ClasséChurch · protected 1840Église Notre-DamePhoto: Jochen Jahnke 17:00, 8. Jan. 2010 (CET) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Sheriff Of Nothing · CC BY 2.07historic monuments
History of La Souterraine · Monuments historiques
7 historic monuments, the oldest from prehistory
The Culture ministry lists 7 historic monuments in La Souterraine: 4 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 2 inscrit (the second level). 1 has no protection level on the list. That’s 14 for every 10,000 residents, more per resident than 91% of compared French towns; the median compared French town has 2.5. We have photos of 5 of them.
Monuments historiques
7
14 per 10,000 residents
median compared town 2.5
median compared town 2.5
Classé
4
the highest protection
Inscrit
2
the second level
Oldest part
Prehistory
of any listed monument
Homes before 1919
12%
median compared town 7.4%
In pictures
La Souterraine in 5 photos
Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Église Notre-DameClassé
Porte de ville dite Porte Saint-Jean (avec la courtine adjacente)Classé
Ancien château de BridiersClassé
Lanterne des MortsInscrit
Porte de Puy-Charraud et restes de rempartsInscritPhotos 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 La Souterraine’s monuments are
Each monument once, by the oldest part the list dates.
Prehistory & Antiquity to the 4th c.1
Middle Ages 5th–15th c.5
16th to 18th century Renaissance to Revolution1
19th century 1801–19000
20th century and later since 19010
6 of 7 dated monuments have parts from before 1500. The oldest dated: Menhir dit de la Gérafie (Prehistory).
Map
Where La Souterraine’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.
7 monuments by protection
4 Classé2 Inscrit1 Level not given
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. 1 monument has no point on the map.
Classé
4 classé monuments in La Souterraine
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. 1 of the 4 is protected in part only (a façade, a roof, a room). Each card opens the monument’s page.
ClasséChâteau · protected 1968Ancien château de BridiersPart of the building is protectedPhoto: GoMarie · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséTown gate · protected 1920Porte de ville dite Porte Saint-Jean (avec la courtine adjacente)Photo: Jochen Jahnke 17:45, 8. Jan. 2010 (CET) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Standing stone · protected 1889Menhir dit de la Gérafie
Inscrit
3 inscrit monuments in La Souterraine
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared. 1 of them has no protection level on the list.
Inscrit
InscritTown gate · protected 1941Porte de Puy-Charraud et restes de rempartsPhoto: Olybrius · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Manor houseManoir de Châteaurenaud
Age of homes
12% of homes in La Souterraine were built before 1919
Main homes by when they were finished, beside the median compared French town (the tick).
12%
Before 1919
9.8%
1919–45
23%
1946–70
36%
1971–90
11%
1991–2005
8.7%
2006 on
La SouterraineMedian compared French town
12% 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 (36%).
INSEE, census 2023: main homes (résidences principales) only; second homes and empty homes aren’t dated.
Born before 1900
3 people born in La Souterraine before 1900
Their lives on one line.
Jacques Mestadier
Paul Ratier
Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Montaudon
175017751800182518501875190019251950
JM
Jacques Mestadier1771–1856 · French politician
PR
Paul Ratier1809–1892 · French writer
JB
Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Montaudon1818–1899 · French soldier and politician
Everyone born in La Souterraine Birthplaces from Wikidata, checked against Wikipedia.
Towns its size
La Souterraine has the 3rd most monuments of 41 towns its size
Compared French towns of 4,900 to 5,000 residents, by historic monuments.
La Souterraine7
#3 of 41for monuments per resident (14 per 10,000). Most per resident: Cluny, Rambervillers and La Souterraine.
The median town of these has 2. 8 of the 41 have none.
Neighbors
Historic monuments in the towns around La Souterraine
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Souterraine | 4,978 | 7 | 4 | — |
| Bessines-sur-Gartempe Haute-Vienne | 2,709 | 4 | 0 | — |
In brief
La Souterraine in brief
La Souterraine’s oldest monument, Menhir dit de la Gérafie, dates from prehistory. All told, the list holds 7 historic monuments, 4 of them classé, including Église Notre-Dame. For its size, it has more historic monuments than 91% of compared French towns. Of its homes, 12% were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Only 2 of the 41 towns nearest its size have more historic monuments. Most of its dated monuments come from the Middle Ages: 5 of 7. Jacques Mestadier (1771), Paul Ratier (1809) and Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Montaudon (1818) were all born here before 1900. Beyond that, the list grew between 1840 and 1968.
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 La Souterraine
How many historic monuments are there in La Souterraine?
The Culture ministry lists 7 historic monuments in La Souterraine: 4 classé and 2 inscrit.
Which monuments in La Souterraine are classé?
4, among them Menhir dit de la Gérafie, Église Notre-Dame, Ancien château de Bridiers and Porte de ville dite Porte Saint-Jean (avec la courtine adjacente).
How old are the monuments of La Souterraine?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from prehistory.
When were monuments in La Souterraine first protected?
The first in 1840, the latest in 1968.
How old are the homes in La Souterraine?
12% 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.