Restes des thermes antiques · Photo: Rilba · CC BY-SA 3.08 historic monuments, the oldest from Antiquity
Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 2007. The Culture ministry lists 8 historic monuments in Royat: 3 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 5 inscrit (the second level). That’s 18 for every 10,000 residents, more per resident than 94% of compared French towns; the median compared French town has 2.5. We have photos of 4 of them.
median compared town 2.5
Monuments of Royat in pictures
Nearly every classé monument, photographed. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Église Saint-Léger et ancien prieuréClassé
Croix sur la place de l'égliseClassé
Etablissement thermalInscrit+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.
How old Royat’s monuments are
Each monument once, by the oldest part the list dates.
2 of 6 dated monuments have parts from before 1500. The oldest dated: Restes des thermes antiques (Antiquity). 2 monuments have no date on the list.
Where Royat’s monuments stand
Every monument with a point on the ministry’s list; the larger, darker dots are classé.
Tap a dot to open the monument’s page: its record, photo and the monuments around it.
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.
3 classé monuments in Royat
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. Each card opens the monument’s page.
Classé
Classé
Classé5 inscrit monuments in Royat
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
InscritRoyat has had a protected historic area since 2007
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| SPR84-124 | ZPPAUP October 31, 2007 | AVAP (heritage area rules) May 27, 2015 |
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.
12% of homes in Royat were built before 1919
Main homes by when they were finished, beside the median compared French town (the tick).
12% of its main homes were built before 1919; the median compared French town has 7.4%. More of them were finished between 1946 and 1970 than in any other period (29%).
INSEE, census 2023: main homes (résidences principales) only; second homes and empty homes aren’t dated.
Royat has the 4th most monuments of 41 towns its size
Compared French towns of 4,400 to 4,500 residents, by historic monuments.
The median town of these has 1. 13 of the 41 have none.
Historic monuments in the towns around Royat
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royat | 4,479 | 8 | 3 | Yes |
| Chamalières | 17,509 | 15 | 1 | — |
| Ceyrat | 6,592 | 2 | 0 | — |
| Beaumont | 10,728 | 2 | 0 | — |
| Orcines | 3,609 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Clermont-Ferrand | 146,351 | 181 | 29 | Yes |
| Aubière | 10,459 | 1 | 0 | — |
Royat in brief
Royat’s oldest monument, Restes des thermes antiques, dates from Antiquity. All told, the list holds 8 historic monuments, 3 of them classé, including Restes des thermes antiques. For its size, it has more historic monuments than 94% of compared French towns. Of its homes, 12% were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Only 3 of the 41 towns nearest its size have more historic monuments. Part of it has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2007. Of the 6 with a date, 3 come from the 20th century or later. The rest is about typical: the list grew between 1846 and 2025.
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 Royat
How many historic monuments are there in Royat?
The Culture ministry lists 8 historic monuments in Royat: 3 classé and 5 inscrit.
Which monuments in Royat are classé?
3, among them Restes des thermes antiques, Église Saint-Léger et ancien prieuré and Croix sur la place de l'église.
How old are the monuments of Royat?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from Antiquity.
Is Royat a protected historic area?
Yes: part of Royat has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2007.
When were monuments in Royat first protected?
The first in 1846, the latest in 2025.
How old are the homes in Royat?
12% 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) · 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.