Rochefourchat
Commune in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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. | |
 Location of Rochefourchat | |
  Rochefourchat  Rochefourchat | |
| Coordinates: 44°35′58″N 5°14′53″E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes |
| Department | Drôme |
| Arrondissement | Die |
| Canton | Le Diois |
| Intercommunality | Diois |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Martigny[1] |
Area 1 | 12.74 km2 (4.92 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 2 |
| • Density | 0.16/km2 (0.41/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 26274 /26340 |
| Elevation | 600–1,513 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
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
| Year | Pop. | ±% 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% |
| 2022 | 2 | +41.42% |
| 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
- Communes of the Drôme department
- Monowi, a village consisting of one resident
