak of near Courgenay (now in the canton of Jura, Switzerland). The toponym ...

. Three years later, in 1800 it became part of the Département of

Haut-Rhin Haut-Rhin (); Alsatian: ''Owerelsàss'' or '; , . is a department in the Grand Est region, France, bordering both Germany and Switzerland. It is named after the river Rhine; its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less pop ...

. After

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's defeat and the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...

, Châtelat was assigned to the Canton of Bern in 1815. During the period of French control, the village of Fornet-Dessous was an independent municipality. At some point after Bern assumed control, it was integrated into the Châtelat municipality. In 1829 the village of Fornet-Dessous was completely destroyed in a fire. Today, the village remains fairly rural and agrarian. About two-thirds of the workers work in the municipality and about two-thirds of the jobs in the municipality are in agriculture.

Monible

Monible is first mentioned in 1403 as ''Montnible'', though this comes from document that was written in 1414. In 1537 it was mentioned as ''Monible''. For much of its history, Monible was part of the '' Amt'' or

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

of Sornetan under the provost of Moutier-Grandval Abbey who was under the Prince-Bishop of Basel. Most of the village was destroyed by a fire in 1743. After the 1798 French invasion, Monible became part of the French

of Mont-Terrible. Three years later, in 1800 it became part of the Département of Haut-Rhin. After Napoleon's defeat and the Congress of Vienna, Monible was assigned to the Canton of Bern in 1815. The village's population has been steadily declining since the 19th century. In 1956 the municipal primary school closed and today only a

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

is open.

Sornetan

Sornetan is first mentioned in 1179 as ''Sornetan''. The municipality was formerly known by its German name ''Sornetal'', however, that name is no longer used. The area around Sornetan was inhabited since antiquity. Some of the earliest finds are scattered items from the

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

tribes that lived in the area. They were followed by the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

and then by the

Burgundians The Burgundians were an early Germanic peoples, Germanic tribe or group of tribes. They appeared east in the middle Rhine region in the third century AD, and were later moved west into the Roman Empire, in Roman Gaul, Gaul. In the first and seco ...

. A noble family using the Sornetan name appear in historic records from the 12th until the 14th centuries. The village was eventually acquired by the

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

of canons of

. When the Abbey was suppressed during the Protestant Reformation, Sornetan was placed under the provost of Moutier-Grandval who was under the

Prince-Bishop A prince-bishop is a bishop who is also the civil ruler of some secular principality and sovereignty, as opposed to '' Prince of the Church'' itself, a title associated with cardinals. Since 1951, the sole extant prince-bishop has been the ...

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

. After the 1797 French victory and the Treaty of Campo Formio, Sornetan became part of the French

of Mont-Terrible. Three years later, in 1800 it became part of the Département of Haut-Rhin. After Napoleon's defeat and the Congress of Vienna, Sornetan was assigned to the Canton of Bern in 1815. Until the Protestant Reformation of 1528, Sornetan was part of the parish of Sapran. After it adopted the new Reformed faith, it joined the Tavannes-Chaindon parish, but only remained until 1538. It then joined the Grandval parish and remained in that parish until 1571, when it joined

Bévilard Bévilard is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Jura bernois (administrative district), Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura (''Jura Bernois' ...

. Sornetan remained part of that parish for almost two centuries, but in 1746 it became an independent parish. The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

was built in 1708-09 and today is a Swiss heritage site of national significance. It was renovated in 1964-67. While the village has remained generally agrarian, beginning in the 1970s the services sector began gaining importance. One of the reasons for this change was the construction, in 1971, of a

Swiss Reformed Church The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), formerly named Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches until 31 December 2019, is a federation of 25 member churches – 24 cantonal churches and the Evangelical-Methodist Church of Switzerland. The P ...

meeting and training center in the municipality.

Souboz

Souboz is first mentioned in 1398 as ''Subol''. For most of Souboz's history, it was owned by the

of canons of Moutier-Grandval Abbey under the

. During the Protestant Reformation, the village accepted the new faith and became part of the parish of Moutier. After the 1797 French victory and the Treaty of Campo Formio, Souboz became part of the French

of Mont-Terrible. Three years later, in 1800 it became part of the Département of

. After Napoleon's defeat and the Congress of Vienna, Souboz was assigned to the Canton of Bern in 1815. In the early 20th century, the municipality was close to bankruptcy and from 1926 until 1937 the mayor of Moutier took over running Souboz to get it out of debt. Today the municipality is mostly agrarian, with about 80% of the local jobs in agriculture.

Geography

The former municipalities that now make up Petit-Val have a total combined area of .

Demographics

The total population of Petit-Val () is .

