ClasséConvent · protected 1992Chapelle Sainte-Eugénie, à MoingtPhoto: Robin Chubret · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Chapelle Sainte-Eugénie, à Moingt · Photo: Robin Chubret · CC BY-SA 4.019historic monuments
History of Montbrison · Monuments historiques
19 historic monuments, the oldest from Antiquity
Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 2013. The Culture ministry lists 19 historic monuments in Montbrison: 6 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 13 inscrit (the second level). That’s 12 for every 10,000 residents, more per resident than 88% of compared French towns; the median compared French town has 2.5. We have photos of 15 of them.
Monuments historiques
19
12 per 10,000 residents
median compared town 2.5
median compared town 2.5
Classé
6
the highest protection
Inscrit
13
the second level
Oldest part
Antiquity
of any listed monument
Homes before 1919
8.1%
median compared town 7.4%
In pictures
Montbrison in 15 photos
Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Théâtre mixte gallo-romainClassé
Église Notre-DameClassé
Salle La Diana ou Salle des Etats de Forez et maison dite Maison LatourClassé
Caserne de VauxInscrit
Chapelle des Pénitents du ConfalonInscrit+10See 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 Montbrison’s monuments are
Each monument once, by the oldest part the list dates.
Prehistory & Antiquity to the 4th c.2
Middle Ages 5th–15th c.6
16th to 18th century Renaissance to Revolution10
19th century 1801–19000
20th century and later since 19011
8 of 19 dated monuments have parts from before 1500. The oldest dated: Chapelle Sainte-Eugénie, à Moingt (14th c.).
Map
Where Montbrison’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.
19 monuments by protection
6 Classé13 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. 3 monuments have no point on the map.
Classé
6 classé monuments in Montbrison
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. 2 of the 6 are protected in part only (a façade, a roof, a room). Each card opens the monument’s page.
ClasséTheater · protected 1981Théâtre mixte gallo-romainPhoto: Robin Chubret · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Classé
ClasséPublic building · protected 1875Salle La Diana ou Salle des Etats de Forez et maison dite Maison LatourPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Daniel VILLAFRUELA . · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
War memorial · protected 2021Monument aux morts et à Emile Reymond
House · protected 1979Maison, 1 rue du MarchéPart of the building is protected
Inscrit
13 inscrit monuments in Montbrison
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
All 12, A to Z
Caserne de VauxChapelle des Pénitents du ConfalonCommanderie de Saint-Jean-des-PrésCouvent de la Visitation (ancien)Couvent des Oratoriens (ancien)Église de MoingtEnceinte, rue de l'EgliseHôtel de VazelhesHôtel Girard de VaugirardImmeuble ou maisonMaison du 16e siècle avec porte datée de 1587Maison du 16e siècle dite maison des Lions
2 more, named only by their kind
2 more are named in the list only by their kind: 2 others, most from the 13th century. The one with an address is in the list above, by it.
13th c.1
17th c.1
What’s protected
Churches and religious buildings are the largest group in Montbrison
Each monument under the main domain Mérimée gives it.
Religious buildings8
Houses & homes6
Military & fortified1
Public & civic1
Tombs & cemeteries1
Religious buildings: 8 of 19 monuments (42%).
Mérimée files each monument under one main domain: a château with its chapel counts once. 2 have no domain on the list.
Protected area
Montbrison has had a protected historic area since 2013
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| SPR84-84 | AVAP September 16, 2013 | AVAP (heritage area rules) September 16, 2013 |
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
Montbrison’s list has grown since 1840
Monuments by the year they were first protected.
1840186018801900192019401960198020002020
First protected, in 1840: Église Notre-Dame. That was France’s first list of monuments historiques, drawn up in Prosper Mérimée’s time as inspector. 3 were protected in 1949 alone. 4 have been added since 2011.
Born before 1900
34 people born in Montbrison before 1900
The 20 best known on the line, and eight of them below.
Florimond Robertet
Barthélemy Parrocel
Claude-Marc-Antoine d'Apchon de Corgenon
Blaise Gabriel Jamier
Pierre Imbert
Marie-Anne Pierrette Paulze
Denis Gémier des Périchons
Damien Battant de Pommerol
Jean-Pierre Bruyas
Fleury Épinat
Camille-Augustin de Meaux
Jean-Claude Lachèze
Jean de Chantelauze
Laurent Chavassieu
Jean Théodore Durosier
Michel Portier
Eugène Baune
Pierre Désiré Antoine Lachèze
Martin Bernard
Louis Amiable
1500165018001950
MA
Marie-Anne Pierrette Paulze1758–1836 · French chemist and painter
JC
Jean de Chantelauze1787–1859 · French politician
MP
Michel Portier1795–1859 · Catholic bishop
LA
Louis Amiable1837–1897 · French lawyer
FR
Florimond Robertet1460–1527 · French treasurer royal
BP
Barthélemy Parrocel1595–1663 · French painter
CM
Claude-Marc-Antoine d'Apchon de Corgenon1721–1783 · Catholic archbishop
BG
Blaise Gabriel Jamier1748–1793 · French politician
Everyone born in Montbrison Birthplaces from Wikidata, checked against Wikipedia.
Towns its size
Montbrison has the 4th most monuments of 41 towns its size
Compared French towns of 15,700 to 16,600 residents, by historic monuments.
Montbrison19
#5 of 41for monuments per resident (12 per 10,000). Most per resident: Toul, Beaucaire and Vendôme.
The median town of these has 3. 6 of the 41 have none.
Neighbors
Historic monuments in the towns around Montbrison
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montbrison | 16,123 | 19 | 6 | Yes |
| Savigneux | 3,509 | 1 | 0 | — |
| Saint-Romain-le-Puy | 4,142 | 2 | 2 | — |
| Sury-le-Comtal | 6,621 | 3 | 1 | — |
| Montrond-les-Bains | 5,652 | 1 | 0 | — |
| Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez | 5,116 | 5 | 1 | Yes |
| Bonson | 4,557 | 1 | 0 | — |
In brief
Montbrison in brief
Chapelle Sainte-Eugénie, à Moingt, from Antiquity, is the oldest monument in Montbrison. All told, the list holds 19 historic monuments, 6 of them classé. For its size, it has more historic monuments than 88% 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 2013. Most of its dated monuments come from the 16th to 18th centuries: 10 of 19. Marie-Anne Pierrette Paulze (1758), Jean de Chantelauze (1787) and Michel Portier (1795) are among the 34 people born here before 1900. Beyond that, 8.1% 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 Montbrison
How many historic monuments are there in Montbrison?
The Culture ministry lists 19 historic monuments in Montbrison: 6 classé and 13 inscrit.
Which monuments in Montbrison are classé?
6, among them Chapelle Sainte-Eugénie, à Moingt, Théâtre mixte gallo-romain, Église Notre-Dame, Salle La Diana ou Salle des Etats de Forez et maison dite Maison Latour and Monument aux morts et à Emile Reymond.
How old are the monuments of Montbrison?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from Antiquity.
Is Montbrison a protected historic area?
Yes: part of Montbrison has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2013.
When were monuments in Montbrison first protected?
The first in 1840, the latest in 2023.
How old are the homes in Montbrison?
8.1% 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.