Juridiction de Saint-Émilion

The Jurisdiction of Saint-Émilion lies in Gironde, between the Dordogne and the Barbanne. Its UNESCO inscription of 1999 concerns a historic vineyard landscape comprising eight communes, rather than the town alone or an individual château. Vine growing developed through a long history that includes Roman origins and medieval expansion. Religious foundations, pilgrimage and the jurisdiction’s political status also shaped the territory. In Saint-Émilion, the monolithic church, collegiate church and cloister stand alongside secular remains such as the Château du Roi. Beyond the town, estates, wine storehouses and modest workers’ houses record the organisation of wine production. The continued cultivation of vines is fundamental to the property’s significance.

Brontekst in het Engels; Nederlandse vertaling niet beschikbaar.

The town provides a concentrated architectural encounter, but the surrounding vineyard gives that encounter its wider meaning. Moving between church, lane, estate buildings and cultivated plateau shows several forms of investment in one territory. The most rewarding reading treats wine as a cultural practice that has organised both buildings and landscape.