ClasséChurch · protected 1875Église Saint-AréPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Szeder László · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Couvent des Minimes (ancien) · Photo: Chau7 · CC BY-SA 3.05historic monuments
History of Decize · Monuments historiques
5 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 1990
The Culture ministry lists 5 historic monuments in Decize: 2 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 3 inscrit (the second level). That’s 10 for every 10,000 residents, more per resident than 85% of compared French towns; the median compared French town has 2.5. The oldest date from the 7th century. We have photos of 5 of them.
Monuments historiques
5
10 per 10,000 residents
median compared town 2.5
median compared town 2.5
Classé
2
the highest protection
Inscrit
3
the second level
Oldest part
7th c.
of any listed monument
Homes before 1919
9.4%
median compared town 7.4%
In pictures
Decize in 5 photos
Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Église Saint-AréClassé
ChâteauInscrit
Remparts (anciens)Inscrit
Chapelle Saint-Thibault (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.
Protected area
Decize has had a protected historic area since 1990
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| SPR27-39 | ZPPAUP October 20, 1990 | ZPPAUP (heritage zone rules) October 20, 1990 |
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 Decize’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.
5 monuments by protection
2 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.
Classé
2 classé monuments in Decize
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. 2 of the 2 are protected in part only (a façade, a roof, a room). Each card opens the monument’s page.
ClasséConvent · protected 1979Couvent des Minimes (ancien)Part of the building is protectedPhoto: Chau7 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Inscrit
3 inscrit monuments in Decize
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
InscritChapel · protected 1968Chapelle Saint-Thibault (ancienne)Photo: Chau7 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritTown walls · protected 1946Remparts (anciens)Photo: Szeder László · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritBorn before 1900
8 people born in Decize before 1900
Their lives on one line.
Louis Antoine de Saint-Just
Guillaume Comoy
Adolphe Hanoteau
Anselme Lebas
Hector Hanoteau
Jean Hanoteau
Henri Régnier
Maurice Genevoix
175017751800182518501875190019251950
LA
Louis Antoine de Saint-Just1767–1794 · Philosopher, military and political leader
HH
Hector Hanoteau1823–1890 · French painter
MG
Maurice Genevoix1890–1980 · French writer
GC
Guillaume Comoy1803–1885 · French engineer of roads and bridges
AH
Adolphe Hanoteau1814–1897 · French soldier and officer
AL
Anselme Lebas1815–1874 · French politician
JH
Jean Hanoteau1869–1939 · French historian
HR
Henri Régnier1873–1926 · French politician
Everyone born in Decize Birthplaces from Wikidata, checked against Wikipedia.
Towns its size
Decize has the 6th most monuments of 41 towns its size
Compared French towns of 4,900 to 5,000 residents, by historic monuments.
Decize5
#6 of 41for monuments per resident (10 per 10,000). Most per resident: Cluny, La Souterraine and Bégard.
The median town of these has 2. 13 of the 41 have none.
Neighbors
Historic monuments in the towns around Decize
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decize | 4,932 | 5 | 2 | Yes |
| La Machine | 3,192 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Imphy | 3,182 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Avermes Allier | 4,074 | 2 | 0 | — |
In brief
Decize in brief
Église Saint-Aré, from the 7th century, is the oldest monument in Decize. All told, the list holds 5 historic monuments, 2 of them classé. For its size, it has more historic monuments than 85% of compared French towns. Only 5 of the 41 towns nearest its size have more historic monuments.
Part of it has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 1990. Louis Antoine de Saint-Just (1767), Hector Hanoteau (1823) and Maurice Genevoix (1890) are among the 8 people born here before 1900. Beyond that, most entries are churches and religious buildings; the list grew between 1875 and 1979; and 9.4% 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 Decize
How many historic monuments are there in Decize?
The Culture ministry lists 5 historic monuments in Decize: 2 classé and 3 inscrit.
Which monuments in Decize are classé?
2, among them Église Saint-Aré and Couvent des Minimes (ancien).
How old are the monuments of Decize?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from the 7th century.
Is Decize a protected historic area?
Yes: part of Decize has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 1990.
When were monuments in Decize first protected?
The first in 1875, the latest in 1979.
How old are the homes in Decize?
9.4% 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.