The main priorities of the CMN are to preserve France's national monuments and open them to the public. As of 2007, it is also responsible for assessing, inventorying, enriching, maintaining and restoring these monuments and their collections for the benefit of future generations.
By pursuing this twin objective, the CMN is able to offer a coherent programme and excellent visitor experiences through a combined focus on improving visitor facilities and the preservation, enhancement and accessibility of France's national monuments.
All restoration work is programmed and overseen by a single department, CMN’s monument and collections conservation department, in charge of over 200 projects all over France each year.