Maison dite de Tante Léonie · Photo: Eric HOUDAS · CC BY-SA 4.05 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 2002
The Culture ministry lists 5 historic monuments in Illiers-Combray: 3 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 2 inscrit (the second level). That’s 16 for every 10,000 residents, more per resident than 93% of compared French towns; the median compared French town has 2.5. The oldest date from the 14th century. We have photos of 5 of them.
median compared town 2.5
Illiers-Combray in 5 photos
Nearly every classé monument, photographed. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Jardin du Pré CatelanClassé
Église Saint-JacquesClassé
Manoir de MirougrainInscrit
Ancien châteauInscrit+1See all photosPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its license; names open the monument’s page.
Illiers-Combray has had a protected historic area since 2002
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| SPR24-09 | ZPPAUP July 15, 2002 | AVAP (heritage area rules) December 17, 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 Illiers-Combray’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 Illiers-Combray
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.
Classé
Classé
Classé2 inscrit monuments in Illiers-Combray
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
Inscrit
InscritHow old Illiers-Combray’s monuments are
Each monument once, by the oldest part the list dates.
1 of 5 dated monuments has parts from before 1500. The oldest dated: Église Saint-Jacques (14th–16th c.).
19% of homes in Illiers-Combray were built before 1919
Main homes by when they were finished, beside the median compared French town (the tick).
19% of its main homes were built before 1919; the median compared French town has 7.4%. More of them were finished between 1946 and 1970 than in any other period (29%).
INSEE, census 2023: main homes (résidences principales) only; second homes and empty homes aren’t dated.
Illiers-Combray has the 5th most monuments of 41 towns its size
Compared French towns of 3,200 to 3,200 residents, by historic monuments.
The median town of these has 1. 13 of the 41 have none.
Historic monuments in the towns around Illiers-Combray
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illiers-Combray | 3,210 | 5 | 3 | Yes |
| Brou | 3,230 | 3 | 1 | — |
| Saint-Georges-sur-Eure | 2,797 | 1 | 0 | — |
| Courville-sur-Eure | 2,791 | 3 | 2 | — |
| Bonneval | 4,868 | 10 | 3 | — |
| Luisant | 6,945 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Lucé | 15,921 | 0 | 0 | — |
Illiers-Combray in brief
For its size, Illiers-Combray has more historic monuments than 93% of compared French towns. All told, the list holds 5 historic monuments, 3 of them classé. Of its homes, 19% were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town. Its classé monuments cluster together: 3 of them stand within 400 m of Maison dite de Tante Léonie. Maison dite de Tante Léonie is one of the Maisons des Illustres, the homes of people who left their mark on France.
Only 4 of the 41 towns nearest its size have more historic monuments. Part of it has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2002. Otherwise the figures are ordinary: most entries are houses and homes; and the list grew between 1907 and 1999.
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 Illiers-Combray
How many historic monuments are there in Illiers-Combray?
The Culture ministry lists 5 historic monuments in Illiers-Combray: 3 classé and 2 inscrit.
Which monuments in Illiers-Combray are classé?
3, among them Église Saint-Jacques, Jardin du Pré Catelan and Maison dite de Tante Léonie.
How old are the monuments of Illiers-Combray?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from the 14th century.
Is Illiers-Combray a protected historic area?
Yes: part of Illiers-Combray has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2002.
When were monuments in Illiers-Combray first protected?
The first in 1907, the latest in 1999.
How old are the homes in Illiers-Combray?
19% 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.