ClasséTown walls · protected 1886Remparts romainsPhoto: Pierre Poschadel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Pavillon de l'Arquebuse · Photo: Pierre.polarbear · CC BY-SA 3.026historic monuments
History of Soissons · Monuments historiques
26 historic monuments, the oldest from Antiquity
Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 2020. The Culture ministry lists 26 historic monuments in Soissons: 14 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 12 inscrit (the second level). That’s 9.3 for every 10,000 residents, more per resident than 84% of compared French towns; the median compared French town has 2.5. We have photos of 15 of them.
Monuments historiques
26
9.3 per 10,000 residents
median compared town 2.5
median compared town 2.5
Classé
14
the highest protection
Inscrit
12
the second level
Oldest part
Antiquity
of any listed monument
Homes before 1919
5.2%
median compared town 7.4%
In pictures
Soissons in 15 photos
Nearly every classé monument, photographed. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Ancien Grand séminaireClassé
Ancienne abbaye Saint-LégerClassé
Remparts romainsClassé
Ancienne abbaye Saint-MédardClassé
Ancienne abbaye de Saint-Jean-des-VignesClassé+10See all photosPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its license; names open the monument’s page.
How old
How old Soissons’ monuments are
Each monument once, by the oldest part the list dates.
Prehistory & Antiquity to the 4th c.2
Middle Ages 5th–15th c.10
16th to 18th century Renaissance to Revolution7
19th century 1801–19001
20th century and later since 19014
12 of 24 dated monuments have parts from before 1500. The oldest dated: Remparts romains (Antiquity). 2 monuments have no date on the list.
Map
Where Soissons’ monuments stand
Every monument with a point on the ministry’s list; the larger, darker dots are classé.
ClasséInscritWithin 400 m of Cathédrale Saint-Gervais et Saint-Protais
9 of 14classé monuments stand within 400 m of Cathédrale Saint-Gervais et Saint-Protais, with 17 of the town’s 26 monuments.
Tap a dot to open the monument’s page: its record, photo and the monuments around it.
26 monuments by protection
14 Classé12 Inscrit
Classé is the higher protection: any work on the building needs the State’s permission. Work on an inscrit building must be declared to the State in advance. Around both, building work in sight of the monument (usually within 500 m) needs the agreement of the architecte des Bâtiments de France.
Points as the ministry gives them: a monument spread over several plots has one point. 3 monuments have no point on the map.
Classé
14 classé monuments in Soissons
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. 9 of the 14 are protected in part only (a façade, a roof, a room). Each card opens the monument’s page.
ClasséTheater · protected 1875Théâtre romainPhoto: pour le versement et le modifications : G.Garitan · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséBishop’s palace · protected 1922Ancien évêchéPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Havang(nl) · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséChurch · protected 1846Ancienne église Saint-Pierre-au-ParvisPhoto: Szeder László · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséCathedral · protected 1862Cathédrale Saint-Gervais et Saint-ProtaisPhoto: Chatsam · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséAbbey · protected 1875Ancienne abbaye de Saint-Jean-des-VignesPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséAbbey · protected 1889Ancienne abbaye Saint-LégerPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Pierre Poschadel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséAbbey · protected 1875Ancienne abbaye Saint-MédardPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Chris06 · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséBarracks · protected 1901Pavillon de l'ArquebusePart of the building is protectedPhoto: Pierre.polarbear · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséPublic building · protected 1922Ancien Grand séminairePart of the building is protectedPhoto: Yoann Gonthier · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséAbbey · protected 1913Ancienne abbaye Notre-DamePart of the building is protectedPhoto: Pierre Poschadel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséSchool · protected 1908CollègePart of the building is protectedPhoto: Pierre.polarbear · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Town house · protected 1976Hôtel de RoyePart of the building is protected
Inscrit
12 inscrit monuments in Soissons
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
InscritTown house · protected 1980Hôtel de BarralPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Yoann Gonthier · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritTown hall · protected 2007Hôtel de villePart of the building is protectedPhoto: Yoann Gonthier · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritChurch · protected 2005Église Sainte-EugéniePhoto: Pierre.polarbear · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Abbey · protected 1988Ancienne abbaye de LongpontPart of the building is protected
Abbey · protected 1989Ancienne abbaye de ValseryPart of the building is protected
House · protected 2007Maisons de source et aqueduc (également sur commune de Belleu)
Town house · protected 2003Hôtel de la Paix
House · protected 2015Maison dite maison Henry
House · protected 2020Maison dite « maison égyptienne »Part of the building is protected
Public building · protected 2008Salle des Feuillants
Town house · protected 2023Hôtel particulierPart of the building is protected
House · protected 1928Maison, 5 rue du Coq-LombardPart of the building is protected
What’s protected
Churches and religious buildings are the largest group in Soissons
Each monument under the main domain Mérimée gives it.
Religious buildings9
Houses & homes8
Public & civic5
Military & fortified1
Tombs & cemeteries1
Bridges & engineering1
Religious buildings: 9 of 26 monuments (35%).
Mérimée files each monument under one main domain: a château with its chapel counts once. 1 has no domain on the list.
Protected area
Soissons has had a protected historic area since 2020
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| SPR32-43 | AVAP September 28, 2020 | AVAP (heritage area rules) September 28, 2020 |
A site patrimonial remarquable protects a whole area rather than one building: inside it, building work follows the area’s own plan and needs the agreement of the architecte des Bâtiments de France.
