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This summer, dare to discover Saint-Emilion differently thanks to the two new visits offered by your Tourist Office.
Saint-Emilion under the revolution / under the stars
This summer, dare to discover Saint-Emilion differently thanks to the two new visits offered by your Tourist Office. Embark on a nocturnal and theatrical visit, to find yourself in the heart of the French Revolution. Visitor friends: welcome to Émilion la Montagne! Monsieur or Madame Bouquey will introduce you to his life, his city at the time of the French Revolution and his fight. Our Girondin(e) will thus lead you from the streets and squares of the city to the monolithic church… hiding place of the revolutionaries during this troubled period of French history. Discover the village as you've never seen it before: a saltpeter's quarry in the Monolith church or a grocery store in the Trinity chapel. By the light of the lanterns, enjoy the anecdotes of your costumed guide and above all be careful: spies are everywhere!
Also take the opportunity to discover the medieval city. Have you ever wondered what Saint-Emilion could look like at night? At dusk, join our night watchman on Place du Clocher to explore the village by lantern light! A unique visit that will seduce you. Between shadows and lights, the history of the medieval city will be told to you and its deepest secrets will be told to you. From mounds to alleys, to the famous monolithic church, the mysteries of Saint-Emilion are revealed during this summertime nocturnal stroll. What a pleasure also to walk the deserted alleys of the village, emptied of all its daily visitors. An unmissable visit where the hermitage of the monk Emilion, the catacombs and the monolithic church will be even more beautiful at night.
So, a visit under the revolution or under the stars?
Did you know ? The first vineyard listed by UNESCO as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
December 1999 remains a historic date for Saint-Émilion
It was on this date that the vineyard and the 8 villages of the Jurisdiction of Saint-Émilion were listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, under the title of “cultural landscape”. A world first! But besides, what does the notion of world heritage of humanity mean?
For UNESCO, Saint-Émilion is “a remarkable example of a historic wine-growing landscape which has survived intact”. Particular vigilance is brought to this exceptional “cultural landscape” so that it can be preserved and last over time. This is why, since 1993, a Commission (composed of members of theINAO, representatives of the town hall of the municipalities concerned, representatives of the Chamber of Agriculture and Winegrowers) is responsible for validating or not the plant occupation of a plot or the modification of the structure of a soil.
This registration represents approximately 5 hectares of vines spread over the eight municipalities of the Jurisdiction of Saint-Émilion : Saint-Émilion, Saint-Laurent des Combes, Saint-Christophe des Bardes, Saint Pey-d'Armens, Saint-Etienne de Lisse, Saint Sulpice de Faleyrens, Saint-Hippolyte and Vignonet.
Listing as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO continues to be the pride of winegrowers who have both shaped and preserved the terroir. They are the ones who today work every day to introduce millions of visitors to the richness of this heritage; just like the Greater Saint-Emilion Tourist Office, the Saint-Émilion Wine Council or the Jurisdiction of Saint-Émilion Association, World Heritage of Humanity. Indeed, it is not only a question of a remarkable natural heritage but also of a considerable historical and architectural heritage with the medieval city of Saint-Émilion, its monolithic church, its underground quarries, its cobbled streets and its many religious monuments. Furthermore, the Jurisdiction of Saint-Émilion abounds with Romanesque churches, mills and dovecotes which contribute to the undisputed charm of this territory.
