ClasséStanding stone · protected 1936Menhir de CourbessacPhoto: Gérard JOYON · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Amphithéâtre ou Arènes · Photo: Daniel VILLAFRUELA . · CC BY-SA 3.096historic monuments
History of Nîmes · Monuments historiques
A secteur sauvegardé since 1985, and 96 historic monuments
The Culture ministry lists 96 historic monuments in Nîmes: 18 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 78 inscrit (the second level). The oldest date from prehistory. That’s 6.3 for every 10,000 residents, more per resident than 75% of compared French towns; the median compared French town has 2.5. We have photos of 88 of them.
Monuments historiques
96
6.3 per 10,000 residents
median compared town 2.5
median compared town 2.5
Classé
18
the highest protection
Inscrit
78
the second level
Oldest part
Prehistory
of any listed monument
Homes before 1919
6.5%
median compared town 7.4%
In pictures
Nîmes in 88 photos
Nearly every classé monument, photographed. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Tour MagneClassé
Porte d'Arles dite d'AugusteClassé
Maison CarréeClassé
Menhir de CourbessacClassé
Ancien collège des Jésuites, actuellement musée d'archéologie ou musée d'Histoire naturelleClassé+83See 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
Nîmes has had a protected historic area since 1985
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| SPR76-28 | Secteur sauvegardé March 15, 1985 | PSMV (safeguarding plan) June 5, 2007 |
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 Nîmes’ monuments stand
Every monument with a point on the ministry’s list; the larger, darker dots are classé.
ClasséInscritWithin 400 m of Cathédrale Notre-Dame et Saint-Castor
12 of 18classé monuments stand within 400 m of Cathédrale Notre-Dame et Saint-Castor, with 61 of the town’s 96 monuments.
Tap a dot to open the monument’s page: its record, photo and the monuments around it.
96 monuments by protection
18 Classé78 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
18 classé monuments in Nîmes
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. 3 of the 18 are protected in part only (a façade, a roof, a room). Each card opens the monument’s page.
ClasséFortified house · protected 1840Tour MagnePhoto: Culturespaces/C.Recoura · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséPublic building · protected 1840Amphithéâtre ou ArènesPhoto: Daniel VILLAFRUELA . · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséMonument · protected 1875Château d'eau romain ou Castellum DivisoriumPhoto: Przemysław Sakrajda · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséArchaeological site · protected 1840Jardin de la FontainePart of the building is protectedPhoto: Przemysław Sakrajda · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Classé
ClasséArchaeological site · protected 1980Mur du Bas-EmpirePhoto: Un naturaliste du Midi , Christian Meyer · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséTown gate · protected 1840Porte d'Arles dite d'AugustePhoto: Krzysztof Golik · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséTown gate · protected 1840Porte d'Espagne dite de FrancePhoto: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséCathedral · protected 1906Cathédrale Notre-Dame et Saint-CastorPhoto: Cancre · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséHome · protected 2003Ancienne maison de l'Avocat des pauvresPhoto: Nom (Meyer Christian) · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséSchool · protected 1973Ancien collège des Jésuites, actuellement musée d'archéologie ou musée d'Histoire naturellePart of the building is protectedPhoto: Millevache · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséBishop’s palace · protected 1986Ancien palais épiscopalPhoto: Ji-Elle · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséTown house · protected 2004Hôtel Novi de Caveirac ou ChouleurPhoto: Finoskov · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséTown house · protected 2005Ancien hôtel Rivet, ancienne préfecture, actuelle école des Beaux-ArtsPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Nom (Meyer Christian) · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséTown house · protected 2005Hôtel SéguierPhoto: Nom ( Un naturaliste du Midi), Meyer Christian · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Classé
