ClasséConvent · protected 1984Ancien couvent des CordeliersPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Marianne Casamance · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Hôtel de Simiane (ancien) · Photo: Marianne Casamance · CC BY-SA 3.010historic monuments
History of Valréas · Monuments historiques
10 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 2026
The Culture ministry lists 10 historic monuments in Valréas: 5 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 5 inscrit (the second level). That’s 11 for every 10,000 residents, more per resident than 87% of compared French towns; the median compared French town has 2.5. The oldest date from the 14th century. We have photos of 8 of them.
Monuments historiques
10
11 per 10,000 residents
median compared town 2.5
median compared town 2.5
Classé
5
the highest protection
Inscrit
5
the second level
Oldest part
14th c.
of any listed monument
Homes before 1919
14%
median compared town 7.4%
In pictures
Valréas in 8 photos
Nearly every classé monument, photographed. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Église paroissiale Notre-Dame-de-NazarethClassé
Hôtel d'InguimbertClassé
Ancien couvent des CordeliersClassé
Chapelle des Pénitents BlancsClassé
Château RipertInscrit+3See 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
Valréas has had a protected historic area since 2026
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| Not numbered yet | – September 22, 2026 | – |
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 Valréas’ monuments stand
Every monument with a point on the ministry’s list; the larger, darker dots are classé.
ClasséInscritWithin 400 m of Ancien couvent des Cordeliers
5 of 5classé monuments stand within 400 m of Ancien couvent des Cordeliers, with 9 of the town’s 10 monuments.
Tap a dot to open the monument’s page: its record, photo and the monuments around it.
10 monuments by protection
5 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
5 classé monuments in Valréas
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. 2 of the 5 are protected in part only (a façade, a roof, a room). Each card opens the monument’s page.
ClasséChapel · protected 1987Chapelle des Pénitents BlancsPhoto: Jean-Marc Rosier http://www.cjrosier.com + http://www.gordes-immobilier.com ) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséTown house · protected 1913Hôtel de Simiane (ancien)Photo: Marianne Casamance · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséChurch · protected 1862Église paroissiale Notre-Dame-de-NazarethPhoto: EmDee · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséTown house · protected 1975Hôtel d'InguimbertPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Marianne Casamance · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Inscrit
5 inscrit monuments in Valréas
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
InscritChâteau · protected 2024Château RipertPhoto: Jean-Marc Rosier http://www.cjrosier.com + http://www.gordes-immobilier.com ) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritFortified house · protected 1932Tour de TivoliPhoto: Marianne Casamance · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritBuilding · protected 1978Immeuble, 13 rue de l'Hôtel-de-VillePart of the building is protectedPhoto: Marianne Casamance · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Commercial building · protected 1986Café de la PaixPart of the building is protected
Monument · protected 1981Mur des fusillés
What’s protected
Churches and religious buildings are the largest group in Valréas
Each monument under the main domain Mérimée gives it.
Religious buildings3
Houses & homes3
Military & fortified2
Tombs & cemeteries1
Shops & trade1
Religious buildings: 3 of 10 monuments (30%).
Mérimée files each monument under one main domain: a château with its chapel counts once.
How old
How old Valréas’ monuments are
Each monument once, by the oldest part the list dates.
Prehistory & Antiquity to the 4th c.0
Middle Ages 5th–15th c.1
16th to 18th century Renaissance to Revolution3
19th century 1801–19000
20th century and later since 19012
1 of 6 dated monuments has parts from before 1500. The oldest dated: Ancien couvent des Cordeliers (14th–17th c.). 4 monuments have no date on the list.
When protected
Valréas’ list has grown since 1862
Monuments by the year they were first protected.
186018801900192019401960198020002020
First protected, in 1862: Église paroissiale Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth. 1 has been added since 2011.
Age of homes
14% of homes in Valréas were built before 1919
Main homes by when they were finished, beside the median compared French town (the tick).
14%
Before 1919
7.7%
1919–45
26%
1946–70
30%
1971–90
13%
1991–2005
9.5%
2006 on
ValréasMedian compared French town
14% 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 (30%).
INSEE, census 2023: main homes (résidences principales) only; second homes and empty homes aren’t dated.
Born before 1900
3 people born in Valréas before 1900
Their lives on one line.
Jean-Sifrein Maury
Joseph Daultanne
Edmond Juvin
170017501800185019001950
JS
Jean-Sifrein Maury1746–1817 · Catholic cardinal
JD
Joseph Daultanne1759–1828 · General of division of the French First Republic
EJ
Edmond Juvin1811–1895 · French composer
Everyone born in Valréas Birthplaces from Wikidata, checked against Wikipedia.
Towns its size
Valréas has the 6th most monuments of 41 towns its size
Compared French towns of 9,100 to 9,400 residents, by historic monuments.
Valréas10
#6 of 41for monuments per resident (11 per 10,000). Most per resident: Molsheim, Sarzeau and Condé-sur-l'Escaut.
The median town of these has 2. 11 of the 41 have none.
Neighbors
Historic monuments in the towns around Valréas
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valréas | 9,224 | 10 | 5 | Yes |
| Nyons Drôme | 6,816 | 2 | 1 | — |
| Vaison-la-Romaine | 6,058 | 14 | 11 | — |
| Dieulefit Drôme | 3,289 | 4 | 0 | — |
| Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes | 2,656 | 1 | 0 | — |
| Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux Drôme | 8,981 | 7 | 2 | Yes |
| Bollène | 14,024 | 15 | 5 | — |
In brief
Valréas in brief
Old houses are part of Valréas’s character: 14% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town. In all there are 10 historic monuments, 5 of them classé, including Hôtel de Simiane (ancien). Per resident, it has more historic monuments than 87% of compared French towns. Ancien couvent des Cordeliers sits at the heart of it all, with 5 of the town’s classé monuments within 400 m.
Only 5 of the 41 towns nearest its size have more historic monuments. Part of it has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2026. Most of its dated monuments come from the 16th to 18th centuries: 3 of 6.
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 Valréas
How many historic monuments are there in Valréas?
The Culture ministry lists 10 historic monuments in Valréas: 5 classé and 5 inscrit.
Which monuments in Valréas are classé?
5, among them Ancien couvent des Cordeliers, Chapelle des Pénitents Blancs, Hôtel de Simiane (ancien), Église paroissiale Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth and Hôtel d'Inguimbert.
How old are the monuments of Valréas?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from the 14th century.
Is Valréas a protected historic area?
Yes: part of Valréas has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2026.
When were monuments in Valréas first protected?
The first in 1862, the latest in 2024.
How old are the homes in Valréas?
14% 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 8, 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.