ClasséArchaeological site · protected 2014Pseudo-temple d'ApollonPhoto: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Église Saint-Pierre-l'Estrier (ancienne) · Photo: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.049historic monuments
History of Autun · Monuments historiques
A secteur sauvegardé since 1973, and 49 historic monuments
The Culture ministry lists 49 historic monuments in Autun: 21 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 28 inscrit (the second level). That’s 37 for every 10,000 residents, more per resident than 98% of compared French towns; the median compared French town has 2.5. The oldest date from Antiquity. We have photos of 46 of them.
Monuments historiques
49
37 per 10,000 residents
median compared town 2.5
median compared town 2.5
Classé
21
the highest protection
Inscrit
28
the second level
Oldest part
Antiquity
of any listed monument
Homes before 1919
17%
median compared town 7.4%
In pictures
Autun in 46 photos
Nearly every classé monument, photographed. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Porte d'ArrouxClassé
Alignements du Camp de la JusticeClassé
Ancienne abbaye Saint-SymphorienClassé
Chapelle Saint-Nicolas (ancienne)Classé
Ancien collège des jésuites, aujourd'hui Lycée BonaparteClassé+41See 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
Autun has had a protected historic area since 1973
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| SPR27-53 | Secteur sauvegardé November 9, 1973 | PSMV (safeguarding plan) November 13, 2009 |
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. A PSMV (plan de sauvegarde et de mise en valeur) is the strictest plan: it covers every building, inside as well as out.
The list gives no boundaries, so the map can’t show the area.
Map
Where Autun’s monuments stand
Every monument with a point on the ministry’s list; the larger, darker dots are classé.
ClasséInscritWithin 400 m of Cathédrale Saint-Lazare
8 of 21classé monuments stand within 400 m of Cathédrale Saint-Lazare, with 12 of the town’s 49 monuments.
Tap a dot to open the monument’s page: its record, photo and the monuments around it.
49 monuments by protection
21 Classé28 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. 3 monuments have no point on the map.
Classé
21 classé monuments in Autun
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. 5 of the 21 are protected in part only (a façade, a roof, a room). Each card opens the monument’s page.
Classé
ClasséTown walls · protected 1927Remparts romainsPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Christophe.Finot · CC BY-SA 1.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Classé
Classé
Classé
Classé
ClasséChurch · protected 1979Église Saint-Pierre-l'Estrier (ancienne)Photo: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Classé
ClasséChapel · protected 1945Chapelle Saint-Nicolas (ancienne)Photo: Nicephore71 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséChâteau · protected 1994Tour dite des UrsulinesPhoto: Christophe.Finot · CC BY-SA 1.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséMonument · protected 2017Groupe cathédral et canonialPhoto: Nicephore71 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséTown house · protected 1877Hôtel du Chancelier RolinPhoto: Torsade de Pointes · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséHouse · protected 1984Maison à colombagesPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséHouse · protected 1932Statue de la Vierge à l'enfantPhoto: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséAbbey · protected 1993Ancienne abbaye Saint-SymphorienPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséSchool · protected 1943Ancien collège des jésuites, aujourd'hui Lycée BonapartePart of the building is protectedPhoto: MarcJP46 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Classé
ClasséFunerary monument · protected 1921Alignements du Camp de la JusticePhoto: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Classé
ClasséHouse · protected 1932Maison Saint-ChristophePart of the building is protectedPhoto: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Inscrit
28 inscrit monuments in Autun
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
All 28, A to Z
Abbaye de Saint-Jean-Le-Grand (ancienne)Ancien couvent de la VisitationAncien évêchéCafé de la BourseChâteau d'EschampsChâteau du Petit MontjeuCrypte Saint-AndocheÉglise Saint-JeanHôpital Saint-GabrielHôtel de ChevannesHôtel de MilleryHôtel, 5 impasse du Jeu-de-PaumeImmeuble ou Hôtel d'OrsenneImmeuble, 1 grande-rue MarchauxImmeuble, 29 rue GuérinImmeuble, 3 rue Jean-et-Bernard-de-Lattre-de-TassignyImmeuble, 4 rue GuérinImmeuble, 7 rue de l'ArquebuseLa rotondeMaison Chareyre contiguë à la tour de MarchauxMaison Néo-RenaissanceMaison, Grande-rue-Marchaux 23Monument aux mortsPassage de la Terrasse, entre la rue aux Cordiers et la rue de la TerrasseSéminaire (ancien)Théâtre, 2 avenue du Général-de-GaulleTour de l'Horloge, dite aussi tour de Marchaux et hôtel de ClugnyTour dite de la Bondue
8 more, named only by their kind
8 more are named in the list only by their kind: 5 buildings (immeubles), 1 town house (hôtel), 1 house (maison) and 1 other, most from the 19th century. The 8 with an address are in the list above, by it.
16th c.1
17th c.1
18th c.1
19th c.3
20th c.1
undated1
What’s protected
Houses and homes are the largest group in Autun
Each monument under the main domain Mérimée gives it.
Houses & homes19
Religious buildings8
Public & civic6
Tombs & cemeteries4
Military & fortified3
Bridges & engineering1
Archaeological sites1
Shops & trade1
Houses & homes: 19 of 49 monuments (39%). 8 are religious buildings, 4 of them classé.
Mérimée files each monument under one main domain: a château with its chapel counts once. 6 have no domain on the list.
How old
How old Autun’s monuments are
Each monument once, by the oldest part the list dates.
Prehistory & Antiquity to the 4th c.7
Middle Ages 5th–15th c.11
16th to 18th century Renaissance to Revolution15
19th century 1801–19005
20th century and later since 19013
18 of 41 dated monuments have parts from before 1500. The oldest dated: Pseudo-temple d'Apollon (Antiquity). 8 monuments have no date on the list.
When protected
Autun’s list has grown since 1840
Monuments by the year they were first protected.
1840186018801900192019401960198020002020
First protected, in 1840: Cathédrale Saint-Lazare, Pyramide de Couhard and Temple de Janus. That was France’s first list of monuments historiques, drawn up in Prosper Mérimée’s time as inspector. 6 have been added since 2011.
Age of homes
17% of homes in Autun were built before 1919
Main homes by when they were finished, beside the median compared French town (the tick).
17%
Before 1919
14%
1919–45
34%
1946–70
21%
1971–90
6.8%
1991–2005
7%
2006 on
AutunMedian compared French town
17% 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 (34%).
INSEE, census 2023: main homes (résidences principales) only; second homes and empty homes aren’t dated.
Towns its size
Autun has the 2nd most monuments of 41 towns its size
Compared French towns of 12,800 to 13,500 residents, by historic monuments.
Neighbors
Historic monuments in the towns around Autun
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autun | 13,172 | 49 | 21 | Yes |
| Le Creusot | 20,509 | 3 | 1 | — |
| Le Breuil | 3,538 | 0 | 0 | Yes |
| Torcy | 2,678 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Montchanin | 4,976 | 0 | 0 | — |
In brief
Autun in brief
Autun’s oldest monument, Pseudo-temple d'Apollon, dates from Antiquity. In all there are 49 historic monuments, 21 of them classé, including Église Saint-Pierre-l'Estrier (ancienne). Per resident, it has more historic monuments than 98% of compared French towns. Its old center has been a secteur sauvegardé since 1973.
Of its homes, 17% were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town. Its classé monuments cluster together: 8 of them stand within 400 m of Cathédrale Saint-Lazare. Only one of the 41 towns nearest its size has more historic monuments.
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 Autun
How many historic monuments are there in Autun?
The Culture ministry lists 49 historic monuments in Autun: 21 classé and 28 inscrit.
Which monuments in Autun are classé?
21, among them Pseudo-temple d'Apollon, Pyramide de Couhard, Remparts romains, Théâtre romain, Temple de Janus and Porte d'Arroux.
How old are the monuments of Autun?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from Antiquity.
Is Autun a protected historic area?
Yes: part of Autun has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 1973.
When were monuments in Autun first protected?
The first in 1840, the latest in 2020.
How old are the homes in Autun?
17% 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.