Cultural Heritage, I.P.

Cultural Heritage, I.P. is the Portuguese public institute that ensures the fulfillment of the State’s obligations in the field of safeguarding, researching, conserving, restoring, promoting, disseminating, and internationalizing tangible and intangible cultural heritage. It operates under the supervision and jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture and began its activities on January 1, 2024, establishing its headquarters at the Palácio Nacional da Ajuda in Lisbon.

Creation and Framework

The institute was created by Decree-Law No. 78/2023, of September 4, as part of a major reorganization of heritage administration. This process led to the abolition of the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage (DGPC) and the division of its responsibilities between two new entities, both established by Decrees-Law Nos. 78/2023 and 79/2023, of September 4:

• Cultural Heritage, I.P., focused on immovable and intangible heritage;
• Museums and Monuments of Portugal, E.P.E., a public company that succeeded the DGPC in managing the network of national museums, palaces, and their respective movable collections.

This division marked the end of a single-agency model that had been in place since 2012, when the merger of previous institutes gave rise to the DGPC. The 2023-2024 reform thus represents another chapter in the history of heritage institutions in Portugal, marked by successive administrative restructurings over the past decades.

Responsibilities and Competences

Cultural Heritage, I.P. is responsible for coordinating the national policy for safeguarding cultural heritage, implementing the classification, inventory, and protection procedures outlined in the heritage classification system. The institute also directly manages a set of monuments, ensembles, and sites classified as being of exceptional national importance—including castles, cathedrals (or former cathedrals), churches, monasteries, convents, chapels, and hermitages, as well as notable examples of civil architecture.

In the intangible realm, the institute assumes the State’s responsibilities related to the inventory and safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage, aligning with Portugal’s international commitments in this area. It also maintains functions of research, conservation, restoration, publishing, and dissemination, continuing missions previously carried out by its predecessors.

The division of responsibilities with Museums and Monuments of Portugal, E.P.E. is based on a logic of specialization: while the public company focuses on museological management and national palaces, the public institute oversees the technical guardianship of immovable and intangible heritage and represents the State in safeguarding obligations. The model was the subject of public debate at the time of its approval, particularly regarding coordination between the two entities and the clarity in assigning responsibilities for monuments that also include museological collections.

Continuity of the DGPC’s Work

The new institute inherited the technical tools developed by its predecessors, including documentary databases and inventory systems for built and movable heritage. For the public and researchers, Cultural Heritage, I.P. maintains its role as the national reference authority in matters of legal heritage protection, following up on international conventions and the foundational legislation that frames the State’s actions in this sector.