Église Saint-Etienne-de-la-Cité · Photo: Cobber17 · CC BY 3.045 historic monuments, the oldest from Antiquity
Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 2018. The Culture ministry lists 45 historic monuments in Périgueux: 19 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 26 inscrit (the second level). That’s 15 for every 10,000 residents, more per resident than 93% of compared French towns; the median compared French town has 2.5. We have photos of 44 of them.
median compared town 2.5
Périgueux in 44 photos
Nearly every classé monument, photographed. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
AmphithéâtreClassé
Château BarrièreClassé
Couvent de Sainte-MartheClassé
Maison dite La Maison du PâtissierClassé
Cathédrale Saint-FrontClassé+39See 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 Périgueux’s monuments are
Each monument once, by the oldest part the list dates.
16 of 43 dated monuments have parts from before 1500. The oldest dated: Château Barrière (12th c.). 2 monuments have no date on the list.
Where Périgueux’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. 16 monuments have no point on the map.
19 classé monuments in Périgueux
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. 6 of the 19 are protected in part only (a façade, a roof, a room). Each card opens the monument’s page.
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Classé26 inscrit monuments in Périgueux
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
All 26, A to Z
15 more, named only by their kind
15 more are named in the list only by their kind: 10 houses (maisons) and 5 buildings (immeubles), most from the 16th century. The 15 with an address are in the list above, by it.
Most of Périgueux’s monuments are houses and homes
Each monument under the main domain Mérimée gives it.
Houses & homes: 34 of 45 monuments (76%). 3 are religious buildings, 3 of them classé.
Mérimée files each monument under one main domain: a château with its chapel counts once. 1 has no domain on the list.
Périgueux has 2 protected historic areas
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| SPR75-71 | AVAP February 8, 2018 | AVAP (heritage area rules) February 8, 2018 |
| SPR75-72 | Secteur sauvegardé January 29, 1970 | PSMV (safeguarding plan) March 12, 1980 |
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. A PSMV (plan de sauvegarde et de mise en valeur) is the strictest plan: it covers every building, inside as well as out.
The list gives no boundaries, so the map can’t show the area.
Périgueux’s list has grown since 1840
Monuments by the year they were first protected.
First protected, in 1840: Cathédrale Saint-Front, Église Saint-Etienne-de-la-Cité and Tour Mataguerre. That was France’s first list of monuments historiques, drawn up in Prosper Mérimée’s time as inspector. 6 were protected in 1938 alone. 2 have been added since 2011.
15% of homes in Périgueux were built before 1919
Main homes by when they were finished, beside the median compared French town (the tick).
15% 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 (26%).
INSEE, census 2023: main homes (résidences principales) only; second homes and empty homes aren’t dated.
57 people born in Périgueux before 1900
The 20 best known on the line, and eight of them below.
Everyone born in Périgueux Birthplaces from Wikidata, checked against Wikipedia.
Périgueux has the 2nd most monuments of 41 towns its size
Compared French towns of 27,600 to 30,600 residents, by historic monuments.
Historic monuments in the towns around Périgueux
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Périgueux | 29,055 | 45 | 19 | Yes |
| Coulounieix-Chamiers | 7,832 | 2 | 1 | — |
| Champcevinel | 3,126 | 1 | 0 | — |
| Trélissac | 7,372 | 4 | 1 | — |
| Boulazac Isle Manoire | 10,759 | 5 | 2 | Yes |
| Chancelade | 4,468 | 3 | 3 | Yes |
| Marsac-sur-l'Isle | 3,187 | 1 | 0 | Yes |
Périgueux in brief
The record in Périgueux starts with Château Barrière, which dates from Antiquity. In all there are 45 historic monuments, 19 of them classé, including Église Saint-Etienne-de-la-Cité. Per resident, it has more historic monuments than 93% of compared French towns. Cathédrale Saint-Front is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Its housing is old: 15% of homes date from before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town. Cathédrale Saint-Front sits at the heart of it all, with 11 of the town’s classé monuments within 400 m. Only one of the 41 towns nearest its size has more historic monuments.
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 Périgueux
How many historic monuments are there in Périgueux?
The Culture ministry lists 45 historic monuments in Périgueux: 19 classé and 26 inscrit.
Which monuments in Périgueux are classé?
19, among them Château Barrière, Tour de Vésone, Vestiges de la citadelle gallo-romaine de Vésone, Vestiges de la villa gallo-romaine, dite villa des Bouquets, Cathédrale Saint-Front and Église Saint-Etienne-de-la-Cité.
How old are the monuments of Périgueux?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from Antiquity.
Is Périgueux a protected historic area?
Yes: Périgueux has 2 sites patrimoniaux remarquables, the first since 2018.
When were monuments in Périgueux first protected?
The first in 1840, the latest in 2020.
How old are the homes in Périgueux?
15% 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.