ClasséChurch · protected 1956Église Saint-Pierre ou Saint-Père-la-NonePhoto: Tiggeryton · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Église Saint-Pierre ou Saint-Père-la-None · Photo: Tiggeryton · CC BY-SA 3.05historic monuments
History of Sancerre · Monuments historiques
5 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 2023
The Culture ministry lists 5 historic monuments in Sancerre: 2 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 3 inscrit (the second level). The oldest date from the 12th century. That’s 39 for every 10,000 residents; the median compared French town has 2.5. We have photos of 5 of them.
Monuments historiques
5
39 per 10,000 residents
median compared town 2.5
median compared town 2.5
Classé
2
the highest protection
Inscrit
3
the second level
Oldest part
12th c.
of any listed monument
Homes before 1919
35%
median compared town 7.4%
In pictures
Sancerre in 5 photos
Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
BeffroiClassé
"Maison dite " maison Clément ""Inscrit
Maison FarnaultInscrit
Tour des FiefsInscrit+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.
Protected area
Sancerre has had a protected historic area since 2023
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| SPR24-53 | – July 24, 2023 | – |
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.
Map
Where Sancerre’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.
5 monuments by protection
2 Classé3 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.
Classé
2 classé monuments in Sancerre
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. Each card opens the monument’s page.
ClasséPublic building · protected 1913Beffroi, place Saint-JeanPhoto: Moreau.henri · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Inscrit
3 inscrit monuments in Sancerre
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
InscritHouse · protected 1968Maison FarnaultPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Cjp24 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritFortified house · protected 1927Tour des FiefsPhoto: Moreau.henri · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritHouse · protected 2009"Maison dite " maison Clément ""Photo: PIERRE ANDRE LECLERCQ · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
How old
How old Sancerre’s monuments are
Each monument once, by the oldest part the list dates.
Prehistory & Antiquity to the 4th c.0
Middle Ages 5th–15th c.3
16th to 18th century Renaissance to Revolution2
19th century 1801–19000
20th century and later since 19010
3 of 5 dated monuments have parts from before 1500. The oldest dated: Église Saint-Pierre ou Saint-Père-la-None (12th c.).
Age of homes
35% of homes in Sancerre were built before 1919
Main homes by when they were finished, beside the median compared French town (the tick).
35%
Before 1919
8.5%
1919–45
15%
1946–70
26%
1971–90
11%
1991–2005
4.1%
2006 on
SancerreMedian compared French town
35% of its main homes were built before 1919; the median compared French town has 7.4%. More of them were finished before 1919 than in any other period (35%).
INSEE, census 2023: main homes (résidences principales) only; second homes and empty homes aren’t dated.
Born before 1900
4 people born in Sancerre before 1900
Their lives on one line.
Gaspard Thaumas de la Thaumassière
Pierre-Joseph Grangier
Henri Maret
Suzanne de Garros
16001650170017501800185019001950
HM
Henri Maret1837–1917 · French politician and journalist
GT
Gaspard Thaumas de la Thaumassière1631–1702 · French historian, jurist-consultant and numismatist
PJ
Pierre-Joseph Grangier1758–1821 · French lawyer and politician
SG
Suzanne de Garros1877–1952 · French translator
Everyone born in Sancerre Birthplaces from Wikidata, checked against Wikipedia.
Neighbors
Historic monuments in the towns around Sancerre
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sancerre | 1,269 | 5 | 2 | Yes |
| Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire Nièvre | 9,733 | 8 | 2 | Yes |
| La Charité-sur-Loire Nièvre | 4,705 | 18 | 3 | Yes |
In brief
Sancerre in brief
Sancerre’s oldest monument, Église Saint-Pierre ou Saint-Père-la-None, dates from the 12th century. In all there are 5 historic monuments, 2 of them classé. Its housing is old: 35% of homes date from before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town. Part of it has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2023.
Most of its dated monuments come from the Middle Ages: 3 of 5. Of the 4 people born here before 1900, the best known include Henri Maret (1837), Gaspard Thaumas de la Thaumassière (1631) and Pierre-Joseph Grangier (1758). Beyond that, the list grew between 1913 and 2009.
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 Sancerre
How many historic monuments are there in Sancerre?
The Culture ministry lists 5 historic monuments in Sancerre: 2 classé and 3 inscrit.
Which monuments in Sancerre are classé?
2, among them Église Saint-Pierre ou Saint-Père-la-None.
How old are the monuments of Sancerre?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from the 12th century.
Is Sancerre a protected historic area?
Yes: part of Sancerre has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2023.
When were monuments in Sancerre first protected?
The first in 1913, the latest in 2009.
How old are the homes in Sancerre?
35% 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.