National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage

The National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage is the official instrument through which the Portuguese State identifies, documents and safeguards the intangible expressions that communities recognise as an integral part of their cultural heritage. Its existence stems from the commitments undertaken by Portugal within the framework of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, adopted in 2003 and in force since 2006, which requires each State Party to draw up and keep updated inventories of its living heritage.

Legal framework

The Inventory’s regime was established by Decree-Law no. 139/2009 of 15 June, subsequently amended by Decree-Law no. 149/2015 of 4 August, and regulated by Ordinance no. 196/2010. These instruments define the safeguarding measures, the inventorying procedure and the mechanisms for the participation of bearer communities in defending and enhancing the expressions they create, maintain and transmit. For an in-depth treatment of these provisions, see the legal regime of intangible heritage.

The legal protection of an intangible asset is achieved precisely through its inscription in the Inventory. This marks a substantial difference from built heritage: here an object or a monument is not classified, but rather a living practice is recognised, inseparable from the people who practise it and from the territorial context in which it unfolds.

Unlike the classification of monuments, inscription in the Inventory does not freeze an asset in time: it recognises a dynamic cultural process whose safeguarding depends on continuous transmission across generations.

The Matriz PCI database

The Inventory is operated through the Matriz PCI platform, a publicly accessible information system managed by the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage, which ensures national coordination of the safeguarding initiatives in this field. The tool, described in detail on the page dedicated to Matriz PCI, allows users to consult the records of inscribed expressions and to submit new requests for inscription online.

Each expression is organised according to the domains defined by the 2003 Convention: oral traditions and expressions; artistic expressions and performances; social practices, rituals and festive events; knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe; and traditional craftsmanship. The inventory record documents the description of the practice, its territorial location, the bearer communities, the state of vitality and the proposed safeguarding measures.

The inscription procedure

The initiative to propose an inscription rests above all with the bearer communities, groups and associations themselves, reflecting the participatory principle that underpins the entire 2003 Convention. The request is lodged on the platform and examined by the DGPC, which verifies the consistency of the documentation and compliance with the legal requirements before deciding on the inscription.

Inscription in the National Inventory also has a decisive function at the international level: it is a prior and mandatory condition for any nomination to the UNESCO lists. Expressions such as Cante Alentejano, inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2014, first travelled this national path before gaining world recognition. The Inventory thus functions as the gateway to the safeguarding system of Portuguese intangible heritage as a whole, linking the local, national and international levels in a single continuum of enhancement.