Jurisdiction of Saint-Emilion

Jurisdiction of Saint-Emilion is a UNESCO World Heritage cultural, inscribed in 1999 (WHS 932).

Criteria & Perimeter

Inscription criteria

(iii)(iv)

Summary

Viticulture was introduced to this fertile region of Aquitaine by the Romans, and intensified in the Middle Ages. The Saint-Emilion area benefited from its location on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela and many churches, monasteries and hospices were built there from the 11th century onwards. It was granted the special status of a 'jurisdiction' during the period of English rule in the 12th century. It is an exceptional landscape devoted entirely to wine-growing, with many fine historic monuments in its towns and villages.

Monuments in the Zone

Selection of protected monuments

Maison de Angers — Angers
Vestiges de la chapelle Saint-Jacques — Orléans
Château d'Ars de Lourouer-Saint-Laurent — Lourouer-Saint-Laurent
Presbytère (ancien) de Nuillé-le-Jalais — Nuillé-le-Jalais
Eglise Saint-Hilaire de Ladon — Ladon
Maison à lucarne compagnonnique — Vendôme
Eglise de Yvré-l'Evêque — Yvré-l'Evêque
Maison de Angers — Angers
Ancien prieuré bénédictin de Chanceaux-sur-Choisille — Chanceaux-sur-Choisille
Eglise de Baugé — Baugé
Ancien Hôtel-Dieu de Bourges — Bourges
Moulin à eau de la Chappe — Bourges
Deux ponts du Port-la-Claye sur la rivière Le Lay (également sur communes de Curzon, Lairoux, Saint-Cyr-en-Talmondais) — La Claye
Maison Renaissance de Le Mans — Le Mans
Maison du 16e siècle de Châteaudun — Châteaudun

Appellations of the Landscape

Most-reviewed Loire appellations

Appellation	Avg score	Reviews	Color
Sancerre	89.3	554	White
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine	88.6	237	White
Pouilly-Fumé	89.6	153	White
Vouvray	88.4	153	White
Touraine	86.3	85	White
Chinon	88.7	72	Red
Menetou-Salon	87.3	69	White
Crémant de Loire	87.5	54	Sparkling
Val de Loire	85.6	41	White
Saumur	88.4	40	White
Anjou	87.6	36	White
Rosé d'Anjou	84	35	Rosé

Data source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre (data.culture.gouv.fr). Last updated: April 14, 2026.