ClasséTown house · protected 1979Hôtel Bansard des BoisPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Pucesurvitaminee · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Hôtel Bansard des Bois · Photo: Pucesurvitaminee · CC BY-SA 3.06historic monuments
History of Bellême · Monuments historiques
6 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 2001
The Culture ministry lists 6 historic monuments in Bellême: 1 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 5 inscrit (the second level). The oldest date from the 10th century. That’s 41 for every 10,000 residents; the median compared French town has 2.5. We have photos of 6 of them.
Monuments historiques
6
41 per 10,000 residents
median compared town 2.5
median compared town 2.5
Classé
1
the highest protection
Inscrit
5
the second level
Oldest part
10th c.
of any listed monument
Homes before 1919
40%
median compared town 7.4%
In pictures
Bellême in 6 photos
Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Vieux-Château, dite chapelle Saint-SantinInscrit
Tour de l'HorlogeInscrit
Maison du GouverneurInscrit
Ville CloseInscrit
Église Saint-SauveurInscrit+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
Bellême has had a protected historic area since 2001
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| SPR28-49 | ZPPAUP December 11, 2001 | AVAP (heritage area rules) March 14, 2019 |
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 Bellême’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.
6 monuments by protection
1 Classé5 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
One classé monument in Bellême
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. 1 of the 1 is protected in part only (a façade, a roof, a room). Each card opens the monument’s page.
Inscrit
5 inscrit monuments in Bellême
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
InscritChapel · protected 1971Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Vieux-Château, dite chapelle Saint-SantinPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Pucesurvitaminee · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritFortified house · protected 1989Tour de l'HorlogePhoto: Pucesurvitaminee · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Inscrit
InscritTown gate · protected 1937Ville ClosePart of the building is protectedPhoto: Davitof · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritHouse · protected 1989Maison du GouverneurPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Travail personnel · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
How old
How old Bellême’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.4
16th to 18th century Renaissance to Revolution2
19th century 1801–19000
20th century and later since 19010
4 of 6 dated monuments have parts from before 1500. The oldest dated: Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Vieux-Château, dite chapelle Saint-Santin (10th–15th c.).
Age of homes
40% of homes in Bellême were built before 1919
Main homes by when they were finished, beside the median compared French town (the tick).
40%
Before 1919
8.5%
1919–45
16%
1946–70
21%
1971–90
5.7%
1991–2005
9.1%
2006 on
BellêmeMedian compared French town
40% 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 (40%).
INSEE, census 2023: main homes (résidences principales) only; second homes and empty homes aren’t dated.
Born before 1900
11 people born in Bellême before 1900
Their lives on one line.
Jean Massard
Charles François Grégoire, Michel Étienne Desgrouas
Jean-Jacques Paignard
Pierre François Henri Bouvet de Louvigny
Jean-François Ballot
Aristide Boucicaut
Achille Delorme
Charles Pitou
Théodore Tuffier
Henry de Chennevières
Gaston Dona
170017501800185019001950
AB
Aristide Boucicaut1810–1877 · French businessman
TT
Théodore Tuffier1857–1929 · French surgeon
JM
Jean Massard1740–1822 · French engraver
CF
Charles François Grégoire, Michel Étienne Desgrouas1747–1816 · French politician
JJ
Jean-Jacques Paignard1751–1807 · French politician
PF
Pierre François Henri Bouvet de Louvigny1773–1854 · French politician and soldier
JF
Jean-François Ballot1778–1849 · French politician
AD
Achille Delorme1831–1888 · French politician
Everyone born in Bellême Birthplaces from Wikidata, checked against Wikipedia.
Neighbors
Historic monuments in the towns around Bellême
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellême | 1,457 | 6 | 1 | Yes |
| Mamers Sarthe | 4,996 | 4 | 2 | Yes |
| Val-au-Perche | 3,336 | 8 | 0 | — |
| Mortagne-au-Perche | 3,898 | 17 | 6 | Yes |
| Nogent-le-Rotrou Eure-et-Loir | 9,292 | 12 | 4 | — |
| La Ferté-Bernard Sarthe | 8,740 | 10 | 3 | Yes |
| Cherré-Au Sarthe | 2,758 | 3 | 0 | — |
In brief
Bellême in brief
Bellême’s oldest monument, Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Vieux-Château, dite chapelle Saint-Santin, dates from the 10th century. All told, the list holds 6 historic monuments, 1 of them classé, including Hôtel Bansard des Bois. Of its homes, 40% were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town. Part of it has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2001.
Of the 6 with a date, 4 come from the Middle Ages. Aristide Boucicaut (1810), Théodore Tuffier (1857) and Jean Massard (1740) are among the 11 people born here before 1900. Beyond that, the list grew between 1937 and 1989.
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 Bellême
How many historic monuments are there in Bellême?
The Culture ministry lists 6 historic monuments in Bellême: 1 classé and 5 inscrit.
Which monuments in Bellême are classé?
One: Hôtel Bansard des Bois.
How old are the monuments of Bellême?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from the 10th century.
Is Bellême a protected historic area?
Yes: part of Bellême has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2001.
When were monuments in Bellême first protected?
The first in 1937, the latest in 1989.
How old are the homes in Bellême?
40% 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.