Beja: Alentejo town receives 11 November, the International Colloquium Europae Thesauri 2017,
Beja hosts, a 11 November, the International Colloquium Europae Thesauri 2017, entitled Materiality of the Immaterial: Glimpses of the spaces and Devotional Objects. Matthias Theodor duo, professor at Goethe-Universität Frankfurt and director of the Limburg Diocese Museum is one of the art experts who will be present in the initiative.
this initiative, promovida por Europae Thesauri - International Association of Treasures and Church Museums, in partnership with the Heritage Department of Historical and Artistic Beja Diocese, the municipality of Beja, the Regional Ports Association and the UNESCO Centre for Architecture and Religious Art, meets in Alentejo reference experts of sacred art, from various European countries.
The purpose of the meeting is to introduce some of the most interesting initiatives undertaken, for a decade, in different parts of Europe, in the context of scientific knowledge and the enhancement of religious monuments and museums and its collections. Europae Thesauri, body adviser to the European Union, develops intense action at a multilateral level and has taken innovative role in the way of understanding the sacred art, in order to make it accessible to a wide audience, reflecting numerous transformations in this area in recent years.
Bringing to light some of the main lines of work in newly developed countries such as Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Holland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal and the Holy See, under museums, research centers and universities, the meeting of Beja intends to make a "point of the current situation" of a sector from major challenges, especially with regard to security against theft and vandalism, but who is responsible for a significant growth of tourist flows. In an environment where the cultural and religious tourism gains extraordinary role, in European terms, it is essential to rethink the future of sacred art.
this depends, largely, the ability to properly communicate the "profound message" of the religious heritage. Indeed, we are witnessing today a growing difficulty in understanding the content linked to the worship and devotion, without which the overall reading of monuments and works of art ends up impoverished - if not amputated essential. It is true that some technological tools can help bridge this gap, the fundamental problem remains intact: understand the significance of heritage, and especially the religious heritage, that is the question.
One of the gains of the intervention Europae Thesauri, at a global level, relates to the operation, network, of the most prominent monuments and sacred art museums throughout Europe, which has allowed to act in public policies in favor of assets and allocation of financial resources - Community, state and private. Another area that will be addressed by the meeting relates to the increased dialogue between the art of the past and contemporary creation and support for emerging artists. Europae Thesauri has given constant attention to the presence of the most interesting creators of our time in museums and religious monuments, assuming prominent role in promoting the vanguards.
Among the experts who will meet in the Alentejo to discuss these topics are some of the main international sector experts, especially the president of Europae Thesauri, Bernard Berthod, director do Museum of Religious Art of Fourvière, em Lyon; Georges Kazan, of Archaeology, University of Oxford; Sibylla Goegebuer e Benoît Kervyn the Volkaersbeke, Monuments and museums in Bruges; Julien Maquet, director do Archéoforum, Liege; Hermann Reidel, the German Language Museums Association; Manuel Gracia Rivas, da Real Academia de la Historia, from Madrid; Matthias Theodor duo, professor since Goethe University, Frankfurt; e Gäel Favier, da École Pratique des Hautes Études (Sorbonne), from Paris; MartÃn Gómez Ullate, the University of Extremadura, Caceres, Alex Langini, the Ministry of Culture of Luxembourg. Join you researchers, teachers and curators of our country.
The inaugural conference will be pronounced by the Bishop of Beja, D. John Mark, member of the Episcopal Commission for Liturgy and Spirituality, under the title: "The Liturgy and the Arts at present the Church's life". Join the session table the Mayor of Beja, John Rocha, and the regional director of the Alentejo Culture, Ana Paula Amendoeira.
The complementary study visits program stand out sessions devoted to San Roque Museum, the Basilica and the Mafra Convent and the Paleochristian heritage of Mértola, Portuguese religious heritage niches of excellence.
