ClasséChâteau · protected 1875Ancien château ou Palais des ducs de BourbonPhoto: Szeder László · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Ancien collège des Jésuites · Photo: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.054historic monuments
History of Moulins · Monuments historiques
54 historic monuments, more per resident than 97% of compared French towns
Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 2013. The Culture ministry lists 54 historic monuments in Moulins: 17 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 37 inscrit (the second level). The oldest date from the 14th century. We have photos of 51 of them.
Monuments historiques
54
28 per 10,000 residents
median compared town 2.5
median compared town 2.5
Classé
17
the highest protection
Inscrit
37
the second level
Oldest part
14th c.
of any listed monument
Homes before 1919
20%
median compared town 7.4%
In pictures
Moulins in 51 photos
Nearly every classé monument, photographed. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
MaisonClassé
Hôtel Dubuisson de DouzonClassé
MaisonClassé
MaisonClassé
Bâtiment dit les anciennes HallesClassé+46See all photosPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its license; names open the monument’s page.
Towns its size
Moulins has the 5th most monuments of 41 towns its size
Compared French towns of 18,500 to 20,000 residents, by historic monuments.
Moulins54
#5 of 41for monuments per resident (28 per 10,000). Most per resident: Paris 2e, Le Puy-en-Velay and Riom.
The median town of these has 4. 6 of the 41 have none.
Map
Where Moulins’ monuments stand
Every monument with a point on the ministry’s list; the larger, darker dots are classé.
ClasséInscritWithin 400 m of Ancien château ou Palais des ducs de Bourbon
12 of 17classé monuments stand within 400 m of Ancien château ou Palais des ducs de Bourbon, with 32 of the town’s 54 monuments.
Tap a dot to open the monument’s page: its record, photo and the monuments around it.
54 monuments by protection
17 Classé37 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. 2 monuments have no point on the map.
Classé
17 classé monuments in Moulins
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. 10 of the 17 are protected in part only (a façade, a roof, a room). Each card opens the monument’s page.
Classé
ClasséPresbytery · protected 1938Maison du DoyennéPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Isaline1991 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséFortified house · protected 1929Tour de l'Horloge dite JacquemartPhoto: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséHouse · protected 1840Pavillon d'Anne de Beaujeu, actuellement musée Anne de BeaujeuPhoto: Sergey Prokopenko · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Classé
ClasséTown house · protected 1927Ancien hôtel de la FeronnaysPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Silex · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséMarket hall · protected 1939Bâtiment dit les anciennes HallesPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Silex · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséTown house · protected 2000Hôtel Dubuisson de DouzonPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséPublic building · protected 1984Caserne ou quartier Villars, actuellement centre national du costume de scènePhoto: Alphanumeric · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséSchool · protected 1928Lycée BanvillePart of the building is protectedPhoto: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséCathedral · protected 1875Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'AnnonciationPhoto: Florian Pépellin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséHouse · protected 1975Maison, 14, 16 rue François-PéronPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Silex · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséHouse · protected 1929Maison, rue des OrfèvresPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséHouse · protected 1972Maison, 6 rue du RivagePart of the building is protectedPhoto: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséHouse · protected 1969Maison, 17 cours Jean-JaurèsPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséBuilding · protected 1976Immeuble, 25 rue de DecizePart of the building is protectedPhoto: Silex · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Inscrit
37 inscrit monuments in Moulins
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
All 37, A to Z
Ancien château d'eauAncien couvent des CarmesAncien hôtel d'OrvilliersAncien hôtel de RochefortAncien hôtel de Rougé, hôtel Vic de PontgibaudAncien hôtel des FeydeauAncien hôtel HéronAncienne cour des comptesArche d’essai FreyssinetCafé américainChapelle Sainte-ClaireChâteau de NomazyConfiserie SérardyÉglise du Sacré-CoeurGrand CaféHôtel ChabotHôtel de BalloreHôtel de ChavagnacHôtel de MontlaurHôtel de Mora, actuellement musée de l'illustration jeunesseHôtel de villeHôtel Demoret et chapelle BabuteHôtel particulierImmeuble, 155 rue de BourgogneMaison de Jeanne d'ArcMaison MantinMaison, 10 rue Felix-MathéMaison, 11 rue de l'Ancien-PalaisMaison, 12 rue Félix-MathéMaison, 16 rue du Pont-GinguetMaison, 28 rue Michel-de-l'HôpitalMaison, 38 rue de BourgogneMaison, 6 rue Felix-MathéMaison, 8 rue Felix-MathéMaison, rue GrenierPont de RegemortesPorte de Paris
10 more, named only by their kind
10 more are named in the list only by their kind: 9 houses (maisons) and 1 building (immeuble), most from the 15th century. The 10 with an address are in the list above, by it.
15th c.3
16th c.2
18th c.3
undated2
What’s protected
Most of Moulins’ monuments are houses and homes
Each monument under the main domain Mérimée gives it.
