Fountain de la Colonne
Description
The carrefour de la Colonne has always been a very lively place in Bex. The Café Brasserie de la Colonne was for a long time one of the main public establishments of the square, well before the opening of the Grand Hôtel des Bains, in 1824. The small fountain, which is today embedded in the surrounding wall of the Château Feuillet, was then a very pretty basin with its goat from which the water gushed out, which the horses must have greatly appreciated.
This crossroads is called the Column, perhaps because in front of the former small free church there was a 3.20 metre high oak column in one piece. This carved piece, which dates back 200 years, is unique, according to historians. It served as a support for directional signs and dates back to Napoleon's time in the region. It was placed on the edge of what was then the main road linking Lausanne to the Valais. Over time, the column had disappeared, but was rediscovered around 1960 by a workman and, under the auspices of the municipal services, replaced in its original place. And now this little church, known as Nagelin's chapel, which literally dominates the square, is the place of worship that the Free Church erected between 1864 and 1865. It should be remembered in passing that the Free Church had been created in 1847 to break away from the official Reformed Church, which had accepted its submission to the new Vaud constitution of the time. The two churches were reunited in 1966. The building was sold to the commune of Bex in 1967. Today it is used for exhibitions, conferences and meetings. Its restoration is under study. Finally, the Château Feuillet is the centrepiece of the district. This beautiful house, with two sundials on its facades, its fountain and its large garden with trees, is today bounded by three streets, the Rue du Cropt, the Rue du Midi and the Rue Charpentier, but at the very beginning of its existence, in the 16th century, when the Rue du Midi did not yet exist, the house was a vast property that encompassed practically the whole of the Nagelin district. The Coop building was also part of the estate. The facades and the inner courtyard were listed in 1960 in the register of historical monuments of the Canton of Vaud.
The carrefour de la Colonne has always been a very lively place in Bex. The Café Brasserie de la Colonne was for a long time one of the main public establishments of the square, well before the opening of the Grand Hôtel des Bains, in 1824. The small fountain, which is today embedded in the surrounding wall of the Château Feuillet, was then a very pretty basin with its goat from which the water gushed out, which the horses must have greatly appreciated.
This crossroads is called the Column, perhaps because in front of the former small free church there was a 3.20 metre high oak column in one piece. This carved piece, which dates back 200 years, is unique, according to historians. It served as a support for directional signs and dates back to Napoleon's time in the region. It was placed on the edge of what was then the main road linking Lausanne to the Valais. Over time, the column had disappeared, but was rediscovered around 1960 by a workman and, under the auspices of the municipal services, replaced in its original place. And now this little church, known as Nagelin's chapel, which literally dominates the square, is the place of worship that the Free Church erected between 1864 and 1865. It should be remembered in passing that the Free Church had been created in 1847 to break away from the official Reformed Church, which had accepted its submission to the new Vaud constitution of the time. The two churches were reunited in 1966. The building was sold to the commune of Bex in 1967. Today it is used for exhibitions, conferences and meetings. Its restoration is under study. Finally, the Château Feuillet is the centrepiece of the district. This beautiful house, with two sundials on its facades, its fountain and its large garden with trees, is today bounded by three streets, the Rue du Cropt, the Rue du Midi and the Rue Charpentier, but at the very beginning of its existence, in the 16th century, when the Rue du Midi did not yet exist, the house was a vast property that encompassed practically the whole of the Nagelin district. The Coop building was also part of the estate. The facades and the inner courtyard were listed in 1960 in the register of historical monuments of the Canton of Vaud.