Monument historique

Monument historique logo

A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their importance to France's architectural and historical cultural heritage. Both public and privately owned structures may be listed in this way. A movable object may also be a Monument historique.

Some buildings may be given the classification for either their exterior or interior, or both, while in other cases a building's décor, its furniture, a single room, or even a staircase may be given the designation because of its historical significance. An example is the MH classification of the décor in the café "Deux Garcons" in Aix-en-Provence whose patrons included the likes of Alphonse de Lamartine, Émile Zola and Paul Cézanne. Some buildings are designated because of their connection to a personality, such as the Auberge Ravoux in Auvers-sur-Oise which is designated a Monument historique because of its connection to the painter Vincent van Gogh. Since the 1990s, a significant number of scientific places have been given the designation because of their historical importance.

The designation traces its roots to the French Revolution when the government appointed Alexandre Lenoir to specify and safeguard certain structures. The first classifications were given in the 19th century by the writer Prosper Mérimée, inspector-general of historical monuments (see Roquetaillade castle), by a first list established in 1840 (fr). In 1851, Mérimée organized the Missions Héliographiques to document France's medieval architecture.

A "monument historique" may be marked by the official logo of the Union REMPART, the French historical restoration association. It consists of a design representing the labyrinth that used to be in the Reims Cathedral, which is itself a World Heritage Site. The logo is not compulsory for building owners.

Protection

There are two categories of protection :

• The "classement au titre des monuments historiques" is a national level of importance for the objects or buildings ;
• The "inscription au titre des monuments historiques" is a région level of importance for the objects or buildings, formerly called "Inventaire Supplémentaire des Monuments Historiques" (ISMH).

These two types of protection are determined after a thorough historical study, by the préfet for the région level, or by the Minister of Culture for the national level, aided by the advice of a commission named Commission régionale du patrimoine et des sites (fr) .

Examples

Density of Monuments historiques by 100 km² (red is the highest)

Examples of buildings classified as a Monument historique include well known Parisian structures such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the Palais Garnier opera house, plus abbeys, churches such as Corbiac, and cathedrals such as Notre Dame de Paris or hotels such as the Crillon. Many of the Châteaux of the Loire Valley carry the MH designation as do the renowned gardens at Château de Villandry.

See also

• National Heritage Site
• Centre des monuments nationaux
• List of heritage registers
• List of World Heritage Sites in France

References

• Website of the Réseau européen du patrimoine : Politiques nationales du patrimoine.
• (French) Prosper Mérimée 1803-1870 The monuments historiques inspector Prosper Mérimée established the first list of "monuments classés" in 1840 and invented the concept of monuments historiques.
• (French) Rules and regulations on monuments historiques
• (French) Monumental parks and monuments historiques in need of work