Houses & homes34
Religious buildings5
Public & civic4
Shops & trade4
Bridges & engineering3
Military & fortified2
Houses & homes: 34 of 54 monuments (63%). 5 are religious buildings, 2 of them classé.
Mérimée files each monument under one main domain: a château with its chapel counts once. 2 have no domain on the list.
How old
How old Moulins’ monuments are
Each monument once, by the oldest part the list dates.
Prehistory & Antiquity to the 4th c.0
Middle Ages 5th–15th c.15
16th to 18th century Renaissance to Revolution27
19th century 1801–19006
20th century and later since 19013
15 of 51 dated monuments have parts from before 1500. The oldest dated: Ancien château ou Palais des ducs de Bourbon (14th & 15th c.). 3 monuments have no date on the list.
Protected area
Moulins has had a protected historic area since 2013
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| SPR84-14 | AVAP February 23, 2013 | AVAP (heritage area rules) February 23, 2013 |
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
Moulins’ list has grown since 1840
Monuments by the year they were first protected.
1929 · 6
1840186018801900192019401960198020002020
First protected, in 1840: Pavillon d'Anne de Beaujeu, actuellement musée Anne de Beaujeu. That was France’s first list of monuments historiques, drawn up in Prosper Mérimée’s time as inspector. 6 were protected in 1929 alone. 2 have been added since 2011.
Age of homes
20% of homes in Moulins were built before 1919
Main homes by when they were finished, beside the median compared French town (the tick).
20%
Before 1919
13%
1919–45
24%
1946–70
33%
1971–90
6.3%
1991–2005
4.7%
2006 on
MoulinsMedian compared French town
20% of its main homes were built before 1919; the median compared French town has 7.4%. More of them were finished between 1971 and 1990 than in any other period (33%).
INSEE, census 2023: main homes (résidences principales) only; second homes and empty homes aren’t dated.
Born before 1900
42 people born in Moulins before 1900
The 20 best known on the line, and eight of them below.
Charles II de Bourbon
Louis III de Bourbon
Claude Guillermet de Bérigard
Philibert de Brandon
Charles Delorme
Jacques Fitz-James
Claude Gabriel de Choisy
Jean Joseph Goyard
Jean Bernard Michel de Bellecour
Henri Coiffier de Breuille
Étienne Vidalin
Pierre-Joseph Vernin
Pierre Bodelin
Simon de Coiffier de Moret
Félix Mathé
Henri Mathé
Georges Chevalier
Antoine Meillet
Privat-Antoine Aubouard
Georges Bidault
1500165018001950
CI
Charles II de Bourbon1434–1488 · Catholic cardinal and Duke of Burbon
LI
Louis III de Bourbon1513–1582 · Second Duke of Montpensier
CG
Claude Guillermet de Bérigard1578–1663 · French philosopher
JF
Jacques Fitz-James1670–1734 · Anglo-French military leader
CG
Claude Gabriel de Choisy1723–1800 · French general
FM
Félix Mathé1834–1911 · French politician born 1834
HM
Henri Mathé1837–1907 · French politician
GC
Georges Chevalier1854–1938 · French military personnel
Everyone born in Moulins Birthplaces from Wikidata, checked against Wikipedia.
Neighbors
Historic monuments in the towns around Moulins
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moulins | 19,206 | 54 | 17 | Yes |
| Yzeure | 12,897 | 4 | 1 | — |
| Avermes | 4,074 | 2 | 0 | — |
| Dompierre-sur-Besbre | 2,959 | 2 | 0 | — |
| Varennes-sur-Allier | 3,549 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule | 4,884 | 4 | 1 | — |
In brief
Moulins in brief
Few towns are as rich in historic monuments as Moulins: per resident it has more than 97% of compared French towns. In all there are 54 historic monuments, 17 of them classé, including Ancien collège des Jésuites. Its housing is old: 20% of homes date from before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town. Ancien château ou Palais des ducs de Bourbon sits at the heart of it all, with 12 of the town’s classé monuments within 400 m.
Only 4 of the 41 towns nearest its size have more historic monuments. Part of it has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2013. Of the whole list, 63% are houses and homes.
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 Moulins
How many historic monuments are there in Moulins?
The Culture ministry lists 54 historic monuments in Moulins: 17 classé and 37 inscrit.
Which monuments in Moulins are classé?
17, among them Ancien château ou Palais des ducs de Bourbon, Église Saint-Pierre, Maison du Doyenné, Tour de l'Horloge dite Jacquemart, Pavillon d'Anne de Beaujeu, actuellement musée Anne de Beaujeu and Ancien collège des Jésuites.
How old are the monuments of Moulins?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from the 14th century.
Is Moulins a protected historic area?
Yes: part of Moulins has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2013.
When were monuments in Moulins first protected?
The first in 1840, the latest in 2022.
How old are the homes in Moulins?
20% 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.