Rochefourchat

Summary

Rochefourchat (French pronunciation: [ʁɔʃfuʁʃa]; Vivaro-Alpine: Ròchaforchaa) is a commune in the Drôme department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, southeastern France.[3] In the commune there is a single house, the St. Pierre's Church, a converted barn, and the ruins of an old castle. The commune is bordered by four other communes, and nearest to Rochefourchat are Saint-Nazaire-le-Désert, Les Tonils, Pradelle, and Brette.

Rochefourchat
The village of Rochefourchat.
The village of Rochefourchat.
Location of Rochefourchat
.mw-parser-output .locmap .od{position:absolute}.mw-parser-output .locmap .id{position:absolute;line-height:0}.mw-parser-output .locmap .l0{font-size:0;position:absolute}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pv{line-height:110%;position:absolute;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pl{line-height:110%;position:absolute;top:-0.75em;text-align:right}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pr{line-height:110%;position:absolute;top:-0.75em;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pv>div{display:inline;padding:1px}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pl>div{display:inline;padding:1px;float:right}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pr>div{display:inline;padding:1px;float:left}Rochefourchat is located in France
Rochefourchat
Rochefourchat
Rochefourchat is located in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Rochefourchat
Rochefourchat
Coordinates: 44°35′58″N 5°14′53″E / 44.5994°N 5.2481°E / 44.5994; 5.2481
CountryFrance
RegionAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
DepartmentDrôme
ArrondissementDie
CantonLe Diois
IntercommunalityDiois
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Martigny[1]
Area
1
12.74 km2 (4.92 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
1
 • Density0.078/km2 (0.20/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
26274 /26340
Elevation600–1,513 m (1,969–4,964 ft)
(avg. 963 m or 3,159 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

History edit

In 1178, the castle of Rocha Forcha was built by the bishops of Die as a stronghold against the Holy Roman Emperors. It belonged to French lords until the year 1766 when the last one, Lord Rey de Noinville, died. In 1796, a French trader, Pierre Jossaud bought the land surrounding the castle and renamed it Rochefourchat. The commune has been passed down through Jossaud's family.

Population edit

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 6—    
1975 2−14.52%
1982 3+5.96%
1990 2−4.94%
1999 1−7.41%
2009 1+0.00%
2014 1+0.00%
2020 1+0.00%
Source: INSEE[4]

The permanent population of Rochefourchat consists of one woman; yet Rochefourchat is not the least populous French commune, as there are six communes with no inhabitants, destroyed and abandoned during World War I but maintained as administrative subdivisions to preserve their memory.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Commune de Rochefourchat (26274) − COG | Insee". www.insee.fr. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  4. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE