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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Rochefourchat

Rochefourchat (French pronunciation: [ʁɔʃfuʁʃa]; Vivaro-Alpine: Ròchaforchaa) is a commune in the Drôme department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, southeastern France. 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.

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

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

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

References

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 19 December 2024 https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/8288323?geo=COM-26274. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ^ "Commune de Rochefourchat (26274)". INSEE. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  4. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE