ClasséChâteau · protected 2021Château de VincennesPhoto: Ce fichier est l’œuvre de Xavier Caré . Merci de créditer : Xavier Caré / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA . Si vous souhaitez une permission spéciale pour utiliser cette photo, ou la vendre en dehors des termes de la licence ci-dessous, merci de me contacter · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Église Saint-Louis de Vincennes · Photo: Jean Rebiffé · CC BY-SA 3.04historic monuments
History of Vincennes · Monuments historiques
4 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 2013
Protection in Vincennes began in 1993. The Culture ministry lists 4 historic monuments in Vincennes, all of them classé, France’s highest heritage protection. The oldest date from the 10th century. We have photos of 4 of them.
Monuments historiques
4
Classé
4
the highest protection
Inscrit
0
the second level
Oldest part
10th c.
of any listed monument
Homes before 1919
15%
median compared town 7.4%
In pictures
Monuments of Vincennes in pictures
Nearly every classé monument, photographed. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Château de VincennesClassé
Hôtel de ville de VincennesClassé
Abords du château de VincennesClassé+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
Vincennes has had a protected historic area since 2013
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| SPR11-51 | AVAP September 25, 2013 | AVAP (heritage area rules) September 25, 2013 |
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 Vincennes’ monuments stand
Every monument with a point on the ministry’s list; the larger, darker dots are classé.
Classé
Tap a dot to open the monument’s page: its record, photo and the monuments around it.
4 monuments by protection
4 Classé
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
4 classé monuments in Vincennes
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. 2 of the 4 are protected in part only (a façade, a roof, a room). Each card opens the monument’s page.
ClasséTown hall · protected 1999Hôtel de ville de VincennesPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Selbymay · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséChurch · protected 1996Église Saint-Louis de VincennesPhoto: Jean Rebiffé · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséChâteau · protected 1993Abords du château de VincennesPart of the building is protectedPhoto: ignis · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Age of homes
15% of homes in Vincennes were built before 1919
Main homes by when they were finished, beside the median compared French town (the tick).
15%
Before 1919
25%
1919–45
24%
1946–70
22%
1971–90
9.8%
1991–2005
4.1%
2006 on
VincennesMedian compared French town
15% of its main homes were built before 1919; the median compared French town has 7.4%. More of them were finished between 1919 and 1945 than in any other period (25%).
INSEE, census 2023: main homes (résidences principales) only; second homes and empty homes aren’t dated.
Born before 1900
12 people born in Vincennes before 1900
Their lives on one line.
Louis Ier d'Anjou
Nicolas-Pierre Pithou
Jean Marie Hercule Boissel
Numa
Gaston Bourdon
Gustave Émile Boissonade
Paul-Louis Duparge
Jules Toutain
Fernand Guey
Jacques Bainville
Philiberte de Flaugergues
Louis Périgaud
13501500165018001950
LI
Louis Ier d'Anjou1339–1384 · Duke of Anjou (lived 1339-1384)
GÉ
Gustave Émile Boissonade1825–1910 · French legal scholar
JT
Jules Toutain1865–1961 · French archaeologist
JB
Jacques Bainville1879–1936 · French journalist, historian and academician
NP
Nicolas-Pierre Pithou1750–1818 · French painter
JM
Jean Marie Hercule Boissel1795–1861 · French politician
N
Numa1800–1869 · French actor
GB
Gaston Bourdon1801–1854 · French architect
Everyone born in Vincennes Birthplaces from Wikidata, checked against Wikipedia.
Neighbors
Historic monuments in the towns around Vincennes
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vincennes | 48,193 | 4 | 4 | Yes |
| Saint-Mandé | 21,071 | 1 | 0 | — |
| Montreuil Seine-Saint-Denis | 111,934 | 4 | 1 | — |
| Fontenay-sous-Bois | 53,757 | 1 | 0 | Yes |
| Bagnolet Seine-Saint-Denis | 43,086 | 1 | 0 | — |
| Paris 12e Paris | 138,024 | 34 | 5 | City-wide |
| Paris 20e Paris | 185,140 | 19 | 8 | City-wide |
In brief
Vincennes in brief
Château de Vincennes, from the 10th century, is the oldest monument in Vincennes. In all there are 4 historic monuments, 4 of them classé, including Église Saint-Louis de Vincennes. Its housing is old: 15% of homes date from before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town. In 2019 the Mission Patrimoine picked Église Saint-Louis de Vincennes as a monument in danger to save.
Part of it has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2013. Of the 12 people born here before 1900, the best known include Louis Ier d'Anjou (1339), Gustave Émile Boissonade (1825) and Jules Toutain (1865). Otherwise the figures are ordinary: it has 4 historic monuments, about typical for a town its size (the middle one has 7); and the list grew between 1993 and 2021.
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 Vincennes
How many historic monuments are there in Vincennes?
The Culture ministry lists 4 historic monuments in Vincennes: 4 classé and 0 inscrit.
Which monuments in Vincennes are classé?
4, among them Château de Vincennes, Hôtel de ville de Vincennes, Église Saint-Louis de Vincennes and Abords du château de Vincennes.
Is Vincennes a protected historic area?
Yes: part of Vincennes has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2013.
How old are the homes in Vincennes?
15% 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.