Matran
Encyclopedia
Matran is a municipality
in the district of Sarine
in the canton
of Fribourg in Switzerland
.
Matran nestles 614 m above sea level about 5.5 km in the Glâne valley from the canton's capital Fribourg.
In the Middle Ages the Abbey of Payerne owned much land in Matran. In 1442 the hamlet was sold and came into possession of Fribourg. After the collapse of the Ancien Régime (1798) Matran belonged during the Helvetik and later to the county of Fribourg, and in 1848 it became a member of the "Saanebezirk" of the Canton of Fribourg.
Matran has grown from a sleepy hamlet of a few hundred farmers and their families to a population of over 4,000 inhabitants in the last 25 years. Matran boasts a wonderful gothic parish church dating back to the 16th century with rare 18th century ceiling paintings depicting the 4 evangelists by an unknown artist, and a gigantic bronze Pieta by Hugo de Matran at the town mortuary.
The town is dominated by the former Kollegium Sankt Joseph, once a boarding school run by the Redemptorist Fathers (CSSR), which since the early 1990 serves a spiritual retreat for groups. The chapel is frequently used for broadcasts by the TV de la Suisse Romande.
Former students and teachers include the Swiss author Peter Fahr; the Fribourg Cathedral Organist and music professor Francois Seydoux (an expert on Alois Moser the organ builder); Luc Seydoux, organist; Father Alois Schmid (CSSR), author and biology professor at the University of Fribourg; James d'Argantel Odrowaz, painter and author.
Matran is also home to sculptor and painter Hugo de Matran (Hugo Heule).
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the district of Sarine
Sarine (district)
Sarine District is one of the seven districts of the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. It is largely French-speaking, with a German-speaking minority. Its territory is drained by the Sarine river , and by its tributary, the Glâne...
in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Fribourg in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Matran nestles 614 m above sea level about 5.5 km in the Glâne valley from the canton's capital Fribourg.
History
The first recorded mention is in 1138 under the name Martrens en Nuithonie. Later it changed to Martrans (1148), Matrans (1157), Martranz (1285), Martrant (1445), Martrand (1555) and Matrang (1668). The place name derives from "Martyrus".In the Middle Ages the Abbey of Payerne owned much land in Matran. In 1442 the hamlet was sold and came into possession of Fribourg. After the collapse of the Ancien Régime (1798) Matran belonged during the Helvetik and later to the county of Fribourg, and in 1848 it became a member of the "Saanebezirk" of the Canton of Fribourg.
Matran has grown from a sleepy hamlet of a few hundred farmers and their families to a population of over 4,000 inhabitants in the last 25 years. Matran boasts a wonderful gothic parish church dating back to the 16th century with rare 18th century ceiling paintings depicting the 4 evangelists by an unknown artist, and a gigantic bronze Pieta by Hugo de Matran at the town mortuary.
The town is dominated by the former Kollegium Sankt Joseph, once a boarding school run by the Redemptorist Fathers (CSSR), which since the early 1990 serves a spiritual retreat for groups. The chapel is frequently used for broadcasts by the TV de la Suisse Romande.
Former students and teachers include the Swiss author Peter Fahr; the Fribourg Cathedral Organist and music professor Francois Seydoux (an expert on Alois Moser the organ builder); Luc Seydoux, organist; Father Alois Schmid (CSSR), author and biology professor at the University of Fribourg; James d'Argantel Odrowaz, painter and author.
Matran is also home to sculptor and painter Hugo de Matran (Hugo Heule).