ClasséChurch · protected 1979Ancienne église Saint-MartinPhoto: Celeste (permission given to User:Oie blanche ) · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Église Saint-Vénérand · Photo: Gwendal · CC BY-SA 3.038historic monuments
History of Laval · Monuments historiques
38 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 2005
The Culture ministry lists 38 historic monuments in Laval: 13 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 25 inscrit (the second level). That’s 7.7 for every 10,000 residents, more per resident than 81% of compared French towns; the median compared French town has 2.5. The oldest date from the 11th century. We have photos of 33 of them.
Monuments historiques
38
7.7 per 10,000 residents
median compared town 2.5
median compared town 2.5
Classé
13
the highest protection
Inscrit
25
the second level
Oldest part
11th c.
of any listed monument
Homes before 1919
8.1%
median compared town 7.4%
In pictures
Laval in 33 photos
Nearly every classé monument, photographed. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Château Neuf, actuellement Palais de Justice de LavalClassé
Château VieuxClassé
Ancienne église Saint-MartinClassé
Maison Renaissance dite du Grand-VeneurClassé
Anciens rempartsClassé+28See 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
Laval has had a protected historic area since 2005
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| SPR52-48 | ZPPAUP June 24, 2005 | AVAP (heritage area rules) July 28, 2021 |
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 Laval’s monuments stand
Every monument with a point on the ministry’s list; the larger, darker dots are classé.
ClasséInscritWithin 400 m of Château Neuf, actuellement Palais de Justice de Laval
7 of 13classé monuments stand within 400 m of Château Neuf, actuellement Palais de Justice de Laval, with 21 of the town’s 38 monuments.
Tap a dot to open the monument’s page: its record, photo and the monuments around it.
38 monuments by protection
13 Classé25 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
13 classé monuments in Laval
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. 6 of the 13 are protected in part only (a façade, a roof, a room). Each card opens the monument’s page.
ClasséTown walls · protected 1930Anciens rempartsPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Guiguilacagouille · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Classé
ClasséManor house · protected 1987Manoir de RouesséPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Pierre-Olivier Rime · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséChâteau · protected 1840Château Neuf, actuellement Palais de Justice de LavalPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Romain Bréget · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséChurch · protected 2023Église Notre-Dame des CordeliersPhoto: Celeste (permission given to User:Oie blanche ) · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséBuilding · protected 1929Immeuble dit de Maistre Julien BriandPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Guiguilacagouille · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséHouse · protected 1927Maison du 16e siècle, dite Maison des MairesPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Romain Bréget · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséHouse · protected 1883Maison Renaissance dite du Grand-VeneurPhoto: Romain Bréget · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséCathedral · protected 1840Cathédrale de la TrinitéPhoto: Manfred Heyde · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséChapel · protected 1926Chapelle Notre-Dame de PritzPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Larzalier · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Classé
ClasséChurch · protected 1840Église Notre-Dame d'AvesnièrePhoto: Manfred Heyde · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Inscrit
25 inscrit monuments in Laval
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
All 24, A to Z
"Hôtel du "Bas du Gast""Ancien hôtel de Montfrand, actuellement hôtel de Sèze et de MontfrandAnciennes halles aux ToilesBâtiment des bains-douchesChapelle du Lycée Ambroise ParéCheminée de la maison sise au 36, rue du MansDeux maisons du 16e siècle sises des deux côtés de la Grande-RueÉglise Saint-Pierre-le-PotierFontaine publique dite Fontaine des Trois Croix ou du Puits RocherFontaine Saint-MartinFontaine, place des ArtsHôtel d'ArgentréHôtel particulier DutreilHôtel Périer du BignonImmeuble sis 27-29 Place de la Trémoille dit « Maison du Coq-Hardy »Logis des EperonsMaison dite de ClermontMaison du 16e siècleMaison du 16e siècleMaison du 17e siècle près du presbytère Saint-VénérandMaison, 35 rue des SerruriersMaison, Grande-Rue 9Presbytère de Saint-Vénérand, dit aussi Hôtel BoulainVieux pont sur la Mayenne
4 more, named only by their kind
4 more are named in the list only by their kind: 2 houses (maisons) and 2 others, most from the 18th century. The 3 with an address are in the list above, by it.