The list gives no boundaries, so the map can’t show the area.
When protected
Soissons’ list has grown since 1846
Monuments by the year they were first protected.
1840186018801900192019401960198020002020
First protected, in 1846: Ancienne église Saint-Pierre-au-Parvis. 3 were protected in 1875 alone. 3 have been added since 2011.
Born before 1900
27 people born in Soissons before 1900
The 20 best known on the line, and eight of them below.
Jean Ruel
Augustin Patissier, dit Châteauneuf
Louis d'Héricourt
Nicolas Denis Warel de Beauvoir
Pierre-François Tingry
Jean-Jacques Fiquet
Jacques Louis Constant Debatz
Christophe Advinay
Henri François Marie Charpentier
Pierre Ronsin
Charles Antoine François Poirée
Charles d'Argent de Deux-Fontaines
Toussaint Plocq
Émile Martin
Henri Congnet
Alphonse Paillet
Pierre Deflandre
Antoine Ringuier
Emma Saïd Ben Mohamed
André Vaillant
1500165018001950
JR
Jean Ruel1474–1537 · French botanist
HF
Henri François Marie Charpentier1769–1831 · French general
HC
Henri Congnet1795–1870 · French catholic priest and hagiographer
ES
Emma Saïd Ben Mohamed1876–1930 · French singer
AV
André Vaillant1890–1977 · French grammarian and slavist
AP
Augustin Patissier, dit Châteauneuf1640–1717 · French actor
Ld
Louis d'Héricourt1687–1752 · French lawyer and journalist
ND
Nicolas Denis Warel de Beauvoir1714–1797 · French general
Everyone born in Soissons Birthplaces from Wikidata, checked against Wikipedia.
Towns its size
Soissons has the 4th most monuments of 41 towns its size
Compared French towns of 26,700 to 29,500 residents, by historic monuments.
Neighbors
Historic monuments in the towns around Soissons
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soissons | 28,046 | 26 | 14 | Yes |
| Belleu | 3,659 | 3 | 1 | — |
| Villeneuve-Saint-Germain | 2,616 | 1 | 0 | — |
| Crouy | 3,049 | 1 | 0 | — |
| Villers-Cotterêts | 10,489 | 14 | 6 | — |
| Fère-en-Tardenois | 2,836 | 4 | 3 | — |
| Fismes Marne | 5,850 | 1 | 1 | — |
In brief
Soissons in brief
The record in Soissons starts with Remparts romains, which dates from Antiquity. In all there are 26 historic monuments, 14 of them classé, including Pavillon de l'Arquebuse. Per resident, it has more historic monuments than 84% of compared French towns. Its classé monuments cluster together: 9 of them stand within 400 m of Cathédrale Saint-Gervais et Saint-Protais.
Only 3 of the 41 towns nearest its size have more historic monuments. Part of it has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2020. Of the 27 people born here before 1900, the best known include Jean Ruel (1474), Henri François Marie Charpentier (1769) and Henri Congnet (1795). Beyond that, 5.2% of its homes were built before 1919, close to the 7.4% in the median compared French town.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Monuments historiques. France protects buildings at two levels. Classé, the higher (about a third of the list), means any work needs the State’s permission; inscrit means work must be declared to the State in advance. The Culture ministry’s Mérimée base lists every protected building, and this page counts them.
- Partly protected. Many entries protect part of a building only (its façades and roofs, a staircase, a painted room). Each counts as one monument, like a fully protected one.
- Where a monument is counted. In the commune named on its protection, moved to today’s commune where communes have since merged. A monument listed for several communes counts in each.
- Sites patrimoniaux remarquables. Since 2016 France’s protected historic areas (the former secteurs sauvegardés, ZPPAUP and AVAP) share one name. Inside one, building work follows the area’s plan and needs the agreement of the architecte des Bâtiments de France.
- What isn’t here. Protected objects (furniture, organs, paintings), old buildings with no protection, UNESCO World Heritage listings and labels such as “Plus Beaux Villages de France” aren’t on this list, so this page doesn’t count them.
- No History Grade yet. Everything on this page is described, not graded: France’s History Grade isn’t built yet.
Questions about the history of Soissons
How many historic monuments are there in Soissons?
The Culture ministry lists 26 historic monuments in Soissons: 14 classé and 12 inscrit.
Which monuments in Soissons are classé?
14, among them Remparts romains, Théâtre romain, Ancien évêché, Ancienne église Saint-Pierre-au-Parvis, Cathédrale Saint-Gervais et Saint-Protais and Ancienne abbaye de Saint-Jean-des-Vignes.
How old are the monuments of Soissons?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from Antiquity.
Is Soissons a protected historic area?
Yes: part of Soissons has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2020.
When were monuments in Soissons first protected?
The first in 1846, the latest in 2023.
How old are the homes in Soissons?
5.2% of its main homes were built before 1919 (median compared French town: 7.4%).
France has no History Grade yet: this page describes, it doesn’t grade.
Sources: Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée base on POP (immeubles protégés au titre des monuments historiques), October 2026 · Ministère de la Culture, sites patrimoniaux remarquables, October 2026 · INSEE, census 2023 (main homes by build period) · Wikidata and Wikipedia (people born here) · Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata (photos of the monuments, each with its own credit and license) · IGN Admin Express (boundaries) · Medians and percentiles: TownRatings, over compared French towns, updated November 4, 2026. Under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab).
Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.