ClasséArchaeological site · protected 1947Grotte d'Ebbou dite de ChamasPhoto: Thilo Parg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Grotte ornée du paléolithique supérieur située au lieudit "Combe d'Arc" dite grotte Chauvet · Photo: Inocybe sur Wikipédia français · Public domain13historic monuments
History of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc · Monuments historiques
13 historic monuments, the oldest from prehistory
The Culture ministry lists 13 historic monuments in Vallon-Pont-d'Arc: 3 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 10 inscrit (the second level). That’s 54 for every 10,000 residents; the median compared French town has 2.5. We have photos of 6 of them.
Monuments historiques
13
54 per 10,000 residents
median compared town 2.5
median compared town 2.5
Classé
3
the highest protection
Inscrit
10
the second level
Oldest part
Prehistory
of any listed monument
Homes before 1919
16%
median compared town 7.4%
In pictures
Vallon-Pont-d'Arc in 6 photos
Nearly every classé monument, photographed. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Ancien châteauClassé
Grotte d'Ebbou dite de ChamasClassé
Grotte de LouoïInscrit
Grotte du DérocInscrit
Grotte dite de la VacheresseInscrit+1See 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 Vallon-Pont-d'Arc’s monuments are
Each monument once, by the oldest part the list dates.
Prehistory & Antiquity to the 4th c.12
Middle Ages 5th–15th c.0
16th to 18th century Renaissance to Revolution1
19th century 1801–19000
20th century and later since 19010
12 of 13 dated monuments have parts from before 1500. The oldest dated: Grotte d'Ebbou dite de Chamas (Prehistory).
Map
Where Vallon-Pont-d'Arc’s monuments stand
Every monument with a point on the ministry’s list; the larger, darker dots are classé.
ClasséInscrit
Tap a dot to open the monument’s page: its record, photo and the monuments around it.
13 monuments by protection
3 Classé10 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
3 classé monuments in Vallon-Pont-d'Arc
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. 1 of the 3 is protected in part only (a façade, a roof, a room). Each card opens the monument’s page.
ClasséCave · protected 1995Grotte ornée du paléolithique supérieur située au lieudit "Combe d'Arc" dite grotte ChauvetPhoto: Inocybe sur Wikipédia français · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséChâteau · protected 1939Ancien châteauPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Prankster · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Inscrit
10 inscrit monuments in Vallon-Pont-d'Arc
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
Inscrit
InscritCave · protected 1995Grotte dite de la VacheressePhoto: JYB Devot · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritCave · protected 2017grotte de la Cabre
Cave · protected 1995Grotte de Mézelet
Cave · protected 2017grotte dite de la Bergerie de Charmasson
Cave · protected 2017grotte du Bouchon
Cave · protected 1995Grotte du Colombier
Cave · protected 2017grotte du Planchard
What’s protected
Houses and homes are the largest group in Vallon-Pont-d'Arc
Each monument under the main domain Mérimée gives it.
Houses & homes6
Houses & homes: 6 of 13 monuments (46%).
Mérimée files each monument under one main domain: a château with its chapel counts once. 7 have no domain on the list.
When protected
6 of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc’s monuments were protected in 1995
Monuments by the year they were first protected.
1995 · 62017 · 5
192019401960198020002020
First protected, in 1939: Ancien château. 6 were protected in 1995 alone. 5 have been added since 2011.
Age of homes
16% of homes in Vallon-Pont-d'Arc were built before 1919
Main homes by when they were finished, beside the median compared French town (the tick).
16%
Before 1919
5.8%
1919–45
12%
1946–70
25%
1971–90
18%
1991–2005
22%
2006 on
Vallon-Pont-d'ArcMedian compared French town
16% 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 (25%).
INSEE, census 2023: main homes (résidences principales) only; second homes and empty homes aren’t dated.
Born before 1900
5 people born in Vallon-Pont-d'Arc before 1900
Their lives on one line.
Isidore Valladier
Auguste Sabatier
Élisée Bourely
Anna Guérin
Franck Chante
175017751800182518501875190019251950
AS
Auguste Sabatier1839–1901 · French theologian and academic
AG
Anna Guérin1878–1961 · Originator of Remembrance Poppy Day
IV
Isidore Valladier1799–1871 · French politician
ÉB
Élisée Bourely1867–1919 · French politician
FC
Franck Chante1892–1989 · French politician
Everyone born in Vallon-Pont-d'Arc Birthplaces from Wikidata, checked against Wikipedia.
Neighbors
Historic monuments in the towns around Vallon-Pont-d'Arc
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vallon-Pont-d'Arc | 2,403 | 13 | 3 | — |
| Villeneuve-de-Berg | 3,031 | 6 | 1 | Yes |
| Les Vans | 2,662 | 5 | 0 | — |
| Bourg-Saint-Andéol | 7,661 | 25 | 14 | — |
| Saint-Étienne-de-Fontbellon | 2,920 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Aubenas | 12,416 | 8 | 2 | — |
| Saint-Ambroix Gard | 3,445 | 0 | 0 | — |
In brief
Vallon-Pont-d'Arc in brief
The record in Vallon-Pont-d'Arc starts with Grotte d'Ebbou dite de Chamas, which dates from prehistory. All told, the list holds 13 historic monuments, 3 of them classé, including Grotte ornée du paléolithique supérieur située au lieudit "Combe d'Arc" dite grotte Chauvet. Grotte ornée du paléolithique supérieur située au lieudit "Combe d'Arc" dite grotte Chauvet is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Of its homes, 16% were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town. Most of its dated monuments come from prehistory or Antiquity: 12 of 13. Auguste Sabatier (1839), Anna Guérin (1878) and Isidore Valladier (1799) are among the 5 people born here before 1900.
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 Vallon-Pont-d'Arc
How many historic monuments are there in Vallon-Pont-d'Arc?
The Culture ministry lists 13 historic monuments in Vallon-Pont-d'Arc: 3 classé and 10 inscrit.
Which monuments in Vallon-Pont-d'Arc are classé?
3, among them Grotte d'Ebbou dite de Chamas, Grotte ornée du paléolithique supérieur située au lieudit "Combe d'Arc" dite grotte Chauvet and Ancien château.
How old are the monuments of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from prehistory.
When were monuments in Vallon-Pont-d'Arc first protected?
The first in 1939, the latest in 2017.
How old are the homes in Vallon-Pont-d'Arc?
16% 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 9, 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.