ClasséStanding stone · protected 1921Deuxième menhir de KerscavenPhoto: Christian Duprez · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Église Saint-Nonna · Photo: Chris06 · CC BY-SA 4.013historic monuments
History of Penmarch · Monuments historiques
13 historic monuments, more per resident than 96% of compared French towns
Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 1992. The Culture ministry lists 13 historic monuments in Penmarch: 12 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 1 inscrit (the second level). The oldest date from prehistory. We have photos of 13 of them.
Monuments historiques
13
24 per 10,000 residents
median compared town 2.5
median compared town 2.5
Classé
12
the highest protection
Inscrit
1
the second level
Oldest part
Prehistory
of any listed monument
Homes before 1919
8%
median compared town 7.4%
In pictures
Penmarch in 13 photos
Nearly every classé monument, photographed. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Chapelle de Notre-Dame-de-la-JoieClassé
Chapelle de la MadeleineClassé
Tumulus sur galerie dolménique du PoulguenClassé
Menhir anthropomorphique de KerdevalClassé
Musée préhistorique à Pors CarnClassé+8See all photosPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its license; names open the monument’s page.
Towns its size
Penmarch has the 4th most monuments of 41 towns its size
Compared French towns of 5,400 to 5,600 residents, by historic monuments.
Penmarch13
#4 of 41for monuments per resident (24 per 10,000). Most per resident: Châtillon-sur-Seine, Noyant-Villages and Aubigny-sur-Nère.
The median town of these has 2. 11 of the 41 have none.
Map
Where Penmarch’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
12 Classé1 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. 1 monument has no point on the map.
Classé
12 classé monuments in Penmarch
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. 2 of the 12 are protected in part only (a façade, a roof, a room). Each card opens the monument’s page.
ClasséStanding stone · protected 1929Menhir anthropomorphique de KerdevalPhoto: BernardM · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséMonument · protected 1925Musée préhistorique à Pors CarnPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Besenbinder · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséStanding stone · protected 1889Premier menhir de KerscavenPhoto: BernardM · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséBurial mound · protected 1921Tumulus sur galerie dolménique du PoulguenPhoto: BernardM · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Classé
Classé
ClasséFortified house · protected 1916Ruines de la tour de Saint-GuénoléPhoto: Original téléversé par Henri Camus sur Wikipédia français . · CC BY 1.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséFortified house · protected 1965Tour et chapelle Saint-PierrePhoto: Elisecoline · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséChapel · protected 1916Chapelle de Notre-Dame-de-la-JoiePhoto: Chris06 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséChurch · protected 1916Ruines de l'église de Kérity, ou église Sainte-ThumettePhoto: Chris06 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséLighthouse · protected 2011Phares de la pointe de Penmarc'hPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Original uploader was Henri Camus at fr.wikipedia · CC BY 1.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Inscrit
One inscrit monument in Penmarch
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
InscritPublic building · protected 1926Grange à dîmes de Pors-LambertPhoto: Moreau.henri · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
What’s protected
Churches and religious buildings are the largest group in Penmarch
Each monument under the main domain Mérimée gives it.
Religious buildings4
Tombs & cemeteries4
Military & fortified2
Public & civic1
Bridges & engineering1
Religious buildings: 4 of 13 monuments (31%).
Mérimée files each monument under one main domain: a château with its chapel counts once. 1 has no domain on the list.
How old
How old Penmarch’s monuments are
Each monument once, by the oldest part the list dates.
Prehistory & Antiquity to the 4th c.5
Middle Ages 5th–15th c.5
16th to 18th century Renaissance to Revolution2
19th century 1801–19001
20th century and later since 19010
10 of 13 dated monuments have parts from before 1500. The oldest dated: Deuxième menhir de Kerscaven (Prehistory).
Protected area
Penmarch has had a protected historic area since 1992
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| SPR53-40 | ZPPAUP December 9, 1992 | ZPPAUP (heritage zone rules) December 9, 1992 |
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
3 of Penmarch’s monuments were protected in 1916
Monuments by the year they were first protected.
186018801900192019401960198020002020
First protected, in 1862: Église Saint-Nonna. 3 were protected in 1916 alone. 1 has been added since 2011.
Neighbors
Historic monuments in the towns around Penmarch
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penmarch | 5,508 | 13 | 12 | Yes |
| Guilvinec | 2,669 | 3 | 1 | — |
| Plomeur | 3,904 | 10 | 8 | Yes |
| Plobannalec-Lesconil | 3,718 | 6 | 5 | Yes |
| Pont-l'Abbé | 8,484 | 3 | 2 | Yes |
| Plonéour-Lanvern | 6,452 | 4 | 1 | — |
| Loctudy | 4,075 | 4 | 3 | — |
In brief
Penmarch in brief
Penmarch’s oldest monument, Deuxième menhir de Kerscaven, dates from prehistory. All told, the list holds 13 historic monuments, 12 of them classé, including Église Saint-Nonna. For its size, it has more historic monuments than 96% of compared French towns.
Only 3 of the 41 towns nearest its size have more historic monuments. Part of it has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 1992. Beyond that, 8% of its homes were built before 1919, close to the 7.4% in the median compared French town.
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 Penmarch
How many historic monuments are there in Penmarch?
The Culture ministry lists 13 historic monuments in Penmarch: 12 classé and 1 inscrit.
Which monuments in Penmarch are classé?
12, among them Deuxième menhir de Kerscaven, Menhir anthropomorphique de Kerdeval, Musée préhistorique à Pors Carn, Premier menhir de Kerscaven, Tumulus sur galerie dolménique du Poulguen and Chapelle de la Madeleine.
How old are the monuments of Penmarch?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from prehistory.
Is Penmarch a protected historic area?
Yes: part of Penmarch has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 1992.
When were monuments in Penmarch first protected?
The first in 1862, the latest in 2011.
How old are the homes in Penmarch?
8% 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.