Historic French villages receive cultural heritage recognition

Several historic French villages are gaining recognition for their cultural and architectural heritage.

Saint-Émilion, a medieval village located near Bordeaux, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The area is characterized by its limestone landscape, which features extensive underground tunnels, cellars, and a monolithic church carved directly into the rock. The region remains a significant working vineyard landscape with roots dating back to Roman times.

In the Burgundy region, the village of Montréal in the Yonne department has officially been granted the ‘Plus Beaux Villages de France’ label. Located near Dijon, the medieval village is noted for its Burgundian architecture, fortifications, and the 12th-century Notre-Dame collegiate church. This designation brings the total number of villages in the network to 186.