Church · protected 2012Église Saint-Pierre de Firminy
Église Saint-Pierre (ancienne) · Photo: Bytwiny · CC BY-SA 3.07historic monuments
History of Firminy · Monuments historiques
7 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 2006
The Culture ministry lists 7 historic monuments in Firminy: 4 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 3 inscrit (the second level). That’s 4.1 for every 10,000 residents, more per resident than 65% of compared French towns; the median compared French town has 2.5. The oldest date from the 12th century.
Monuments historiques
7
4.1 per 10,000 residents
median compared town 2.5
median compared town 2.5
Classé
4
the highest protection
Inscrit
3
the second level
Oldest part
12th c.
of any listed monument
Homes before 1919
5.7%
median compared town 7.4%
In pictures
Monuments of Firminy in pictures
Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its license; names open the monument’s page.
Protected area
Firminy has had a protected historic area since 2006
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| SPR84-78 | ZPPAUP January 27, 2006 | AVAP (heritage area rules) May 29, 2017 |
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.
Map
Where Firminy’s monuments stand
Every monument with a point on the ministry’s list; the larger, darker dots are classé.
ClasséInscritWithin 400 m of Église Saint-Pierre de Firminy
3 of 4classé monuments stand within 400 m of Église Saint-Pierre de Firminy, with 4 of the town’s 7 monuments.
Tap a dot to open the monument’s page: its record, photo and the monuments around it.
7 monuments by protection
4 Classé3 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
4 classé monuments in Firminy
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.
Public building · protected 1984Maison de la Culture Le Corbusier
Public building · protected 1984Stade Le Corbusier
Building · protected 1993Unité d'habitation construite par Le CorbusierPart of the building is protected
Inscrit
3 inscrit monuments in Firminy
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
InscritChurch · protected 1927Église Saint-Pierre (ancienne)Part of the building is protectedPhoto: Bytwiny · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritChâteau · protected 1975Château des BruneauxPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Touam / Hervé Agnoux · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Public building · protected 2005Piscine municipale
How old
How old Firminy’s monuments are
Each monument once, by the oldest part the list dates.
Prehistory & Antiquity to the 4th c.0
Middle Ages 5th–15th c.1
16th to 18th century Renaissance to Revolution1
19th century 1801–19000
20th century and later since 19015
1 of 7 dated monuments has parts from before 1500. The oldest dated: Église Saint-Pierre (ancienne) (12th c.).
Born before 1900
4 people born in Firminy before 1900
Their lives on one line.
Louise Faure-Favier
Henri-Xavier Arquillière
Antoine Ker
Henri Romans-Petit
18501875190019251950
LF
Louise Faure-Favier1870–1961 · French writer and aviator
HR
Henri Romans-Petit1897–1980 · French resistance member
HX
Henri-Xavier Arquillière1883–1956 · French Catholic priest and theologian
AK
Antoine Ker1886–1923 · French politician
Everyone born in Firminy Birthplaces from Wikidata, checked against Wikipedia.
Neighbors
Historic monuments in the towns around Firminy
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firminy | 17,060 | 7 | 4 | Yes |
| Fraisses | 3,872 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Unieux | 8,514 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Le Chambon-Feugerolles | 12,314 | 1 | 0 | — |
| Saint-Just-Malmont Haute-Loire | 4,239 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Roche-la-Molière | 9,843 | 1 | 0 | — |
| La Ricamarie | 8,039 | 1 | 0 | — |
In brief
Firminy in brief
Firminy’s oldest monument, Église Saint-Pierre (ancienne), dates from the 12th century. All told, the list holds 7 historic monuments, 4 of them classé, including Église Saint-Pierre (ancienne). Maison de la Culture Le Corbusier is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Église Saint-Pierre de Firminy sits at the heart of it all, with 3 of the town’s classé monuments within 400 m.
Part of it has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2006. Of the 7 with a date, 5 come from the 20th century or later. 5 of its monuments, Église Saint-Pierre de Firminy among them, carry the Architecture contemporaine remarquable label. Otherwise the figures are ordinary: it has 7 historic monuments, about typical for a town its size (the middle one has 3); per resident it sits near the middle of compared French towns; and the list grew between 1927 and 2012.
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 Firminy
How many historic monuments are there in Firminy?
The Culture ministry lists 7 historic monuments in Firminy: 4 classé and 3 inscrit.
Which monuments in Firminy are classé?
4, among them Église Saint-Pierre de Firminy, Maison de la Culture Le Corbusier, Stade Le Corbusier and Unité d'habitation construite par Le Corbusier.
How old are the monuments of Firminy?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from the 12th century.
Is Firminy a protected historic area?
Yes: part of Firminy has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2006.
When were monuments in Firminy first protected?
The first in 1927, the latest in 2012.
How old are the homes in Firminy?
5.7% 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.