UNESCO’s World Heritage committee has been accused by some local French officials of dragging its feet in the recognition of cultural sites worthy of its protection, because of the time it takes to make up its mind before adding sites to the list.

   
Amiens                                        Bourges
 
Chartres                                       Reims

Out of 730 overall, UNESCO has designated 30 protected sites in France, or 34 if French belfries are counted separately. The sites include four Gothic cathedrals: Chartres, with its outstanding stained glass; Bourges, noted for its tympanum and its sculptures; Reims, cited for its façade and carved angels; and Amiens, for its coherent design and tri-level interior. Other religious sites include the basilica of Vézelay, a holy gathering place for the crusades; Fontenay Abbey, with its cloister and gardens; and the church of Saint-Savin-en-Gartempe in Poitou, for its superb 11th and 12th century murals. The historic centres of France also feature strongly: the banks of the Seine in Paris; Lyon's old quarter; Avignon, the city of the Popes; and Grand Isle, the medieval district of Strasbourg, with a cathedral, four ancient churches and the Rohan Palace. 


Reims 1918

1. Chartres cathedral (first listed in 1979)
2. Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay (1979)
3. Versailles, palace and park (1979)
4. Vézère valley, prehistoric sites and decorated caves (1979)
5. Vézelay, church and hill (1979)
6. Amiens cathedral (1981)
7. Arles, Roman and Romanesque monuments (1981)
8. Fontenay, Cistercian abbey (1981)
9. Fontainebleau, palace and park (1981)
10. Orange, Roman theatre and triumphal arch (1981)
11. Arc-et-Senans, royal saltworks (1982)
12. Saint-Savin sur Gartempe, abbey of (1983)
13. Nancy, place Stanislas, place de la Carrière and place d'Alliance (1983)
14. Gulf of Porto: calanche of Piana, gulf of Girolata, Scandola reserve (1983)
15. Pont du Gard, Roman aqueduct (1985)
16. Strasbourg, Grande Ile (1988)
17. Reims, cathedral of Notre-Dame, abbey of Saint-Remi and palace of Tau (1991)
18. Paris, banks of the Seine (1991)
19. Bourges cathedral (1992)
20. Avignon, Papal palace, historic centre and Pont d’Avignon (1995)
21. Canal du Midi (1996)
22. Carcassonne, fortified city (1997)
23. Pyrénées, Mont Perdu (1997)
24. Lyon, historic centre (1998)
25. Routes of Santiago de Compostela (1998)
26. Belfries, various (1999)
27. Saint-Emilion, Jurisdiction of (1999)
28. Loire Valley, between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes (2000)
29. Provins, town of medieval fairs (2001)
30. Le Havre, city rebuilt by Auguste Perret (2005)

The complete list looks impressive but another 19 French sites are still waiting for endorsement by UNESCO, some for as long as a decade, including the historic centre of Rouen and Fouquet’s château at Vaux-le-Vicomte. There may be some argument as to the underlying merits of the Fontainebleau forest, also proposed in 1996, and the Camargue, added to the tentative list in 2002, but some of France’s most famous prehistoric grottoes and Mont Blanc itself have been awaiting ratification since 2000. One French commentator remarqued caustically that the stalagmites in one underground cave showed a greater sense of urgency than the representatives of UNESCO who visited it.

whc.unesco.org/