Saint-Émilion (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃.t‿emiljɔ̃]; Gascon: Sent Milion) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in Southwestern France.

In the heart of the country of Libournais (the area around Libourne), in a region of wine hills, Saint-Émilion is a medieval city located at the crossroads of Bordeaux, Saintonge and Périgord.

The town and surrounding vineyards was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, owing to its long, living history of wine-making, Romanesque churches and ruins stretching all along steep and narrow streets.

[4] An oppidum was built on the hill overlooking the present-day city in Gaulish times, before the region was annexed by Augustus in 27 BC.

This wonder gave Émilion a high reputation, though he eventually left the manor to create the Hermitage of Saint-Émilion, carved from a rock shelter in a deserted forest.

Because the region was located on the route of the Camino de Santiago, many monasteries and churches were built during the Middle Ages, and in 1199, while under Plantagenet rule, the town was granted full rights.

[3] During the 12th and 13th centuries, the wines produced in the area were well-renowned for their quality, although political instability during the European wars of religion negatively affected the vineyards.

It is one of the largest underground churches in Europe, with an estimated 15,000 cubic metres (530,000 cu ft) of rock extracted.

Iconographic works, such as depictions of lions, serpents, centaurs, and cherubim, can be seen on the walls and ceilings, possibly in reference to Psalms.

An inscription on one of the monolithic church pillars mentions only the day of the dedication to Saint Émilion, September 7, and regretfully not the year.