ClasséStanding stone · protected 1903Menhir dit La Conche-VertePhoto: Liberliger · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Église Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Port · Photo: Stefi123 · CC BY-SA 3.011historic monuments
History of Les Sables-d'Olonne · Monuments historiques
11 historic monuments, the oldest from prehistory
Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 2007. The Culture ministry lists 11 historic monuments in Les Sables-d'Olonne: 6 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 5 inscrit (the second level). That’s 2.2 for every 10,000 residents; the median compared French town has 2.5. We have photos of 8 of them.
Monuments historiques
11
2.2 per 10,000 residents
median compared town 2.5
median compared town 2.5
Classé
6
the highest protection
Inscrit
5
the second level
Oldest part
Prehistory
of any listed monument
Homes before 1919
3.7%
median compared town 7.4%
In pictures
Les Sables-d'Olonne in 8 photos
Nearly every classé monument, photographed. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Château de Pierre-LevéeClassé
ÉgliseClassé
Deux menhirs dénommés Les Pierres JumellesClassé
Menhir dit La Conche-VerteClassé
Abbaye de Saint-Jean d'OrbestierInscrit+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.
How old
How old Les Sables-d'Olonne’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.2
16th to 18th century Renaissance to Revolution3
19th century 1801–19001
20th century and later since 19013
3 of 10 dated monuments have parts from before 1500. The oldest dated: Menhir dit La Conche-Verte (Prehistory). 1 monument has no date on the list.
Map
Where Les Sables-d'Olonne’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.
11 monuments by protection
6 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. 1 monument has no point on the map.
Classé
6 classé monuments in Les Sables-d'Olonne
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. 1 of the 6 is protected in part only (a façade, a roof, a room). Each card opens the monument’s page.
ClasséChurch · protected 1993Église Notre-Dame-du-Bon-PortPhoto: Stefi123 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséChâteau · protected 1948Château de Pierre-LevéePart of the building is protectedPhoto: Olonnois · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséStanding stone · protected 1982Deux menhirs dénommés Les Pierres JumellesPhoto: Olonnois · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
ClasséLighthouse · protected 2012Phare de l'Armandèche, situé à la Chaume
Inscrit
5 inscrit monuments in Les Sables-d'Olonne
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
InscritAbbey · protected 1935Abbaye de Saint-Jean d'OrbestierPart of the building is protectedPhoto: Spouik · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritConvent · protected 1968Couvent des Bénédictines de Sainte-Croix (ancien)Part of the building is protectedPhoto: Demeester · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
InscritHouse · protected 1988"Villa "Sans Souci""Part of the building is protected
Building · protected 1975Immeubles, 1, 3, 5, 7 rue TravotPart of the building is protected
What’s protected
Churches and religious buildings are the largest group in Les Sables-d'Olonne
Each monument under the main domain Mérimée gives it.
Religious buildings4
Houses & homes3
Tombs & cemeteries2
Bridges & engineering2
Religious buildings: 4 of 11 monuments (36%).
Mérimée files each monument under one main domain: a château with its chapel counts once.
Protected area
Les Sables-d'Olonne has had a protected historic area since 2007
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| SPR52-73 | ZPPAUP February 15, 2007 | AVAP (heritage area rules) December 28, 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.
When protected
Les Sables-d'Olonne’s list has grown since 1903
Monuments by the year they were first protected.
1900192019401960198020002020
First protected, in 1903: Menhir dit La Conche-Verte. 2 have been added since 2011.
Age of homes
3.7% of homes in Les Sables-d'Olonne were built before 1919
Main homes by when they were finished, beside the median compared French town (the tick).
3.7%
Before 1919
4.6%
1919–45
17%
1946–70
30%
1971–90
20%
1991–2005
26%
2006 on
Les Sables-d'OlonneMedian compared French town
3.7% 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
11 people born in Les Sables-d'Olonne before 1900
Their lives on one line.
Paul Imbert
François l'Olonnais
Pierre de Vaugiraud
Pierre Aimé Calixte Biroteau des Burondières
Joseph-Marie Gaudin
Pierre Louis Menanteau
Augustin Chedaneau
Corneille Lamandé
Charles Rousseau
Henry Orrion
Florelle
155016001650170017501800185019001950
Fl
François l'Olonnais1630–1667 · French pirate of the Caribbean
PV
Pierre de Vaugiraud1741–1819 · French Navy officer and colonial administrator
F
Florelle1898–1974 · French actress and singer
PI
Paul Imbert1585–1640 · French sailor
PA
Pierre Aimé Calixte Biroteau des Burondières1743–1829 · French politician
JM
Joseph-Marie Gaudin1754–1818 · French merchant and politician
PL
Pierre Louis Menanteau1755–1828 · French politician
AC
Augustin Chedaneau1760–1850 · French politician
Everyone born in Les Sables-d'Olonne Birthplaces from Wikidata, checked against Wikipedia.
Neighbors
Historic monuments in the towns around Les Sables-d'Olonne
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Les Sables-d'Olonne | 49,603 | 11 | 6 | Yes |
| L'Île-d'Olonne | 2,802 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Sainte-Foy | 2,717 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Talmont-Saint-Hilaire | 8,492 | 3 | 2 | — |
| Brem-sur-Mer | 2,993 | 2 | 2 | — |
| Les Achards | 5,518 | 1 | 0 | — |
| Bretignolles-sur-Mer | 5,344 | 2 | 0 | — |
In brief
Les Sables-d'Olonne in brief
Menhir dit La Conche-Verte, from prehistory, is the oldest monument in Les Sables-d'Olonne. All told, the list holds 11 historic monuments, 6 of them classé, including Église Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Port. Part of it has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2007.
François l'Olonnais (1630), Pierre de Vaugiraud (1741) and Florelle (1898) are among the 11 people born here before 1900. Its homes are mostly newer: 3.7% were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town. Otherwise the figures are ordinary: it has 11 historic monuments, about typical for a town its size (the middle one has 6); and per resident it sits near the middle of compared French towns.
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 Les Sables-d'Olonne
How many historic monuments are there in Les Sables-d'Olonne?
The Culture ministry lists 11 historic monuments in Les Sables-d'Olonne: 6 classé and 5 inscrit.
Which monuments in Les Sables-d'Olonne are classé?
6, among them Menhir dit La Conche-Verte, Église Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Port, Château de Pierre-Levée, Phare de l'Armandèche, situé à la Chaume and Deux menhirs dénommés Les Pierres Jumelles.
How old are the monuments of Les Sables-d'Olonne?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from prehistory.
Is Les Sables-d'Olonne a protected historic area?
Yes: part of Les Sables-d'Olonne has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 2007.
When were monuments in Les Sables-d'Olonne first protected?
The first in 1903, the latest in 2012.
How old are the homes in Les Sables-d'Olonne?
3.7% 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.