INTERNATIONAL CHARTER FOR THE CONSERVATION
  AND RESTORATION OF MONUMENTS AND SITES
          [Preamble]
          Definitions
          Aim
          Conservation
          Restoration
          Historic Sites
          Excavations
          Publication

  [Preamble]
  Imbued with a message from the past, the historic monuments of generations of
  people remain to the present day as living witnesses of their age-old
  traditions. People are becoming more and more conscious of the unity of human
  values and regard ancient monuments as a common heritage. The common
  responsibility to safeguard them for future generations is recognized. It is
  our duty to hand them on in the full richness of their authenticity.
  It is essential that the principles guiding the preservation and restoration
  of ancient buildings should be agreed and be laid down on an international
  basis, with each country being responsible for applying the plan within the
  framework of its own culture and traditions.
  By defining these basic principles for the first time, the Athens Charter of
  1931 contributed towards the development of an extensive international
  movement which has assumed concrete form in national documents, in the work of
  ICOM and UNESCO and in the establishment by the latter of the International
  Centre for the Study of the Preservation and the Restoration of Cultural
  Property. Increasing awareness and critical study have been brought to bear on
  problems which have continually become more complex and varied; now the time
  has come to examine the Charter afresh in order to make a thorough study of
  the principles involved and to enlarge its scope in a new document.
  Accordingly, the IInd International Congress of Architects and Technicians of
  Historic Monuments, which met in Venice from May 25th to 31st 1964, approved
  the following text:
  DEFINITIONS
  ARTICLE 1. The concept of an historic monument embraces not only the single
  architectural work but also the urban or rural setting in which is found the
  evidence of a particular civilization, a significant development or an
  historic event. This applies not only to great works of art but also to more
  modest works of the past which have acquired cultural significance with the
  passing of time.
  ARTICLE 2. The conservation and restoration of monuments must have recourse to
  all the sciences and techniques which can contribute to the study and
  safeguarding of the architectural heritage.
  AIM
  ARTICLE 3. The intention in conserving and restoring monuments is to safeguard
  them no less as works of art than as historical evidence.
  CONSERVATION
  ARTICLE 4. It is essential to the conservation of monuments that they be
  maintained on a permanent basis.
  ARTICLE 5. The conservation of monuments is always facilitated by making use
  of them for some socially useful purpose. Such use is therefore desirable but
  it must not change the lay-out or decoration of the building. It is within
  these limits only that modifications demanded by a change of function should
  be envisaged and may be permitted.
  ARTICLE 6. The conservation of a monument implies preserving a setting which
  is not out of scale. Wherever the traditional setting exists, it must be kept.
  No new construction, demolition or modification which would alter the
  relations of mass and color must be allowed.
  ARTICLE 7. A monument is inseparable from the history to which it bears
  witness and from the setting in which it occurs. The moving of all or part of
  a monument cannot be allowed except where the safeguarding of that monument
  demands it or where it is justified by national or international interest of
  paramount importance.
  ARTICLE 8. Items of sculpture, painting or decoration which form an integral
  part of a monument may only be removed from it if this is the sole means of
  ensuring their preservation.
  RESTORATION
  ARTICLE 9. The process of restoration is a highly specialized operation. Its
  aim is to preserve and reveal the aesthetic and historic value of the monument
  and is based on respect for original material and authentic documents. It must
  stop at the point where conjecture begins, and in this case moreover any extra
  work which is indispensable must be distinct from the architectural
  composition and must bear a contemporary stamp. The restoration in any case
  must be preceded and followed by an archaeological and historical study of the
  monument.
  ARTICLE 10. Where traditional techniques prove inadequate, the consolidation
  of a monument can be achieved by the use of any modem technique for
  conservation and construction, the efficacy of which has been shown by
  scientific data and proved by experience.
  ARTICLE 11. The valid contributions of all periods to the building of a
  monument must be respected, since unity of style is not the aim of a
  restoration. When a building includes the superimposed work of different
  periods, the revealing of the underlying state can only be justified in
  exceptional circumstances and when what is removed is of little interest and
  the material which is brought to light is of great historical, archaeological
  or aesthetic value, and its state of preservation good enough to justify the
  action. Evaluation of the importance of the elements involved and the decision
  as to what may be destroyed cannot rest solely on the individual in charge of
  the work.
  ARTICLE 12. Replacements of missing parts must integrate harmoniously with the
  whole, but at the same time must be distinguishable from the original so that
  restoration does not falsify the artistic or historic evidence.
  ARTICLE 13. Additions cannot be allowed except in so far as they do not
  detract from the interesting parts of the building, its traditional setting,
  the balance of its composition and its relation with its surroundings.
  HISTORIC SITES
  ARTICLE 14. The sites of monuments must be the object of special care in order
  to safeguard their integrity and ensure that they are cleared and presented in
  a seemly manner. The work of conservation and restoration carried out in such
  places should be inspired by the principles set forth in the foregoing
  articles.
  EXCAVATIONS
  ARTICLE 15. Excavations should be carried out in accordance with scientific
  standards and the recommendation defining international principles to be
  applied in the case of archaeological excavation adopted by UNESCO in 1956.
  Ruins must be maintained and measures necessary for the permanent conservation
  and protection of architectural features and of objects discovered must be
  taken. Furthermore, every means must be taken to facilitate the understanding
  of the monument and to reveal it without ever distorting its meaning.
  All reconstruction work should however be ruled out "a priori." Only
  anastylosis, that is to say, the reassembling of existing but dismembered
  parts can be permitted. The material used for integration should always be
  recognizable and its use should be the least that will ensure the conservation
  of a monument and the reinstatement of its form.
  PUBLICATION
  ARTICLE 16. In all works of preservation, restoration or excavation, there
  should always be precise documentation in the form of analytical and critical
  reports, illustrated with drawings and photographs. Every stage of the work of
  clearing, consolidation, rearrangement and integration, as well as technical
  and formal features identified during the course of the work, should be
  included. This record should be placed in the archives of a public institution
  and made available to research workers. It is recommended that the report
  should be published.
  The following persons took part in the work of the Committee for drafting the
  International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments:
  Piero Gazzola (Italy), Chairman
  Raymond Lemaire (Belgium), Reporter
  Jose Bassegoda-Nonell (Spain)
  Luis Benavente (Portugal)
  Djurdje Boskovic (Yugoslavia)
  Hiroshi Daifuku (UNESCO)
  P.L de Vrieze (Netherlands)
  Harald Langberg (Demmark)
  Mario Matteucci (Italy)
  Jean Merlet (France)
  Carlos Flores Marini (Mexico)
  Roberto Pane (Italy)
  S.C.J. Pavel (Czechoslovakia)
  Paul Philippot (ICCROM)
  Victor Pimentel (Peru)
  Harold Plenderleith (ICCROM)
  Deoclecio Redig de Campos (Vatican)
  Jean Sonnier (France)
  Francois Sorlin (France)
  Eustathios Stikas (Greece)
  Mrs. Gertrud Tripp (Austria)
  Jan Zachwatovicz (Poland)
  Mustafa S. Zbiss (Tunisia)