Holy See | World Heritage Explorer

Since 1982, Holy See has participated in the World Heritage Convention. It is home to two World Heritage Sites. Holy See ranks 30th worldwide and 20th in Europe by number of World Heritage Sites. All currently inscribed properties are listed under the Cultural category. One of these properties is shared with neighboring countries, demonstrating cooperation across borders in heritage conservation.

Holy See as a State Party to the World Heritage Convention

State Party since: October 7, 1982

Status: Accession

Mandates to the World Heritage Committee: None

Total of Mandate Years: 0

Total of Mandates: 0

WHC Electoral Group: NA

World Heritage Sites in Holy See (2)

Cultural: 2 | Natural: 0 | Mixed: 0

Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura · Cultural (Transboundary)
Vatican City · Cultural

Map of World Heritage Sites

This interactive map shows the location of all UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Holy See.

World Heritage Inscription Timeline

1980

Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura

1984

Vatican City

Tentative World Heritage Sites

No tentative sites yet.

Country Profile Holy See

Official Name: Vatican City State

Continent: Europe

Subregion: Southern Europe

UNESCO Region: Europe and North America

Capital: Vatican City

Population (2024): NA

Land Area: 0 km²

Currency: Euro (EUR)

Country Data Sources

Links

UNESCO World Heritage Convention: State Party Holy See

About States Parties

States Parties are countries that have joined the World Heritage Convention. They commit to identifying, nominating, and protecting properties of outstanding cultural or natural value on their territory. States Parties are also expected to monitor and report on the condition of inscribed sites.

World Heritage Insights

How Politics and Institutions Shape the UNESCO World Heritage List

The UNESCO World Heritage List is usually seen as a catalogue of the world’s most important cultural and natural places. Yet behind every inscription there is a structured decision process: countries must first join the Convention, run for a seat on the World Heritage Committee, prepare nominations through a fixed procedure, and finally obtain enough votes for inscription.

World Heritage Info

Background

Learn about UNESCO, the World Heritage Convention, Tentative Lists, and how World Heritage Sites are selected and preserved. Explore the history, structures, and processes that protect humanity’s cultural and natural treasures.

Portions of this page are based on data from UNESCO — World Heritage List Dataset. Changes made. Original content by World Heritage Explorer (WHE) is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. WHE is not affiliated with UNESCO or the World Heritage Committee. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy.