InscritPriory · protected 1975Ancien prieuré de BeaurepairePart of the building is protectedPhoto: JackyM59 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Ancien prieuré de Beaurepaire · Photo: JackyM59 · CC BY-SA 4.03historic monuments
History of Somain · Monuments historiques
3 historic monuments, none of them classé
The first listing in Somain dates from 1975. Among the monuments in Somain: Motte castrale and Ancien prieuré de Beaurepaire. The oldest date from the 10th century.
Monuments historiques
3
Classé
0
the highest protection
Inscrit
3
the second level
Oldest part
10th c.
of any listed monument
Homes before 1919
7.9%
median compared town 7.4%
In pictures
Monuments of Somain 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.
Map
Where Somain’s monuments stand
Every monument with a point on the ministry’s list; the larger, darker dots are classé.
Inscrit
Tap a dot to open the monument’s page: its record, photo and the monuments around it.
3 monuments by protection
3 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.
Inscrit
3 inscrit monuments in Somain
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
InscritChâteau · protected 2016Château de Villers-CampeauPhoto: Jérémy-Günther-Heinz Jähnick · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Fortified house · protected 1978Motte castrale
Born before 1900
3 people born in Somain before 1900
Their lives on one line.
Henri-Narcisse Dransart
George Richez
Victor Brachelet
1800182518501875190019251950
HN
Henri-Narcisse Dransart1847–1930 · French physician
GR
George Richez1878–1911 · French politician
VB
Victor Brachelet1883–1953 · French politician
Everyone born in Somain Birthplaces from Wikidata, checked against Wikipedia.
Neighbors
Historic monuments in the towns around Somain
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somain | 11,766 | 3 | 0 | — |
| Fenain | 5,441 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Abscon | 4,108 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Aniche | 9,963 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Hornaing | 3,496 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Auberchicourt | 4,626 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Pecquencourt | 6,092 | 1 | 0 | — |
In brief
Somain in brief
Motte castrale, from the 10th century, is the oldest monument in Somain. In all there are 3 historic monuments, including Ancien prieuré de Beaurepaire. Henri-Narcisse Dransart (1847), George Richez (1878) and Victor Brachelet (1883) were all born here before 1900. Beyond that, it has 3 historic monuments, about typical for a town its size (the middle one has 2); the list grew between 1975 and 2016; and 7.9% 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 Somain
How many historic monuments are there in Somain?
The Culture ministry lists 3 historic monuments in Somain: 3 inscrit, none classé.
How old are the homes in Somain?
7.9% 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.