ClasséBuilding · protected 2005Immeuble, 15 - 17 rue des MarchandsPhoto: Nom ( Un naturaliste du Midi), Meyer Christian · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Inscrit
78 inscrit monuments in Nîmes
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
All 78, A to Z
Ancien cinéma-théâtre Le ColiséeAncien couvent des soeurs de la Charité ou des soeurs de BesançonAncien grand séminaire, siège des archives départementalesAncien hospice devenu palais des arts, puis agrandi en lycée, actuel lycée Alphonse DaudetAncien Hôtel du LouvreAncien Hôtel-DieuAncien théâtre municipalAncienne gareCafé Le Napoléon, ancien café de ParisCarrière romaine de BarutelChapelle Sainte-EugénieCimetière protestantDemeure, 5 rue de la CrucimèleÉglise Notre-Dame du Suffrage et Saint-DominiqueÉglise Notre-Dame-des-EnfantsÉglise Saint-CharlesEnceinte antiqueFontaine de l'Esplanade, dite fontaine PradierGrand Temple des DominicainsHôtel André ou Hôtel de BrueysHôtel Colomb de DaunantHôtel Colomb de Daunant, ex-hôtel FoulcHôtel DavéHôtel de BernisHôtel de RégisHôtel de villeHôtel dit le Presbytère de la la CathédraleHôtel Meynier de Salinelles dit Hôtel BoudonHôtel MilliarèdeHôtel, 16 rue DoréeImmeuble dit Hôtel BézardImmeuble, 1 rue de la MadeleineImmeuble, 11 rue de la FerrageImmeuble, 13 rue des LombardsImmeuble, 15 rue des LombardsImmeuble, 17 rue Notre-DameImmeuble, 18 rue des LombardsImmeuble, 2 plan de l'AspicImmeuble, 2 rue des MarchandsImmeuble, 20 rue des OrangersImmeuble, 21 rue des OrangersImmeuble, 27 rue de l'AspicImmeuble, 27 rue de la MadeleineImmeuble, 35 rue de la MadeleineImmeuble, 36 rue RoussyImmeuble, 40 rue de la Porte-de-FranceImmeuble, 5 rue DoréeImmeuble, dit hôtel de ChazelImmeuble, dit hôtel de LagorceImmeuble, rue de la VioletteImmeubles avec vestiges archéologiquesLycée technologique régional DhuodaMaison de Paul RabautMaison FargeonMaison, 11 rue des MarchandsMaison, 12 rue de la Porte-de-FranceMaison, 13 rue de la MadeleineMaison, 14 rue de l'AspicMaison, 18 rue de l'HorlogeMaison, 2 rue du Grand-CouventMaison, 23 rue de l'EtoileMaison, 28 boulevard GambettaMaison, 3 rue du Mûrier-d'EspagneMaison, 4 plan de l'AspicMaison, 4 rue de la CuraterieMaison, 4 rue DoréeMaison, 5 rue des LombardsMaison, à l'angle de la rue et de la placeMaison, à l'angle de la rue et de la placeMaison, actuelle maison de retraite protestanteMaison, dite aussi hôtel de BalincourtMaison, Grande-Rue 15Maison, Grande-Rue 4Monument aux morts de la guerre de 1914-1918Palais de JusticePâtisserie Courtois, ancienne confiserie HornPetit Temple (des Ursulines)Villa Roche
34 more, named only by their kind
34 more are named in the list only by their kind: 17 buildings (immeubles), 15 houses (maisons), 1 town house (hôtel) and 1 other, most from the 18th century. The 34 with an address are in the list above, by it.
2nd c.1
15th c.2
16th c.4
17th c.7
18th c.19
undated1
What’s protected
Most of Nîmes’ monuments are houses and homes
Each monument under the main domain Mérimée gives it.
Houses & homes60
Public & civic11
Religious buildings9
Military & fortified3
Tombs & cemeteries3
Shops & trade3
Bridges & engineering2
Industrial1
Houses & homes: 60 of 96 monuments (63%). 9 are religious buildings, 2 of them classé.