What’s protected
Most of Laval’s monuments are houses and homes
Each monument under the main domain Mérimée gives it.
Houses & homes22
Religious buildings8
Bridges & engineering5
Shops & trade1
Houses & homes: 22 of 38 monuments (58%). 8 are religious buildings, 6 of them classé.
Mérimée files each monument under one main domain: a château with its chapel counts once. 2 have no domain on the list.
How old
How old Laval’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.6
16th to 18th century Renaissance to Revolution18
19th century 1801–19002
20th century and later since 19011
6 of 27 dated monuments have parts from before 1500. The oldest dated: Église Saint-Pierre-le-Potier (11th c.). 11 monuments have no date on the list.
When protected
8 of Laval’s monuments were protected in 1926
Monuments by the year they were first protected.
1926 · 8
1840186018801900192019401960198020002020
First protected, in 1840: Cathédrale de la Trinité, Château Neuf, actuellement Palais de Justice de Laval and Château Vieux. That was France’s first list of monuments historiques, drawn up in Prosper Mérimée’s time as inspector. 8 were protected in 1926 alone. 4 have been added since 2011.
Born before 1900
90 people born in Laval before 1900
The 20 best known on the line, and eight of them below.
Julien Beré
Pierre Ragot
Olivier de Cuilly
Jean Le Frère
Ambroise Davost
Julien Hayneufve
Claude Allard
Camille François Philippe de Farcy
Charles Frin du Guiboutier
Jean-François Girard
Marie Eugène Charles Tuffin de La Rouërie
Paul Boudet
Louis Lemercier de Neuville
G. Bruno
Henri Rousseau
Jean-Marie Guyau
Alfred Jarry
Louis Noguères
Alain Gerbault
Jean Galland
1500165018001950
ME
Marie Eugène Charles Tuffin de La Rouërie1765–1796 · chouan leader
PB
Paul Boudet1800–1877 · French politician
LL
Louis Lemercier de Neuville1830–1918 · French journalist and puppeteer
GB
G. Bruno1833–1923 · French writer
HR
Henri Rousseau1844–1910 · French painter
JM
Jean-Marie Guyau1854–1888 · French writer and philosopher
AJ
Alfred Jarry1873–1907 · French writer
LN
Louis Noguères1881–1956 · French politician
Everyone born in Laval Birthplaces from Wikidata, checked against Wikipedia.
Towns its size
Laval has the 7th most monuments of 41 towns its size
Compared French towns of 45,900 to 53,400 residents, by historic monuments.
Laval38
#8 of 41for monuments per resident (7.7 per 10,000). Most per resident: Paris 7e, Lyon 5e and Arles.
The median town of these has 6. 5 of the 41 have none.
Neighbors
Historic monuments in the towns around Laval
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laval | 49,400 | 38 | 13 | Yes |
| Changé | 6,502 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Saint-Berthevin | 7,479 | 1 | 0 | — |
| L'Huisserie | 4,672 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Bonchamp-lès-Laval | 6,302 | 2 | 0 | — |
| Louverné | 4,344 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Argentré | 2,906 | 1 | 0 | — |
In brief
Laval in brief
Laval’s oldest monument, Église Saint-Pierre-le-Potier, dates from the 11th century. All told, the list holds 38 historic monuments, 13 of them classé, including Église Saint-Vénérand. For its size, it has more historic monuments than 81% of compared French towns. Château Neuf, actuellement Palais de Justice de Laval sits at the heart of it all, with 7 of the town’s classé monuments within 400 m. In 2022 the Mission Patrimoine picked Anciens remparts as a monument in danger to save.
Only 6 of the 41 towns nearest its size have more historic monuments. Part of it has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2005. Otherwise the figures are ordinary: 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 Laval
How many historic monuments are there in Laval?
The Culture ministry lists 38 historic monuments in Laval: 13 classé and 25 inscrit.
Which monuments in Laval are classé?
13, among them Ancienne église Saint-Martin, Anciens remparts, Église Saint-Vénérand, Manoir de Rouessé, Château Neuf, actuellement Palais de Justice de Laval and Église Notre-Dame des Cordeliers.
How old are the monuments of Laval?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from the 11th century.
Is Laval a protected historic area?
Yes: part of Laval has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2005.
When were monuments in Laval first protected?
The first in 1840, the latest in 2023.
How old are the homes in Laval?
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 October 30, 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.