The World Heritage of Unesco
The UNESCO World Heritage or UNESCO World Heritage is a collection of cultural and natural objects of exceptional interest to the common heritage of humanity. The basis for this collective protection of the cultural and natural heritage of universal value was laid down in the November 1972 Convention.
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The Centre-Val de Loire region has four sites inscribed on the world heritage :
- The chartre cathedrals (1979)
Built partly from 1145, and rebuilt in twenty-six years after the fire of 1194, the cathedral of Chartres is the monument par excellence of French Gothic art. Its vast nave of the purest ogival style, its porches presenting admirable sculptures of the middle of the twelfth century, its shimmering set of stained glass windows of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries make it an exceptional masterpiece and remarkably well preserved.
- The cathedral of Bourges (1992)
Admirable for its proportions and the unity of its design, Saint-Étienne de Bourges Cathedral, built between the late 12th and late 13th centuries, is one of the great masterpieces of Gothic art. Its eardrum, sculptures and stained glass windows are particularly remarkable. Beyond its architectural beauty, it testifies to the power of Christianity in medieval France.
- The church of Neuvy-Saint-Sépulcre, under the Santiago de Compostel roads in France (1998)
Throughout the Middle Ages, Santiago de Compostela was the most important destination for countless pilgrims from all over Europe. To reach Spain, pilgrims had to cross France, and the notable historical monuments that make up the present inscription on the World Heritage List were milestones on the four roads they used.
- The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes (2000)
The Loire Valley is an exceptional cultural landscape, including historic towns and villages, great architectural monuments - castles - and cultivated lands, shaped by centuries of interaction between people and their physical environment, including the Loire itself.
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