ClasséCathedral · protected 1840Cathédrale Saint-MaclouPhoto: P.poschadel · CC BY-SA 2.0 fr · Wikimedia Commons
Chapelle des Cordeliers (ancienne) · Photo: P.poschadel · CC BY-SA 2.0 fr12historic monuments
History of Pontoise · Monuments historiques
12 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 2006
The Culture ministry lists 12 historic monuments in Pontoise: 2 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 10 inscrit (the second level). That’s 3.8 for every 10,000 residents, more per resident than 62% of compared French towns; the median compared French town has 2.5. The oldest date from the 12th century. We have photos of 10 of them.
Monuments historiques
12
3.8 per 10,000 residents
median compared town 2.5
median compared town 2.5
Classé
2
the highest protection
Inscrit
10
the second level
Oldest part
12th c.
of any listed monument
Homes before 1919
8.1%
median compared town 7.4%
In pictures
Pontoise in 10 photos
Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Cathédrale Saint-MaclouClassé
Sous-préfecture (ancienne)Classé
Hôtel d'Estouteville (ancien)Inscrit
Moulin des Patis ou de la CouleuvreInscrit
Couvent des Carmélites ou du CarmelInscrit+5See 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
Pontoise has had a protected historic area since 2006
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| SPR11-58 | ZPPAUP July 12, 2006 | AVAP (heritage area rules) December 20, 2018 |
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 Pontoise’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.
12 monuments by protection
2 Classé10 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 Pontoise
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.
ClasséPublic building · protected 1928Sous-préfecture (ancienne)Part of the building is protectedPhoto: P.poschadel · CC BY-SA 2.0 fr · Wikimedia Commons
Inscrit
10 inscrit monuments in Pontoise
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
InscritConvent · protected 1986Couvent des Carmélites ou du CarmelPart of the building is protectedPhoto: P.poschadel · CC BY-SA 2.0 fr · Wikimedia Commons
InscritTown house · protected 1926Hôtel d'Estouteville (ancien)Photo: P.poschadel · CC BY-SA 2.0 fr · Wikimedia Commons
InscritHospital · protected 1939Hôpital des Enfermés (ancien)Part of the building is protectedPhoto: P.poschadel · CC BY-SA 2.0 fr · Wikimedia Commons
InscritChapel · protected 1929Chapelle des Cordeliers (ancienne)Part of the building is protectedPhoto: P.poschadel · CC BY-SA 2.0 fr · Wikimedia Commons
Inscrit
InscritMonument · protected 1939Jardin PublicPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritMill · protected 1979Moulin des Patis ou de la CouleuvrePart of the building is protectedPhoto: P.poschadel · CC BY-SA 2.0 fr · Wikimedia Commons
InscritTown walls · protected 1954Remparts, rue de la CoutelleriePart of the building is protectedPhoto: Jjackoti · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Building · protected 1944Caves anciennes de l'immeublePart of the building is protected
Building · protected 1944Caves de l'immeublePart of the building is protected
What’s protected
Churches and religious buildings are the largest group in Pontoise
Each monument under the main domain Mérimée gives it.
Religious buildings4
Houses & homes3
Military & fortified1
Public & civic1
Industrial1
Religious buildings: 4 of 12 monuments (33%).
Mérimée files each monument under one main domain: a château with its chapel counts once. 2 have no domain on the list.
When protected
Pontoise’s list has grown since 1840
Monuments by the year they were first protected.
1840186018801900192019401960198020002020
First protected, in 1840: Cathédrale Saint-Maclou. That was France’s first list of monuments historiques, drawn up in Prosper Mérimée’s time as inspector. 2 were protected in 1926 alone. None has been added since 2011.
Born before 1900
24 people born in Pontoise before 1900
The 20 best known on the line, and eight of them below.
Nicolas Flamel
Philippe II de Bourgogne
André Duval
Paul Auget
Simon Mazière
Pierre-Louis Villot-Dufey
Jacques Dubois
Christophe Huet
Joseph de Guignes
Simon Soret
Louis Nicolas Marin Leclerc des Essarts
Charles Victoire Emmanuel Leclerc
Adolphe Dallemagne
Armand Donon
Georges Truffaut
Édouard-Alfred Martel
Louis Kerly
Félix Pissarro
Marcel Bouraine
Raymond Turpin
13501500165018001950
NF
Nicolas Flamel1335–1418 · French scrivener
PI
Philippe II de Bourgogne1342–1404 · Duke of Burgundy
SM
Simon Mazière1649–1722 · French sculptor
JG
Joseph de Guignes1721–1800 · French academic
CV
Charles Victoire Emmanuel Leclerc1772–1802 · French general
AD
Armand Donon1818–1902 · French banker
ÉA
Édouard-Alfred Martel1859–1938 · French cave explorer
LK
Louis Kerly1872–1936 · French actor
Everyone born in Pontoise Birthplaces from Wikidata, checked against Wikipedia.
Neighbors
Historic monuments in the towns around Pontoise
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pontoise | 31,970 | 12 | 2 | Yes |
| Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône | 25,578 | 3 | 1 | — |
| Osny | 17,954 | 3 | 0 | — |
| Éragny-sur-Oise | 18,436 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Cergy | 70,906 | 4 | 3 | Yes |
| Auvers-sur-Oise | 6,863 | 9 | 3 | Yes |
| Pierrelaye | 10,130 | 0 | 0 | — |
In brief
Pontoise in brief
Pontoise’s oldest monument, Cathédrale Saint-Maclou, dates from the 12th century. In all there are 12 historic monuments, 2 of them classé. Part of it has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2006. Nicolas Flamel (1335), Philippe II de Bourgogne (1342) and Simon Mazière (1649) are among the 24 people born here before 1900. Otherwise the figures are ordinary: it has 12 historic monuments, about typical for a town its size (the middle one has 4); per resident it sits near the middle of compared French towns; and 8.1% 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 Pontoise
How many historic monuments are there in Pontoise?
The Culture ministry lists 12 historic monuments in Pontoise: 2 classé and 10 inscrit.
Which monuments in Pontoise are classé?
2, among them Cathédrale Saint-Maclou and Sous-préfecture (ancienne).
How old are the monuments of Pontoise?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from the 12th century.
Is Pontoise a protected historic area?
Yes: part of Pontoise has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2006.
When were monuments in Pontoise first protected?
The first in 1840, the latest in 1986.
How old are the homes in Pontoise?
8.1% 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.