Rochefourchat is a commune

Communes of France

The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...

 in the Drôme

Drôme

Drôme , a department in southeastern France, takes its name from the Drôme River.-History:The French National Constituent Assembly set up Drôme as one of the original 83 departments of France on March 4, 1790, during the French Revolution...

 department in the Rhône-Alpes

Rhône-Alpes

Rhône-Alpes is one of the 27 regions of France, located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the Rhône River and the Alps mountain range. Its capital, Lyon, is the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris...

 region in southeastern France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. In the commune there is a single house, a converted barn

Barn

A barn is an agricultural building used for storage and as a covered workplace. It may sometimes be used to house livestock or to store farming vehicles and equipment...

, and the ruins of an old castle. The nearest communes to Rochefourchat are Saint-Nazaire-le-Désert

Saint-Nazaire-le-Désert

Saint-Nazaire-le-Désert is a commune in the Drôme department in the Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France.-History:Archaeology suggests that people have settled in the area for over six thousand years. Fragments of Iron Age vases for roasting wheat have been found in the area...

, Les Tonils

Les Tonils

Les Tonils is a commune in the Drôme department in the Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France.It was first inhabited in the year 1300.-Population:-Economy:The French goat's cheese Picodon is produced in and around Les Tonils.-References:*...

, Pradelle

Pradelle, Drôme

Pradelle is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Population:...

, and Brette

Brette

Brette is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Population:...

.

History

In 1178, the castle

Castle

A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...

 of Rocha Forcha was built by the bishops of the arrondissement of Die

Arrondissement of Die

The arrondissement of Die is an arrondissement of France, located in the Drôme département, in the Rhône-Alpes région. It has 9 cantons and 104 communes.-Cantons:The cantons of the arrondissement of Die are:# Bourdeaux# La Chapelle-en-Vercors...

 as a stronghold against the Holy Roman Emperor

Holy Roman Emperor

The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...

s. 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

There is only one permanent inhabitant, a 38-year old divorced man, making it the least populous French commune.

See also

• List of places with fewer than ten residents
• Communes of the Drôme department