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Villages / Jura / Porrentruy district / Rocourt
Coat of arms of Rocourt

Rocourt

Canton of Jura · District: Porrentruy · 156 inhabitants (2017, former municipality of Rocourt, last figure before the merger)
Part of the municipality of Haute-Ajoie
View of Rocourt
Photo: Roland Zumbuehl, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons · Coat of arms: Public domain
Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Population over time Must-see historical sites Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Rocourt

First recorded in 1148 as « Rocort », reportedly in a bull of Pope Eugene III. The etymology is unexplained.[1]

Founding of Rocourt

Neither the founder nor the date of origin of the village is known. It consists of two linear quarters at right angles to the road from Porrentruy to Besançon. Until the 15th century its history is tied to a family of lords of the same name, who several times refused to pay homage to the bishops of Basel and are said to have built a castle on the site of the present church. When the family died out, the small lordship reverted to the prince-bishopric. The village then belonged to the grande mairie of Chevenez in the lordship of Ajoie. A commune mixte from 1836, Rocourt is now part of the municipality of Haute-Ajoie (merger of 1 January 2018).[1]

History of Rocourt

1148. First mention of the village as « Rocort ».[1]

Until the 15th century. The village belongs to the lords of Rocourt, who several times refuse to pay homage to the bishops of Basel.[1]

15th century. When the family dies out, the lordship reverts to the Prince-Bishopric of Basel. Rocourt comes under the grande mairie of Chevenez.[1]

1793-1813. Rocourt belongs to the French departments of Mont-Terrible, then Haut-Rhin.[1]

1815-1978. The village is part of the canton of Bern, in the bailiwick and later district of Porrentruy.[1]

1836. Rocourt becomes a commune mixte.[1]

1857-1859. Construction of the church of Saint-François-Xavier.[1]

1876. Rocourt ceases to belong to the parish of Grandfontaine.[1]

1935. The canton of Bern recognises the parish of Rocourt.[1][2]

1979. Rocourt joins the new canton of Jura.

2005. The primary sector provides 72 % of jobs in the municipality. Most of the working population commutes elsewhere.[1]

2009. Having rejected the merger on 6 March 2008, Rocourt stays out of the municipality of Haute-Ajoie, created in 2009.[2]

2018. On 1 January Rocourt joins the municipality of Haute-Ajoie.[1]

Population of Rocourt

Sources and references: [1]

Population of Rocourt
1818214
1850272
1900232
1950187
2000142
2010157
2017156

Historic sites in Rocourt

Church of Saint-François-Xavier. Parish church built in 1857-1859. Thirteen stained-glass windows by Inez Vandeghinste were installed in 1987. It is said to house a statue of Notre-Dame de Pitié from the early 16th century.[1][2]

Jérusalem apple tree. Rocourt is said to have the last known specimen of the « Jérusalem » apple variety, recorded by the Association de sauvegarde du patrimoine rural jurassien.

Sources

  1. Dizionario storico della Svizzera, « Rocourt » (Dominique Prongué), versione del 31.10.2019
  2. Denis Moine, Chronologie jurassienne, « Rocourt »
  3. geo.admin.ch (swisstopo), recherche de lieux « Rocourt »

Other villages near Rocourt

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