Église du Vieux-Pouzauges · Photo: Spouik · CC BY-SA 3.05 historic monuments, the oldest from prehistory
A protected historic area (site patrimonial remarquable) is on the ministry’s list; its rules are still being drawn up. The Culture ministry lists 5 historic monuments in Pouzauges: 3 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 2 inscrit (the second level). That’s 8.8 for every 10,000 residents, more per resident than 83% of compared French towns; the median compared French town has 2.5. We have photos of 3 of them.
median compared town 2.5
Monuments of Pouzauges in pictures
Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its license; names open the monument’s page.
Where Pouzauges’ monuments stand
Every monument with a point on the ministry’s list; the larger, darker dots are classé.
Tap a dot to open the monument’s page: its record, photo and the monuments around it.
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 classé monuments in Pouzauges
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. Each card opens the monument’s page.
Classé
Classé2 inscrit monuments in Pouzauges
Inscrit is the second level of protection: the building is worth keeping, and any work on it must be declared.
InscritPouzauges has 2 protected historic areas
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| Not numbered yet | – | Still being drawn up |
| SPR52-81 | ZPPAUP May 14, 1991 | Still being drawn up |
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.
Pouzauges has the 5th most monuments of 41 towns its size
Compared French towns of 5,600 to 5,700 residents, by historic monuments.
The median town of these has 1. 16 of the 41 have none.
Historic monuments in the towns around Pouzauges
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pouzauges | 5,668 | 5 | 3 | Yes |
| Sèvremont | 6,385 | 7 | 0 | — |
| Le Boupère | 3,151 | 3 | 1 | — |
| Les Epesses | 2,983 | 3 | 2 | — |
| Cerizay Deux-Sèvres | 4,793 | 0 | 0 | — |
| La Châtaigneraie | 2,600 | 1 | 0 | — |
| Les Herbiers | 16,521 | 7 | 1 | Yes |
Pouzauges in brief
The record in Pouzauges starts with Deux polissoirs, which dates from prehistory. All told, the list holds 5 historic monuments, 3 of them classé, including Église du Vieux-Pouzauges. For its size, it has more historic monuments than 83% of compared French towns. Only 4 of the 41 towns nearest its size have more historic monuments. Otherwise the figures are ordinary: Ludovic Allaire (1845) was born here before 1900; the list grew between 1862 and 1984; and 11% of its homes were built before 1919, close to the 7.4% in the median compared French town.
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 Pouzauges
How many historic monuments are there in Pouzauges?
The Culture ministry lists 5 historic monuments in Pouzauges: 3 classé and 2 inscrit.
Which monuments in Pouzauges are classé?
3, among them Deux polissoirs, Château (ruines) and Église du Vieux-Pouzauges.
How old are the monuments of Pouzauges?
The oldest parts of its listed monuments date from prehistory.
Is Pouzauges a protected historic area?
One is on the way: a site patrimonial remarquable for Pouzauges is on the ministry’s list, but its rules are still being drawn up.
When were monuments in Pouzauges first protected?
The first in 1862, the latest in 1984.
How old are the homes in Pouzauges?
11% 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.