The inscription by the UNESCO : a historical process

1999 - 2019: 20 YEARS OF INSCRIPTION ON THE WORLD HERITAGE LIST

It is an exceptional 800-year-old human adventure that is highlighted by the inscription of the medieval city of Saint-Émilion and the seven villages that surround it.

Without destroying it, human communities have made the most of the characteristics of the territory to develop their activities and their way of life. Land cultivation, quarrying, settlement and urban development, the construction of religious buildings and residential houses: all these have created a landscape in perfect harmony with the topography and resources of the territory.

Here are some of the key dates:

35,000 - 10,000 BC
First traces of the establishment of Human in the Saint-Émilion region

IIIrd century
Planting of the "Biturica" vine in the surroundings

VIII - XIIth century
Installation of the monk Emilion and construction of churches and cloisters on the territory

1199
Foundation of the Jurade et de la Jurisdiction of Saint-Émilion

 
1289
Delimitation of the current boundaries of the Jurisdiction

1884
Creation of the first wine union

1867 & 1889
Obtaining the gold medal of the Universal Exhibition & Collective Grand Prize of the Universal Exhibition for the wines of Saint-Émilion

1948
Refoundation of the Jurade by winegrowers

1931
Creation of the first cooperative cellar in Gironde

1954
First classification of Saint-Émilion wines by the "Institut National des Appellations d'Origine"

1993
Beginning of the work for the inscription of the Jurisdiction of Saint-Émilion on the UNESCO World Heritage List

June, 1998
Submission of the application file of the Jurisdiction of Saint-Émilion

December 2nd, 1999
Inscription of the Jurisdiction of Saint-Émilion on the UNESCO World Heritage List