ClasséCathedral · protected 1914Ancienne cathédrale Saint-Jean-BaptistePhoto: Vpe · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Ancien palais épiscopal · Photo: Krzysztof Golik · CC BY-SA 4.07historic monuments
History of Alès · Monuments historiques
7 historic monuments, the oldest from Antiquity
The Culture ministry lists 7 historic monuments in Alès: 3 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 4 inscrit (the second level). That’s 1.5 for every 10,000 residents; the median compared French town has 2.5. We have photos of 5 of them.
Monuments historiques
7
1.5 per 10,000 residents
median compared town 2.5
median compared town 2.5
Classé
3
the highest protection
Inscrit
4
the second level
Oldest part
Antiquity
of any listed monument
Homes before 1919
6.6%
median compared town 7.4%
In pictures
Alès in 5 photos
Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Ancienne cathédrale Saint-Jean-BaptisteClassé
Ancienne citadelleInscrit
Hôtel de villeInscrit
Ancien collège dit casernes ThoirasInscrit+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.
How old
How old Alès’ monuments are
Each monument once, by the oldest part the list dates.
Prehistory & Antiquity to the 4th c.1
Middle Ages 5th–15th c.1
16th to 18th century Renaissance to Revolution4
19th century 1801–19000
20th century and later since 19010
2 of 6 dated monuments have parts from before 1500. The oldest dated: Portion de l'oppidum (Antiquity). 1 monument has no date on the list.
Map
Where Alès’ 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
3 Classé4 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
3 classé monuments in Alès
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. 1 of the 3 is protected in part only (a façade, a roof, a room). Each card opens the monument’s page.
ClasséBishop’s palace · protected 1964Ancien palais épiscopalPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Krzysztof Golik · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Archaeological site · protected 1980Portion de l'oppidum
Inscrit
4 inscrit monuments in Alès
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
InscritMilitary building · protected 1973Ancienne citadellePart of the building is protectedPhoto: Vpe · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
InscritSchool · protected 1994Ancien collège dit casernes ThoirasPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Krzysztof Golik · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritTown hall · protected 1963Hôtel de villePart of the building is protectedPhoto: Szeder László · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
War memorial · protected 2018Monument aux morts de la guerre de 1914-1918
Born before 1900
30 people born in Alès before 1900
The 20 best known on the line, and eight of them below.
Marguerite de Cambis
Joseph-François-Mathieu Soustelle
Antoine-Félix de Leyris d'Esponchez
Jean-Jacques Serres
Charles Joseph Leyris Desponchès
Jean-Julien Trélis
Jacques-Augustin Leyris
Charles Durand
Eugène Édouard Boyer de Peyreleau
Eugène Favand
Jean-Baptiste Dumas
Maximin d'Hombres
Léonce Destremx
Louis-Edmond Claris
Édouard Favand
Gabriel de Ramel
Albert Arnavielle
Fernand de Ramel
Gabriel Auphan
Edgard de Larminat
1500165018001950
MC
Marguerite de Cambis1531–1501 · French author
JB
Jean-Baptiste Dumas1800–1884 · French chemist
AA
Albert Arnavielle1844–1927 · Occitan poet and journalist
GA
Gabriel Auphan1894–1982 · French Admiral
EL
Edgard de Larminat1895–1962 · French general
JF
Joseph-François-Mathieu Soustelle1739–1820 · French politician
AF
Antoine-Félix de Leyris d'Esponchez1750–1801 · French politician
JJ
Jean-Jacques Serres1755–1828 · French politician
Everyone born in Alès Birthplaces from Wikidata, checked against Wikipedia.
Neighbors
Historic monuments in the towns around Alès
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alès | 46,125 | 7 | 3 | — |
| Saint-Privat-des-Vieux | 5,703 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Saint-Martin-de-Valgalgues | 4,840 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Saint-Hilaire-de-Brethmas | 4,670 | 1 | 0 | — |
| Saint-Christol-lez-Alès | 7,310 | 1 | 0 | — |
| Saint-Julien-les-Rosiers | 3,533 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Bagard | 2,605 | 0 | 0 | — |
In brief
Alès in brief
The record in Alès starts with Portion de l'oppidum, which dates from Antiquity. All told, the list holds 7 historic monuments, 3 of them classé, including Ancien palais épiscopal. Of the 6 with a date, 4 come from the 16th to 18th centuries. Marguerite de Cambis (1531), Jean-Baptiste Dumas (1800) and Albert Arnavielle (1844) are among the 30 people born here before 1900. The rest is about typical: it has 7 historic monuments, about typical for a town its size (the middle one has 7); per resident it sits near the middle of compared French towns; and the list grew between 1914 and 2018.
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 Alès
How many historic monuments are there in Alès?
The Culture ministry lists 7 historic monuments in Alès: 3 classé and 4 inscrit.
Which monuments in Alès are classé?
3, among them Portion de l'oppidum, Ancienne cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste and Ancien palais épiscopal.
How old are the monuments of Alès?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from Antiquity.
When were monuments in Alès first protected?
The first in 1914, the latest in 2018.
How old are the homes in Alès?
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.