ClasséTown walls · protected 1943RempartsPhoto: Jochen Jahnke sur Wikipédia allemand · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Remparts · Photo: Jochen Jahnke sur Wikipédia allemand · CC BY-SA 3.013historic monuments
History of Domme · Monuments historiques
13 historic monuments, the oldest from prehistory
Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 1996. The Culture ministry lists 13 historic monuments in Domme: 5 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 8 inscrit (the second level). We have photos of 9 of them.
Monuments historiques
13
Classé
5
the highest protection
Inscrit
8
the second level
Oldest part
Prehistory
of any listed monument
Homes before 1919
25%
median compared town 7.4%
In pictures
Domme in 9 photos
Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
HalleInscrit
AbbayeInscrit
Chapelle monolithe de Caudon, cimetière gallo-romain et parcelle voisine A 1981 contenant des vestigesInscrit
Château et parc de CaudonInscrit
Dolmen de GiverzacInscrit+4See 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 Domme’s monuments are
Each monument once, by the oldest part the list dates.
Prehistory & Antiquity to the 4th c.6
Middle Ages 5th–15th c.3
16th to 18th century Renaissance to Revolution3
19th century 1801–19001
20th century and later since 19010
9 of 13 dated monuments have parts from before 1500. The oldest dated: Dolmen de Giverzac (Prehistory).
Map
Where Domme’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
5 Classé8 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
5 classé monuments in Domme
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. 1 of the 5 is protected in part only (a façade, a roof, a room). Each card opens the monument’s page.
Archaeological site · protected 1911Gisement et abri de Combe-Grenal
Cave · protected 1983Grotte ornée dite du MammouthPart of the building is protected
Cave · protected 1983Grotte ornée dite du Pigeonnier
Cave · protected 1978Grotte préhistorique dite Grotte de la Martine
Inscrit
8 inscrit monuments in Domme
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
Inscrit
InscritArchaeological site · protected 1948Chapelle monolithe de Caudon, cimetière gallo-romain et parcelle voisine A 1981 contenant des vestigesPhoto: Père Igor · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Inscrit
InscritHouse · protected 1956Maison dite Le CasteletPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Pymouss · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritHouse · protected 1946Maison dite Le TouronPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Michel Chanaud · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritChâteau · protected 1998Château et parc de CaudonPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Père Igor · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritAbbey · protected 1971AbbayePart of the building is protectedPhoto: Pymouss · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritMarket hall · protected 1942HallePhoto: Jochen Jahnke sur Wikipédia allemand · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
What’s protected
Most of Domme’s monuments are houses and homes
Each monument under the main domain Mérimée gives it.
Houses & homes7
Religious buildings1
Tombs & cemeteries1
Shops & trade1
Houses & homes: 7 of 13 monuments (54%). 1 is a religious building.
Mérimée files each monument under one main domain: a château with its chapel counts once. 3 have no domain on the list.
Protected area
Domme has had a protected historic area since 1996
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| SPR75-57 | ZPPAUP June 27, 1996 | ZPPAUP (heritage zone rules) June 27, 1996 |
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
Domme’s list has grown since 1911
Monuments by the year they were first protected.
1900192019401960198020002020
First protected, in 1911: Gisement et abri de Combe-Grenal. 2 were protected in 1983 alone. None has been added since 2011.
Age of homes
25% of homes in Domme were built before 1919
Main homes by when they were finished, beside the median compared French town (the tick).
25%
Before 1919
6.8%
1919–45
13%
1946–70
30%
1971–90
15%
1991–2005
11%
2006 on
DommeMedian compared French town
25% 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 (30%).
INSEE, census 2023: main homes (résidences principales) only; second homes and empty homes aren’t dated.
Born before 1900
4 people born in Domme before 1900
Their lives on one line.
Jean Guillaume Taillefer
Pierre Manières
Timoléon Taillefer
Jean Auguste Marie Tilho
175017751800182518501875190019251950
JG
Jean Guillaume Taillefer1764–1835 · French politician
PM
Pierre Manières1770–1806 · French politician
TT
Timoléon Taillefer1802–1868 · French politician
JA
Jean Auguste Marie Tilho1875–1956 · French explorer and military personnel
Everyone born in Domme Birthplaces from Wikidata, checked against Wikipedia.
Neighbors
Historic monuments in the towns around Domme
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domme | 906 | 13 | 5 | Yes |
| Sarlat-la-Canéda | 8,763 | 74 | 19 | Yes |
| Gourdon Lot | 4,206 | 7 | 3 | Yes |
| Souillac Lot | 3,192 | 6 | 3 | — |
| Le Bugue | 2,663 | 2 | 1 | — |
In brief
Domme in brief
Dolmen de Giverzac, from prehistory, is the oldest monument in Domme. All told, the list holds 13 historic monuments, 5 of them classé. Its housing is old: 25% 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 1996. Most entries on the list, 54%, are houses and homes. Of the 4 people born here before 1900, the best known include Jean Guillaume Taillefer (1764), Pierre Manières (1770) and Timoléon Taillefer (1802).
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 Domme
How many historic monuments are there in Domme?
The Culture ministry lists 13 historic monuments in Domme: 5 classé and 8 inscrit.
Which monuments in Domme are classé?
5, among them Gisement et abri de Combe-Grenal, Grotte ornée dite du Mammouth, Grotte ornée dite du Pigeonnier and Grotte préhistorique dite Grotte de la Martine.
How old are the monuments of Domme?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from prehistory.
Is Domme a protected historic area?
Yes: part of Domme has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 1996.
When were monuments in Domme first protected?
The first in 1911, the latest in 1998.
How old are the homes in Domme?
25% 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.