Taputapuātea
UNESCO World Heritage · 2017

Taputapuātea

Cultural

WHS ID

1529

Inscribed

2017

Category

Cultural

Description

Taputapuātea on Ra’iātea Island is at the centre of the ‘Polynesian Triangle’, a vast portion of the Pacific Ocean, dotted with islands, and the last part of the globe to be settled by humans. The property includes two forested valleys, a portion of lagoon and coral reef and a strip of open ocean. At the heart of the property is the Taputapuātea marae complex, a political, ceremonial and funerary centre. It is characterized by several marae, with different functions. Widespread in Polynesia, the marae were places where the world of the living intersected the world of the ancestors and the gods. Taputapuātea is an exceptional testimony to 1,000 years of mā'ohi civilization.

Inscription details

Field Value
WHS ID 1529
Inscribed 2017
Category Cultural
Criteria (iii)(iv)
State party France
Transboundary No
French name Taputapuātea

Protected monuments

Monument Commune Protected
Ancien château de Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine 1926
Ancien site fortifié du Menil-Barré Saint-Germain-le-Guillaume 1997
Ancienne église paroissiale de Villeloin Villeloin-Coulangé 2022
Eglise Sainte-Anne de Saint-Nazaire Saint-Nazaire 2019
Château de Sainte-Suzanne Sainte-Suzanne 1984
Eglise paroissiale Saint-Martin Rilly-sur-Vienne 1977
Eglise Notre-Dame de Santranges Santranges 1931
Hôtel de Tours Tours 1946
Immeuble de Châteaudun Châteaudun 1953
Hôtel de ville de Châteaudun Châteaudun 1953
Eglise Notre-Dame de Faverolles Faverolles 1930
Eglise Saint-Pierre de Boynes Boynes 1921
Eglise de Trèves de Chênehutte-Trèves-Cunault Chênehutte-Trèves-Cunault 1862
Hôtel Bléteau de Le Grand-Lucé Le Grand-Lucé 1993
Halles de Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine 1936

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

Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Updated: April 14, 2026.