Roche

Origin of the name Roche

Name origin: the village is mentioned in 1177 as « Rochi ». The name corresponds to the French word « roche », derived from the pre-Latin form « *rocca », meaning a rock. In Vaud patois the municipality is called « Rotsè ».

Founding of Roche

The sources consulted say neither when nor by whom the village was founded. Roche grew up along the Roman road linking Vevey to the Great Saint Bernard, of which remains survive. In the Middle Ages the monks of Mont-Joux (Great Saint Bernard) owned the chapel of Saint-Jacques here, mentioned from 1177, and a hospice for travellers, which they kept until 1853. The village later developed around the Bernese salt works, then around limestone quarrying and cement production.

History of Roche

Roman period. The Roman road from Vevey to the Great Saint Bernard runs through Roche; remains of it have been found.

1177. First mention as « Rochi »; the chapel of Saint-Jacques, owned by the monks of Mont-Joux, is mentioned.

1475. After the Bernese conquest, Bern buys back several fiefs in the village.

1484. Until 1798 Roche is part of the governorship (bailiwick) of Aigle; the village is run by a Council of Twelve.

1582. Attached to Noville at the Reformation, the chapel of Roche becomes its annex.

Late 16th century. Salt works begin operating.

1695. Bern has the Joux-Verte dam built for floating the timber used to boil the brine.

1728. The church of Roche becomes a suffragan of Noville.

1798. Roche joins the district of Aigle; the salt works installations, for which the village was the depot of Aigle and Bex, are abandoned.

1833. Roche becomes an annex of the parish of Yvorne; the present Reformed church is fitted out around 1838 in a former salt warehouse.

1853. The hospice, with its barn and stables, leaves the hands of the Great Saint Bernard.

19th century. Limestone quarrying develops and the first kilns are built on the Eau Froide; at the end of the century the river is embanked against floods.

1896. A cement works starts operating; it runs until 2000.

1933. A Catholic parish and a church dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin are established.

1941. After a merger, the Société des chaux et ciments de la Suisse romande becomes the sole owner of the works.

1976. Roche wins Jeux sans frontières in Milan.

1983. The Swiss Organ Museum opens in the barn of the former hospice.

1992. The works are integrated into Holderbank Ciments et Bétons.

2000. Closure of the cement works, which had employed a large majority of the population.

Population of Roche

Population of Roche

1764	248
1850	351
1900	528
1950	744
2000	894
2025	2'035

Historic sites in Roche

Hospice barn and Swiss Organ Museum. The hospice of the monks of Mont-Joux, with its barn and stables, remained the property of the Great Saint Bernard until 1853. Since 1983 the barn has housed the Swiss Organ Museum.

Reformed church. The Reformed church was fitted out around 1838 in a former salt warehouse, a reminder of Roche's role as the depot of the Aigle and Bex salt works.

Catholic church of the Nativity of the Virgin. Church of the Catholic parish established in 1933.

Remains in Roche

Roman road Vevey-Great Saint Bernard. Remains of the Roman road linking Vevey to the Great Saint Bernard pass have been found in Roche.

Legacy of the salt works. From the late 16th century to 1798 Roche served as the depot of the Aigle and Bex salt works; the directors of the salt works, including Albrecht von Haller, lived here. In 1695 Bern had the Joux-Verte dam built for floating the timber intended for boiling the brine.

Sources

• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Roche (VD) »
• Wikipédia, « Roche (Vaud) »
• Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »

Other villages near Roche

• Rennaz (VD)
• Corbeyrier (VD)
• Chessel (VD)
• Noville (VD)
• Yvorne (VD)