Historical Monuments of Corsica
In Corsica, the Regional Conservation of Historic Monuments (CRMH) is responsible for protecting the monumental and movable heritage, ensuring the scientific and technical control of the work on the protected heritage and working on the study, the conservation and presentation of protected heritage.
SYNOPSIS
1. Protected buildings in Corsica
Buildings of historical or art interest may be listed or classified as historic monuments.
What is protection under historic monuments?
The purpose of the inscription or classification of a building as a historic monument is to ensure the conservation of buildings of heritage interest in terms of historical, artistic, scientific and technical criteria. It is a public utility easement that prohibits the modification, destruction or displacement of architectural elements without authorization. To ensure the good conservation of the building, the owner benefits from: the scientific and technical support of the service of the Regional Conservation of Historic Monuments and the Architect of Buildings of France in his projects of works; tax advantages and financial aid for its work and, where appropriate, for its opening to the public; signage and communication tools.
The inscription as the classification of a building under the title of Historical Monuments leads to the creation of a perimeter of protection under the title of the surroundings, in which the external works on the buildings visible at the same time as the monument or from it-are subject to the assent of the Architect of Buildings of France. As such, any protected historical monument and its perimeter must be included in the town planning document.
Apply for protection of a building under historic monuments
Protection may be sought by the owner of the property, but also by any person with an interest in it, or by the service itself. Requests for protection can be made online or sent by mail to the Regional Cultural Affairs Directorate.
Admissible applications are examined by the service, which submits a file of protection for opinion to the Council of Sites of Corsica, in permanent delegation then, if necessary, in its formation of heritage and architecture. At the end of this examination, the building may be listed, in part or in whole, under the title of Historic Monuments by prefectural decree. Buildings of greater interest may be classified after they have been registered. The file is then presented for opinion to the National Commission of Heritage and Architecture and is the subject, if necessary, of a ministerial order of classification. The owner and the mayor of the municipality are always contacted when considering a request for protection, but the owner’s favourable opinion is only required for filing.
Perform work on a protected building
The inscription or classification of a building under the title of historic monuments entails for its owner the obligation, as the case may be, to notify the MHRC or to obtain its agreement or authorization before starting maintenance, repair or restoration work. In the case of a listed monument, the work must be entrusted to a Chief Architect of Historic Monuments or an architect holding the diploma of specialization and deepening mention "architecture and heritage" (or equivalent), with ten years of experience in the restoration of old buildings.
Authorizations are appraised by the CRMH, whose expertise and advice must be sought prior to any intervention in order to help the owner to draw up the specifications of the preliminary studies and the work programme, within a dialogue aimed at ensuring the proper conservation of the monument and facilitating the processing of applications for authorisations. The work is then monitored as part of the State’s scientific and technical control of historic monuments. They can benefit from tax aids and subsidies provided, in particular, by the Community of Corsica.
Map and list of protected buildings in Corsica
2. Protected movable objects in Corsica
Objects of interest from the point of view of history, art, science or technology may be listed or classified as Historical Monuments.
Protection of movable objects under historical monuments
Objects of interest from the point of view of history, art, science or technology may be listed or classified as Historical Monuments. This legal protection aims to ensure its transmission to future generations in the best conditions. It also promotes their study and development through the intervention of heritage specialists and professionals. Movable objects protected under historical monuments are imprescriptible; those belonging to the State or to local authorities are inalienable. They are proofed every five years by the Conservators of Antiquities and Works of Art (CAOA), in association with the CRMH.
Since 2016, the Heritage Code has made it possible to classify movable historical sets. It also makes it possible to create a maintenance easement in the premises for classified movable objects, or a listed historical furniture set, attached by remarkable historical or artistic links to a listed building.
Request protection of an object under historic monuments
The protection of an object may be requested by the owner of the property, but also by any person having an interest in it, or by the service itself, in particular the CAOA of the department. The application may be sent to the MHRC or the CAOA, accompanied by a description of the object and current photographs.
The admissible applications are examined by the CAOA, which submits a file of protection for opinion to the Council of Sites of Corsica, in its formation of heritage and architecture. At the end of this examination, the object can be inscribed under the title of Historical Monuments by decree of the Prefect of Corsica. Objects of greater interest may be offered for classification. The file is then presented for opinion to the National Commission of Heritage and Architecture and is the subject, if necessary, of a ministerial order of classification. The inscription of a movable object requires the consent of its owner only if it is a private person. The classification of an object systematically requires the consent of its owner.
Move, repair or restore a protected object
The protection of an object in respect of historic monuments requires its owner to declare any movement of an object to the MHRC and, as the case may be, to declare any work on a listed object, or to obtain a work authorization for a classified object. In the case of an organ, this work must be carried out under the supervision of a consultant approved by the State or, exceptionally, by a professional with similar training and experience. In case of departure from the national territory, an authorization must be obtained from the Ministry of Culture after the opinion of the CRMH.
Work and travel authorizations are appraised by the CRMH, whose expertise and advice must be sought prior to any intervention to help the owner to draw up the specifications of the preliminary studies and the work programme, within a dialogue aimed at ensuring the conservation of the object and facilitating the processing of requests. The work is then monitored as part of the State’s scientific and technical control of historic monuments. They can benefit from tax aids and subsidies provided, in particular, by the Community of Corsica.
List of protected movable objects in Corsica
Please find below the list of movable objects protected under the Historical Monuments of the Corsican Region:
3. The Regional Conservation of Historical Monuments (CRMH) of Corsica
The Regional Conservation of Historic Monuments (CRMH) is responsible, in accordance with Book VI of the Heritage Code, for protecting the monumental and movable heritage, for ensuring the scientific and technical control of the work on the protected heritage and for working on the study, the conservation and presentation of protected heritage.
The CRMH studies and documents the movable and immovable heritage, and investigates applications for protection under the Historical Monuments that are addressed to or referred to it, particularly in connection with national and regional protection issues.
It helps public and private owners to draw up specifications for studies and works on monuments or objects for which they are responsible, and investigates applications for authorization of regulatory works.
It exercises scientific and technical control over the work on protected buildings at all stages of their construction.
Finally, the service is responsible for the construction of the imperial chapel of Ajaccio, a monument belonging to the State and assigned to the Ministry of Culture.
The MHRC is composed of a team of scientific and administrative staff. This service carries out its missions on a regional scale, in collaboration with the Architects of the Buildings of France for the buildings, the Curators of Antiquities and Works of Art for the movable objects and the consulting technicians for the instrumental heritage.