[en] Er-doped tin-silicate glass-ceramic composites were synthesized from Si, Er and Sn molecular precursors by following a sol-gel method. Optical spectroscopy and electron microscopy showed that the resulting material is composed of an amorphous silica network that encloses submicrometric SnO₂ crystalline clusters. Analysis of the luminescence properties shows that Er ions are, at least partially, trapped in the crystalline phase. Raman spectra show that nanostructured tin-silicate composites act as low phonon energy hosts for rare earth ions and are thus suitable for photonic applications