Historic population

The historical population is given in the following chart: Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8) ImageSize = width: auto height:500 barincrement:45 PlotArea = top:20 left:40 bottom:90 right:35 Legend = columns:3 left:20 top:70 columnwidth:160 AlignBars = justify DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:790 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:200 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:40 start:0 Colors= id:CH value:yellowgreen legend:Châtelat id:MO value:green legend:Monible id:ST value:blue legend:Sornetan id:SB value:red legend:Souboz PlotData= color:yellowgreen width:30 mark:(line,white) align:center bar:1850 from: 0 till:153 text:"153" color:CH bar:1860 from: 0 till:195 text:"195" color:CH bar:1870 from: 0 till:195 text:"195" color:CH bar:1880 from: 0 till:188 text:"188" color:CH bar:1890 from: 0 till:164 text:"164" color:CH bar:1900 from: 0 till:173 text:"173" color:CH bar:1910 from: 0 till:213 text:"213" color:CH bar:1920 from: 0 till:199 text:"199" color:CH bar:1930 from: 0 till:179 text:"179" color:CH bar:1940 from: 0 till:174 text:"174" color:CH bar:1950 from: 0 till:192 text:"192" color:CH bar:1960 from: 0 till:179 text:"179" color:CH bar:1970 from: 0 till:172 text:"172" color:CH bar:1980 from: 0 till:167 text:"167" color:CH bar:1990 from: 0 till:128 text:"128" color:CH bar:2000 from: 0 till:122 text:"122" color:CH bar:1850 from: 153 till:285 text:"132" color:MO bar:1860 from: 195 till:307 text:"112" color:MO bar:1870 from: 195 till:318 text:"123" color:MO bar:1880 from: 188 till:294 text:"106" color:MO bar:1890 from: 164 till:253 text:"89" color:MO bar:1900 from: 173 till:245 text:"72" color:MO bar:1910 from: 213 till:289 text:"76" color:MO bar:1920 from: 199 till:256 text:"57" color:MO bar:1930 from: 179 till:233 text:"54" color:MO bar:1940 from: 174 till:228 text:"54" color:MO bar:1950 from: 192 till:247 text:"55" color:MO bar:1960 from: 179 till:206 text:"27" color:MO bar:1970 from: 172 till:201 text:"29" color:MO bar:1980 from: 167 till:204 text:"37" color:MO bar:1990 from: 128 till:168 text:"40" color:MO bar:2000 from: 122 till:157 text:"35" color:MO bar:1850 from: 285 till:584 text:"299" color:ST bar:1860 from: 307 till:554 text:"247" color:ST bar:1870 from: 318 till:555 text:"237" color:ST bar:1880 from: 294 till:514 text:"220" color:ST bar:1890 from: 253 till:437 text:"184" color:ST bar:1900 from: 245 till:426 text:"181" color:ST bar:1910 from: 289 till:473 text:"184" color:ST bar:1920 from: 256 till:427 text:"171" color:ST bar:1930 from: 233 till:376 text:"143" color:ST bar:1940 from: 228 till:380 text:"152" color:ST bar:1950 from: 247 till:395 text:"148" color:ST bar:1960 from: 206 till:335 text:"129" color:ST bar:1970 from: 201 till:332 text:"131" color:ST bar:1980 from: 204 till:317 text:"113" color:ST bar:1990 from: 168 till:285 text:"117" color:ST bar:2000 from: 157 till:270 text:"113" color:ST bar:1850 from: 584 till:784 text:"200" color:SB bar:1860 from: 554 till:752 text:"198" color:SB bar:1870 from: 555 till:785 text:"230" color:SB bar:1880 from: 514 till:732 text:"218" color:SB bar:1890 from: 437 till:657 text:"220" color:SB bar:1900 from: 426 till:634 text:"208" color:SB bar:1910 from: 473 till:682 text:"209" color:SB bar:1920 from: 427 till:663 text:"236" color:SB bar:1930 from: 376 till:589 text:"213" color:SB bar:1940 from: 380 till:569 text:"189" color:SB bar:1950 from: 395 till:568 text:"173" color:SB bar:1960 from: 335 till:485 text:"150" color:SB bar:1970 from: 332 till:464 text:"132" color:SB bar:1980 from: 317 till:428 text:"111" color:SB bar:1990 from: 285 till:398 text:"113" color:SB bar:2000 from: 270 till:385 text:"115" color:SB

Heritage sites of national significance

The Forêts du Beucle, a medieval iron mine, and the Sornetan village

reformed church Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyterian, ...

are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance. The entire villages of Châtelat and Souboz are designated as part of the

Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites The Federal Inventory of Heritage Sites (ISOS) is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage. Sites of national importance Types The types are based on t ...

References

External links

{{Authority control Municipalities of the canton of Bern Cultural property of national significance in the canton of Bern