The government imposed urban restrictions and archaeological oversight in Canillo parish to safeguard the

Government Approves Protection Zone for Sant Joan de Caselles Church

Andorran authorities have approved a decree establishing the permanent protection area around the church of Sant Joan de Caselles in Canillo parish, along with rules governing interventions on the monument and its surroundings.

The measure aims to ensure the cultural asset's preservation, maintain it within a suitable environmental context, and protect its aesthetic, historical, and cultural values by preventing alterations to its views, contemplation, or study.

The process started last November when the government published an edict in the Official Bulletin of the Principality of Andorra (BOPA). After the public information and hearing period affecting 15 properties, authorities received two allegations. The final decree incorporated two changes from those submissions, adjusting the protection area's boundaries and requirements outlined in the November edict.

In line with updates to the Cultural Heritage Law, the decree designates two zones: an accompaniment zone (zone 1) and a preventive zone (zone 2). The accompaniment zone sits closest to the church.

Canillo parish must now revise its urban planning scheme to align with these binding rules. The church becomes the 19th cultural asset with an approved protection area by decree. Priority has gone to monuments tied to the transnational UNESCO candidacy involving Andorra, France, and Spain: "Material Witnesses to the Construction of the Pyrenean State: the Co-Principality of Andorra," for inclusion on the Representative List of the World's Intangible Cultural Heritage.