A delegation from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) recently concluded a visit to Andorra to evaluate the country’s UNESCO World Heritage candidacy, titled The Material Testimonies of the Construction of the Pyrenean State: The Co-Principality of Andorra. The evaluation process, which took place on Wednesday and Thursday, was conducted discreetly to allow experts to examine the ten monuments included in the proposal without interference.
The sites inspected by the delegation included Sant Joan de Caselles, Sant Roma de les Bons, Sant Marti de la Cortinada, Sant Climent de Pal, Santa Coloma, Sant Serni de Nagol, Sant Miquel d’Engolasters, Casa de la Vall, Roc d’Enclar, and Roureda de la Margineda. The evaluators also met with representatives from local parishes and cultural associations at Cal Pal.
According to sources close to the candidacy, the ICOMOS delegation expressed a positive impression of the proposal. The evaluators reportedly described the project as innovative, noting its hybrid nature that combines physical monuments with the intangible concept of the construction of the Pyrenean state. The candidacy is a transnational effort led by Andorra, with the participation of France and Spain.
Following the visit to Andorra, the delegation traveled to Foix, France, to examine the castles of the counts, marking the conclusion of their field assessment. The evaluation process will continue in the coming months. A group of experts is scheduled to provide an initial assessment of the sites in November, followed by a reformulation phase in January, during which UNESCO will submit official questions and recommendations.
Between March and May, the candidacy will be re-evaluated based on the responses provided to UNESCO’s requirements. ICOMOS is expected to submit its final conclusions to the World Heritage Committee in June. A definitive decision is scheduled to be made during the 49th session of the World Heritage Committee, which will take place in Istanbul from June 27 to July 7.
The candidacy, which was officially formalized in January, represents a long-term project that began development in 2015. If successful, it would become Andorra’s first entry on the UNESCO World Heritage list in the material heritage category, joining the Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley, which was recognized as a cultural landscape in 2004.
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