The Heritage Mission has revealed the allocations granted in 2026 to its 18 emblematic regional sites, selected in the spring on the basis of one project per metropolitan region and overseas community. Not to be confused with the 100 departmental sites selected this year, the aid for which will not be known until the end of the year.
For regional winners, the Heritage Foundation will distribute 7.45 million euros, compared to 7 million in 2025, an increase of almost 6%. The envelope has almost returned to its 2024 level (7.5 million), while remaining below the peak of 8.1 million reached in 2022.
But this nominal progression masks another development. Eight of the eighteen sites will receive the maximum allocation of 500,000 euros in 2026, compared to seven in 2025. They alone absorb 4 million euros, or more than half of the envelope. Among them are Fort Boyard, the former cultural center of Bourges, the convent of Orezza (see ill.), Fort Queyras and the Royal Manufacture of Montolieu.
Fort Boyard.
However, this ceiling of 500,000 euros has not changed with inflation since at least 2020. In this case, general inflation must be distinguished from the increase in the cost of works. The first, measured by the consumer price index (CPI), traces the prices of goods and services purchased by households. It has increased by 15.4% since 2020.
To assess the scope of aid intended to restore a monument, the INSEE BT50 index is more relevant. It tracks the costs borne by companies for renovation and maintenance work for all trades. It increased from 116.7 in December 2020 to 140.2 in June 2026, an increase of 20%. At constant costs, the 500,000 euros in 2020 would therefore be equivalent to around 600,000 euros today. Conversely, the current ceiling only represents around 416,000 euros in value of work at the end of 2020. And this becomes all the more sensitive as almost one in two regional sites now reaches the authorized maximum.
The Heritage Mission’s allocations supplement public aid, private financing and self-financing in order to cover the need for the selected sections of work, within the limit of 500,000 euros per site. Since 2018, the Mission says it has helped more than 1,080 sites; 281 projects are still in progress and 514 have been completed.
