Ancienne abbaye Saint-Pierre · Photo: Père Igor · CC BY-SA 3.05 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 2018
The Culture ministry lists 5 historic monuments in Airvault: 3 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 2 inscrit (the second level). That’s 15 for every 10,000 residents, more per resident than 92% of compared French towns; the median compared French town has 2.5. The oldest date from the 10th century. We have photos of 5 of them.
median compared town 2.5
Airvault in 5 photos
Nearly every classé monument, photographed. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its license; names open the monument’s page.
Airvault has had a protected historic area since 2018
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| SPR75-123 | AVAP March 21, 2018 | AVAP (heritage area rules) March 21, 2018 |
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.
Where Airvault’s monuments stand
Every monument with a point on the ministry’s list; the larger, darker dots are classé.
Tap a dot to open the monument’s page: its record, photo and the monuments around it.
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 classé monuments in Airvault
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. 2 of the 3 are protected in part only (a façade, a roof, a room). Each card opens the monument’s page.
Classé
Classé
Classé2 inscrit monuments in Airvault
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
Inscrit
InscritHow old Airvault’s monuments are
Each monument once, by the oldest part the list dates.
3 of 5 dated monuments have parts from before 1500. The oldest dated: Pont du Vernay (Middle Ages).
16% of homes in Airvault were built before 1919
Main homes by when they were finished, beside the median compared French town (the tick).
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 (34%).
INSEE, census 2023: main homes (résidences principales) only; second homes and empty homes aren’t dated.
Airvault has the 3rd most monuments of 41 towns its size
Compared French towns of 3,300 to 3,300 residents, by historic monuments.
The median town of these has 1. 15 of the 41 have none.
Historic monuments in the towns around Airvault
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airvault | 3,306 | 5 | 3 | Yes |
| Thouars | 13,891 | 20 | 12 | Yes |
| Châtillon-sur-Thouet | 2,656 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Parthenay | 10,140 | 19 | 9 | Yes |
| Bressuire | 19,970 | 8 | 3 | — |
| Argentonnay | 3,234 | 8 | 4 | — |
| Loudun Vienne | 6,839 | 16 | 6 | Yes |
Airvault in brief
Few towns are as rich in historic monuments as Airvault: per resident it has more than 92% of compared French towns. All told, the list holds 5 historic monuments, 3 of them classé. Its housing is old: 16% of homes date from before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town. Only 2 of the 41 towns nearest its size have more historic monuments.
Part of it has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2018. Of the 5 with a date, 3 come from the Middle Ages. The oldest is Pont du Vernay, from the 10th century. The rest is about typical: the list grew between 1868 and 2021.
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 Airvault
How many historic monuments are there in Airvault?
The Culture ministry lists 5 historic monuments in Airvault: 3 classé and 2 inscrit.
Which monuments in Airvault are classé?
3, among them Pont du Vernay, Ancienne abbaye Saint-Pierre and Château d'Airvault.
How old are the monuments of Airvault?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from the 10th century.
Is Airvault a protected historic area?
Yes: part of Airvault has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2018.
When were monuments in Airvault first protected?
The first in 1868, the latest in 2021.
How old are the homes in Airvault?
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) · 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.