Mérimée files each monument under one main domain: a château with its chapel counts once. 4 have no domain on the list.
How old
How old Nîmes’ monuments are
Each monument once, by the oldest part the list dates.
Prehistory & Antiquity to the 4th c.13
Middle Ages 5th–15th c.6
16th to 18th century Renaissance to Revolution56
19th century 1801–19009
20th century and later since 19015
19 of 89 dated monuments have parts from before 1500. The oldest dated: Menhir de Courbessac (Prehistory). 7 monuments have no date on the list.
When protected
28 of Nîmes’ monuments were protected in 1964
Monuments by the year they were first protected.
1964 · 28
1840186018801900192019401960198020002020
First protected, in 1840: Amphithéâtre ou Arènes, Jardin de la Fontaine and Maison Carrée. That was France’s first list of monuments historiques, drawn up in Prosper Mérimée’s time as inspector. 28 were protected in 1964 alone. 13 have been added since 2011.
Born before 1900
152 people born in Nîmes before 1900
The 20 best known on the line, and eight of them below.
Claude Roux de Marcilly
Étienne Chauvin
Henri Gautier
Barthélemy Guibal
Jean-Paul Rabaut Saint-Étienne
Barthélemy Imbert
Jean-César Vincens-Plauchut
Jacques-Luc Barbier-Walbonne
François Guizot
Adolphe Crémieux
Jean Reboul
Charles Jalabert
Gaston Boissier
Adolphe Jourdan
Jules Duprato
Émile Decombes
Gaston Crémieux
Alphonse Daudet
Louis Massebieau
Charles Delort
16001650170017501800185019001950
CR
Claude Roux de Marcilly1623–1669 · French conspirator
ÉC
Étienne Chauvin1640–1725 · French protestant divine
HG
Henri Gautier1660–1737 · French civil engineer
BG
Barthélemy Guibal1699–1757 · French sculptor
JP
Jean-Paul Rabaut Saint-Étienne1743–1793 · French pastor & politician
BI
Barthélemy Imbert1747–1790 · French writer, poet and playwright
JC
Jean-César Vincens-Plauchut1755–1801 · French politician
JL
Jacques-Luc Barbier-Walbonne1769–1860 · French painter
Everyone born in Nîmes Birthplaces from Wikidata, checked against Wikipedia.
Neighbors
Historic monuments in the towns around Nîmes
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nîmes | 151,839 | 96 | 18 | Yes |
| Caissargues | 4,079 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Rodilhan | 2,799 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Milhaud | 6,297 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Bouillargues | 6,070 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Caveirac | 4,408 | 3 | 2 | — |
| Marguerittes | 8,346 | 2 | 0 | — |
In brief
Nîmes in brief
The record in Nîmes starts with Menhir de Courbessac, which dates from prehistory. All told, the list holds 96 historic monuments, 18 of them classé, including Amphithéâtre ou Arènes. Its old center has been a secteur sauvegardé since 1985. Maison Carrée is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
For its size, it has more historic monuments than 75% of compared French towns. Its classé monuments cluster together: 12 of them stand within 400 m of Cathédrale Notre-Dame et Saint-Castor. Most entries on the list, 63%, are houses and homes. Beyond that, it has 96 historic monuments, about typical for a town its size (the middle one has 40); and 6.5% 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 Nîmes
How many historic monuments are there in Nîmes?
The Culture ministry lists 96 historic monuments in Nîmes: 18 classé and 78 inscrit.
Which monuments in Nîmes are classé?
18, among them Menhir de Courbessac, Tour Magne, Amphithéâtre ou Arènes, Château d'eau romain ou Castellum Divisorium, Jardin de la Fontaine and Maison Carrée.
How old are the monuments of Nîmes?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from prehistory.
Is Nîmes a protected historic area?
Yes: part of Nîmes has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 1985.
When were monuments in Nîmes first protected?
The first in 1840, the latest in 2025.
How old are the homes in Nîmes?
6.5% 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.