Recognition
The UNESCO path
The 2003 Convention protects what people know how to do and hand on. The Conservatoire takes it as the framework of its work.
The manuscripts of Gregorian chant have been digitised; no one knows how many communities still sing the whole office. The plans of the abbeys are in the archives; the skills that built them are held by fewer craftsmen each year. The UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage offers a way of working: identify those who hold the practice, document how it is passed on, and agree safeguarding measures with them.
Three commitments
- To inventory. Contributing to the inclusion of Gregorian chant in the French national inventory, within the working group supported by the Ministry of Culture; a multinational nomination is under consideration with the initiatives in Flanders and the Netherlands.
- To hand on. Teaching entrusted to those who hold the practice: monks for the chant, craftsmen for the crafts.
- To advise. Preparing a request for accreditation as a non-governmental organisation with the Intergovernmental Committee.
| Date | Step |
|---|---|
| 2026-2027 | Preparation of the file (form ICH-09) |
| 30 April 2027 | Submission deadline |
| End of 2027 | Examination by the Intergovernmental Committee |
| 2028 | Decision of the General Assembly of the States Parties |
Latin and Greek
The Convention does not protect languages in themselves, but the vocal practices that carry them. Elements already inscribed show as much: Vedic chanting (India, 2008), the Silbo Gomero (Spain, 2009), Byzantine chant (Greece and Cyprus, 2019), and the Cantu in paghjella of Corsica (France, 2009), whose official description expressly names Latin and Greek. Sung Latin and spoken Latin belong to that path.
The Conservatoire is not, to date, an accredited organisation. References to the 2003 Convention are given for information.