ClasséChurch · protected 1967Église Saint-GermainPhoto: Caroline Léna Becker · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Ferme seigneuriale · Photo: Lionel Allorge · CC BY-SA 3.07historic monuments
History of Dourdan · Monuments historiques
7 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 2014
The Culture ministry lists 7 historic monuments in Dourdan: 2 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 5 inscrit (the second level). That’s 6.1 for every 10,000 residents, more per resident than 75% of compared French towns; the median compared French town has 2.5. The oldest date from the 13th century. We have photos of 7 of them.
Monuments historiques
7
6.1 per 10,000 residents
median compared town 2.5
median compared town 2.5
Classé
2
the highest protection
Inscrit
5
the second level
Oldest part
13th c.
of any listed monument
Homes before 1919
12%
median compared town 7.4%
In pictures
Dourdan in 7 photos
Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
ChâteauClassé
Église Saint-GermainClassé
Petite fermeInscrit
Vieille porte accolée à la façade droite de l'égliseInscrit
Hôtel-Dieu, actuellement centre hospitalierInscrit+2See 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
Dourdan has had a protected historic area since 2014
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| SPR11-36 | AVAP February 7, 2014 | AVAP (heritage area rules) February 7, 2014 |
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 Dourdan’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
2 Classé5 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 Dourdan
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.
ClasséInscrit
5 inscrit monuments in Dourdan
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
InscritFarm · protected 1977Ferme seigneurialePart of the building is protectedPhoto: Lionel Allorge · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritHome · protected 1965Vieille porte accolée à la façade droite de l'églisePhoto: Marianne Casamance · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritHospital · protected 1988Hôtel-Dieu, actuellement centre hospitalierPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Cyrilb1881 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritFarm · protected 1977Petite fermePart of the building is protectedPhoto: Lionel Allorge · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritBuilding · protected 1969Immeuble, 15 rue Saint-PierrePart of the building is protectedPhoto: Cyrilb1881 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
How old
How old Dourdan’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.4
16th to 18th century Renaissance to Revolution2
19th century 1801–19000
20th century and later since 19010
4 of 6 dated monuments have parts from before 1500. The oldest dated: Église Saint-Germain (13th–17th c.). 1 monument has no date on the list.
Age of homes
12% of homes in Dourdan were built before 1919
Main homes by when they were finished, beside the median compared French town (the tick).
12%
Before 1919
4.5%
1919–45
18%
1946–70
36%
1971–90
13%
1991–2005
17%
2006 on
DourdanMedian 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
4 people born in Dourdan before 1900
Their lives on one line.
Marie Poussepin
Louis René Buffy
Pierre Vedye Roger
Émilie Aubert
1650170017501800185019001950
MP
Marie Poussepin1653–1744 · French Dominican and founder of Dominican Sisters of Charity of the P…
LR
Louis René Buffy1742–1793 · French politician
PV
Pierre Vedye Roger1760–1825 · French politician and magistrate
ÉA
Émilie Aubert1819–1880
Everyone born in Dourdan Birthplaces from Wikidata, checked against Wikipedia.
Towns its size
Dourdan has the 9th most monuments of 41 towns its size
Compared French towns of 11,200 to 11,600 residents, by historic monuments.
Dourdan7
#9 of 41for monuments per resident (6.1 per 10,000). Most per resident: Provins, Villefranche-de-Rouergue and Briançon.
The median town of these has 1. 17 of the 41 have none.
Neighbors
Historic monuments in the towns around Dourdan
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dourdan | 11,415 | 7 | 2 | Yes |
| Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines Yvelines | 5,875 | 4 | 1 | — |
| Saint-Chéron | 5,132 | 2 | 0 | — |
| Forges-les-Bains | 4,241 | 1 | 0 | — |
| Ablis Yvelines | 3,913 | 2 | 0 | — |
| Breuillet | 9,157 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Étréchy | 6,986 | 4 | 1 | Yes |
In brief
Dourdan in brief
More of Dourdan’s homes are old than in most places: 12% were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town. All told, the list holds 7 historic monuments, 2 of them classé. Only 8 of the 41 towns nearest its size have more historic monuments. Part of it has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2014.
Of the 6 with a date, 4 come from the Middle Ages. The oldest is Église Saint-Germain, from the 13th century. Of the 4 people born here before 1900, the best known include Marie Poussepin (1653), Louis René Buffy (1742) and Pierre Vedye Roger (1760). Beyond that, most entries are houses and homes; per resident it sits near the middle of compared French towns; and the list grew between 1964 and 1988.
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 Dourdan
How many historic monuments are there in Dourdan?
The Culture ministry lists 7 historic monuments in Dourdan: 2 classé and 5 inscrit.
Which monuments in Dourdan are classé?
2, among them Église Saint-Germain.
How old are the monuments of Dourdan?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from the 13th century.
Is Dourdan a protected historic area?
Yes: part of Dourdan has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2014.
When were monuments in Dourdan first protected?
The first in 1964, the latest in 1988.
How old are the homes in Dourdan?
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 October 30, 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.