ClasséAbbey · protected 1862Abbaye Sainte-MariePart of the building is protectedPhoto: jordi domènech · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Dolmen · Photo: El Caro · CC BY-SA 3.07historic monuments
History of Arles-sur-Tech · Monuments historiques
7 historic monuments, more per resident than 97% of compared French towns
Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 1994. The Culture ministry lists 7 historic monuments in Arles-sur-Tech: 2 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 5 inscrit (the second level). The oldest date from prehistory. We have photos of 5 of them.
Monuments historiques
7
25 per 10,000 residents
median compared town 2.5
median compared town 2.5
Classé
2
the highest protection
Inscrit
5
the second level
Oldest part
Prehistory
of any listed monument
Homes before 1919
20%
median compared town 7.4%
In pictures
Arles-sur-Tech in 5 photos
Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Abbaye Sainte-MarieClassé
Chapelle Saint-Pierre de RiuferrerInscrit
Eglise Santa Creu (ou Sainte-Croix)Inscrit
Tour 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.
Towns its size
Arles-sur-Tech has the 4th most monuments of 41 towns its size
Compared French towns of 2,800 to 2,800 residents, by historic monuments.
Arles-sur-Tech7
#5 of 41for monuments per resident (25 per 10,000). Most per resident: Saint-Aignan, Uzerche and Le Faouët.
The median town of these has 2. 12 of the 41 have none.
Map
Where Arles-sur-Tech’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.
7 monuments by protection
2 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.
Classé
2 classé monuments in Arles-sur-Tech
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. 1 of the 2 is protected in part only (a façade, a roof, a room). Each card opens the monument’s page.
ClasséInscrit
5 inscrit monuments in Arles-sur-Tech
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
InscritChurch · protected 1997Eglise Santa Creu (ou Sainte-Croix)Photo: Fabricio Cardenas · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritChapel · protected 1954Chapelle Saint-Pierre de RiuferrerPhoto: Nicosan66 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritHouse · protected 1987Villa Las Indis, actuellement hôtel de ville
Mine · protected 2025Carreau minierPart of the building is protected
How old
How old Arles-sur-Tech’s monuments are
Each monument once, by the oldest part the list dates.
Prehistory & Antiquity to the 4th c.1
Middle Ages 5th–15th c.3
16th to 18th century Renaissance to Revolution0
19th century 1801–19000
20th century and later since 19011
4 of 5 dated monuments have parts from before 1500. The oldest dated: Eglise Santa Creu (ou Sainte-Croix) (10th c.). 2 monuments have no date on the list.
Protected area
Arles-sur-Tech has had a protected historic area since 1994
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| SPR76-86 | ZPPAUP February 21, 1994 | ZPPAUP (heritage zone rules) February 21, 1994 |
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.
Age of homes
20% of homes in Arles-sur-Tech were built before 1919
Main homes by when they were finished, beside the median compared French town (the tick).
20%
Before 1919
9.2%
1919–45
23%
1946–70
28%
1971–90
9.5%
1991–2005
10%
2006 on
Arles-sur-TechMedian compared French town
20% of its main homes were built before 1919; the median compared French town has 7.4%. More of them were finished between 1971 and 1990 than in any other period (28%).
INSEE, census 2023: main homes (résidences principales) only; second homes and empty homes aren’t dated.
Born before 1900
3 people born in Arles-sur-Tech before 1900
Their lives on one line.
Antoine Jofre
Pierre Hermabessière
Paul Pujade
1800182518501875190019251950
AJ
Antoine Jofre1801–1864 · poet
PH
Pierre Hermabessière1803–1862 · French Physician
PP
Paul Pujade1854–1927 · French politician
Everyone born in Arles-sur-Tech Birthplaces from Wikidata, checked against Wikipedia.
Neighbors
Historic monuments in the towns around Arles-sur-Tech
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arles-sur-Tech | 2,815 | 7 | 2 | Yes |
| Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda | 3,529 | 3 | 2 | — |
| Céret | 7,521 | 6 | 4 | — |
| Maureillas-las-Illas | 3,006 | 2 | 2 | — |
| Le Boulou | 5,487 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Thuir | 8,243 | 3 | 0 | — |
| Ille-sur-Têt | 5,556 | 11 | 5 | Yes |
In brief
Arles-sur-Tech in brief
Few towns are as rich in historic monuments as Arles-sur-Tech: per resident it has more than 97% of compared French towns. All told, the list holds 7 historic monuments, 2 of them classé. Its housing is old: 20% of homes date from 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 1994. Most of its dated monuments come from the Middle Ages: 3 of 5. Villa Las Indis, actuellement hôtel de ville carries the Architecture contemporaine remarquable label. Beyond that, the list grew between 1862 and 2025.
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 Arles-sur-Tech
How many historic monuments are there in Arles-sur-Tech?
The Culture ministry lists 7 historic monuments in Arles-sur-Tech: 2 classé and 5 inscrit.
Which monuments in Arles-sur-Tech are classé?
2, among them Abbaye Sainte-Marie.
How old are the monuments of Arles-sur-Tech?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from prehistory.
Is Arles-sur-Tech a protected historic area?
Yes: part of Arles-sur-Tech has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 1994.
When were monuments in Arles-sur-Tech first protected?
The first in 1862, the latest in 2025.
How old are the homes in Arles-sur-Tech?
20% 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 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.