ClasséCommandery · protected 1911Commanderie de Verrières (ancienne)Part of the building is protectedPhoto: Patrick Boyer · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Pont sur l'Aix dit de Baffie · Photo: Mairie-stgermainlaval · CC BY-SA 4.06historic monuments
History of Saint-Germain-Laval · Monuments historiques
6 historic monuments, 2 classé
A protected historic area (site patrimonial remarquable) is on the ministry’s list; its rules are still being drawn up. The oldest monuments in Saint-Germain-Laval date from the 12th century. For every 10,000 residents Saint-Germain-Laval counts 37 monuments, against 2.5 in the median compared French town. We have photos of 5 of Saint-Germain-Laval’s monuments.
Monuments historiques
6
37 per 10,000 residents
median compared town 2.5
median compared town 2.5
Classé
2
the highest protection
Inscrit
4
the second level
Oldest part
12th c.
of any listed monument
Homes before 1919
24%
median compared town 7.4%
In pictures
Saint-Germain-Laval in 5 photos
Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Croix de carrefour de VerrièresClassé
Commanderie de Verrières (ancienne)Classé
Maison du 15e siècle en boisInscrit
Chapelle de la Madeleine (ancienne)Inscrit+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.
Map
Where Saint-Germain-Laval’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.
6 monuments by protection
2 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. 2 monuments have no point on the map.
Classé
2 classé monuments in Saint-Germain-Laval
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. 1 of the 2 is protected in part only (a façade, a roof, a room). Each card opens the monument’s page.
ClasséCross · protected 1911Croix de carrefour de VerrièresPhoto: Patrick Boyer · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Inscrit
4 inscrit monuments in Saint-Germain-Laval
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
InscritChapel · protected 1952Chapelle de la Madeleine (ancienne)Part of the building is protectedPhoto: Patrick Boyer · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritBridge · protected 1925Pont sur l'Aix dit de BaffiePhoto: Mairie-stgermainlaval · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritHouse · protected 1947Maison du 15e siècle en boisPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Patrick Boyer · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Chapel · protected 1928Chapelle de pélerinage Notre-Dame de Laval
Protected area
A protected historic area is on its way in Saint-Germain-Laval
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| Not numbered yet | – | Still being drawn up |
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.
Age of homes
24% of homes in Saint-Germain-Laval were built before 1919
Main homes by when they were finished, beside the median compared French town (the tick).
24%
Before 1919
12%
1919–45
20%
1946–70
19%
1971–90
15%
1991–2005
11%
2006 on
Saint-Germain-LavalMedian compared French town
24% of its main homes were built before 1919; the median compared French town has 7.4%. More of them were finished before 1919 than in any other period (24%).
INSEE, census 2023: main homes (résidences principales) only; second homes and empty homes aren’t dated.
Neighbors
Historic monuments in the towns around Saint-Germain-Laval
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Germain-Laval | 1,608 | 6 | 2 | Yes |
| Boën-sur-Lignon | 3,001 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Balbigny | 2,911 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Commelle-Vernay | 3,050 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Villerest | 5,172 | 3 | 1 | — |
| Feurs | 8,367 | 4 | 0 | — |
| Le Coteau | 6,845 | 0 | 0 | — |
In brief
Saint-Germain-Laval in brief
Chapelle de la Madeleine (ancienne), from the 12th century, is the oldest monument in Saint-Germain-Laval. All told, the list holds 6 historic monuments, 2 of them classé, including Croix de carrefour de Verrières. Its housing is old: 24% of homes date from before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town. Otherwise the figures are ordinary: most entries are churches and religious buildings; most dated ones come from the Middle Ages; and Charles-Adrien Méaudre (1755) was born here before 1900.
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 Saint-Germain-Laval
How many historic monuments are there in Saint-Germain-Laval?
The Culture ministry lists 6 historic monuments in Saint-Germain-Laval: 2 classé and 4 inscrit.
Which monuments in Saint-Germain-Laval are classé?
2, among them Commanderie de Verrières (ancienne) and Croix de carrefour de Verrières.
How old are the monuments of Saint-Germain-Laval?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from the 12th century.
Is Saint-Germain-Laval a protected historic area?
One is on the way: a site patrimonial remarquable for Saint-Germain-Laval is on the ministry’s list, but its rules are still being drawn up.
When were monuments in Saint-Germain-Laval first protected?
The first in 1911, the latest in 1952.
How old are the homes in Saint-Germain-Laval?
24% 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 9, 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.