ClasséChurch · protected 1949Église paroissiale Notre-Dame-des-SablonsPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Ad Meskens · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Remparts · Photo: Benjamin Smith · CC BY-SA 4.06historic monuments
History of Aigues-Mortes · Monuments historiques
A secteur sauvegardé since 2005, and 6 historic monuments
The Culture ministry lists 6 historic monuments in Aigues-Mortes: 4 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 2 inscrit (the second level). That’s 6.9 for every 10,000 residents, more per resident than 78% of compared French towns; the median compared French town has 2.5. The oldest date from the 13th century. We have photos of 5 of them.
Monuments historiques
6
6.9 per 10,000 residents
median compared town 2.5
median compared town 2.5
Classé
4
the highest protection
Inscrit
2
the second level
Oldest part
13th c.
of any listed monument
Homes before 1919
6.6%
median compared town 7.4%
In pictures
Aigues-Mortes in 5 photos
Nearly every classé monument, photographed. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Chapelle de la confrérie des Pénitents-GrisClassé
Chapelle des Pénitents-BlancsClassé
Église paroissiale Notre-Dame-des-SablonsClassé
Plan des théâtres ; Arènes de bouvineInscrit+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.
Protected area
Aigues-Mortes has had a protected historic area since 2005
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| SPR76-22 | Secteur sauvegardé September 13, 2005 | PSMV (safeguarding plan) December 2, 2025 |
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.
Map
Where Aigues-Mortes’ monuments stand
Every monument with a point on the ministry’s list; the larger, darker dots are classé.
ClasséInscritWithin 400 m of Chapelle des Pénitents-Blancs
4 of 4classé monuments stand within 400 m of Chapelle des Pénitents-Blancs, with 6 of the town’s 6 monuments.
Tap a dot to open the monument’s page: its record, photo and the monuments around it.
6 monuments by protection
4 Classé2 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
4 classé monuments in Aigues-Mortes
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. 1 of the 4 is protected in part only (a façade, a roof, a room). Each card opens the monument’s page.
ClasséChapel · protected 1994Chapelle de la confrérie des Pénitents-GrisPhoto: Daniel VILLAFRUELA . · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséChapel · protected 2007Chapelle des Pénitents-BlancsPhoto: Daniel Villafruela . · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséInscrit
2 inscrit monuments in Aigues-Mortes
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
InscritPublic building · protected 1993Plan des théâtres ; Arènes de bouvinePart of the building is protectedPhoto: Princelouis · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
House · protected 1949Maison, 25, 25bis boulevard GambettaPart of the building is protected
How old
How old Aigues-Mortes’ monuments are
Each monument once, by the oldest part the list dates.
Prehistory & Antiquity to the 4th c.0
Middle Ages 5th–15th c.2
16th to 18th century Renaissance to Revolution3
19th century 1801–19001
20th century and later since 19010
2 of 6 dated monuments have parts from before 1500. The oldest dated: Église paroissiale Notre-Dame-des-Sablons (13th & 18th c.).
Born before 1900
4 people born in Aigues-Mortes before 1900
Their lives on one line.
François de Clugny
Étienne Théolon
Albert Savine
Ferdinand Gaillard
16001650170017501800185019001950
FC
François de Clugny1637–1694 · a French theologian, was born at Aigues-Mortes, Sept 4, 1637. He bega…
ÉT
Étienne Théolon1739–1780 · French painter
AS
Albert Savine1859–1927 · French editor, author, translator
FG
Ferdinand Gaillard1876–1936 · French opera singer
Everyone born in Aigues-Mortes Birthplaces from Wikidata, checked against Wikipedia.
Towns its size
Aigues-Mortes has the 5th most monuments of 41 towns its size
Compared French towns of 8,600 to 8,800 residents, by historic monuments.
Aigues-Mortes6
#6 of 41for monuments per resident (6.9 per 10,000). Most per resident: Sarlat-la-Canéda, La Ferté-Bernard and Les Hauts-d'Anjou.
The median town of these has 2. 9 of the 41 have none.
Neighbors
Historic monuments in the towns around Aigues-Mortes
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aigues-Mortes | 8,699 | 6 | 4 | Yes |
| Le Grau-du-Roi | 8,588 | 2 | 2 | — |
| Saint-Laurent-d'Aigouze | 3,690 | 5 | 2 | — |
| La Grande-Motte Hérault | 8,440 | 2 | 0 | — |
| Marsillargues Hérault | 6,988 | 4 | 1 | — |
| Saint-Just Hérault | 3,293 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Le Cailar | 2,578 | 3 | 0 | — |
In brief
Aigues-Mortes in brief
Aigues-Mortes’s old center has been a secteur sauvegardé, the strictest protection France gives a historic town, since 2005. In all there are 6 historic monuments, 4 of them classé. Per resident, it has more historic monuments than 78% of compared French towns. Chapelle des Pénitents-Blancs sits at the heart of it all, with 4 of the town’s classé monuments within 400 m. In 2021 the Mission Patrimoine picked Chapelle de la confrérie des Pénitents-Gris as a monument in danger to save.
Only 4 of the 41 towns nearest its size have more historic monuments. Most of its dated monuments come from the 16th to 18th centuries: 3 of 6. Beyond that, most entries are churches and religious buildings; the list grew between 1903 and 2007; and 6.6% 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 Aigues-Mortes
How many historic monuments are there in Aigues-Mortes?
The Culture ministry lists 6 historic monuments in Aigues-Mortes: 4 classé and 2 inscrit.
Which monuments in Aigues-Mortes are classé?
4, among them Église paroissiale Notre-Dame-des-Sablons, Chapelle de la confrérie des Pénitents-Gris and Chapelle des Pénitents-Blancs.
How old are the monuments of Aigues-Mortes?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from the 13th century.
Is Aigues-Mortes a protected historic area?
Yes: part of Aigues-Mortes has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2005.
When were monuments in Aigues-Mortes first protected?
The first in 1903, the latest in 2007.
How old are the homes in Aigues-Mortes?
6.6% 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 4, 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.