The Cherubino Ghirardacci Study Center has proposed and will coordinate a panel at the 2025 EUARE conference, the European Academy of Religion, to be held on Friday, 11 July, from 8:30 am to 4:15 pm at the University of Vienna. The theme will be “Sacred spaces and community heritage: a bridge between the tangible and the intangible”. After careful selection by the organizers, the panel will feature 12 speakers, including architects, lawyers, political scientists, philosophers, theologians, historians and art historians, from Italy, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, and the United Kingdom.

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The panel will thus be able to offer a multidisciplinary reflection on religious cultural heritage, between materiality and immateriality, at a European level.

 

PANEL

 

SACRED SPACES AND COMMUNITY HERITAGE: BRIDGING THE TANGIBLE AND INTANGIBLE

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The concept of sacred space transcends physical boundaries, intertwining tangible heritage, such as architectural structures and ritual artifacts, with intangible dimensions, including spiritual practices, oral traditions, and cultural beliefs. This panel aims to explore the multifaceted nature of sacred spaces, investigating how the physical and metaphysical coexist to shape cultural identity and collective memory.​ Scholars are particularly invited to reflect on how sacred spaces tangible and intangible dimensions can inform contemporary design practices. The discussion will also address critical legal and ethical challenges: how can the notions of tangible and intangible heritage be defined, protected, and harmonized within legal frameworks? What mechanisms can ensure that the preservation of physical elements does not come at the expense of intangible cultural expressions, and vice versa?

The panel will further explore the apparent dichotomy between tangible and intangible heritage, proposing that these concepts, often perceived as contrasting, can be reconciled through an all-around approach. By envisioning sacred spaces as dynamic entities where material and immaterial coexist in mutual support, it becomes possible to transcend traditional divides and foster innovative, inclusive strategies for their preservation and evolution.

By addressing these themes, the panel seeks to inspire architects, legal experts, and cultural practitioners to engage in interdisciplinary dialogue, offering a comprehensive understanding of sacred spaces and their stewardship in a rapidly changing world.

 

PANELISTS

 

SACRED PARADOXES: RECONCILING TANGIBLE AND INTANGIBLE HERITAGE

Luigi Bartolomei (University of Bologna | Centro Studi Cherubino Ghirardacci, Bologna, Italy)

 

SAFEGUARDING THE INTANGIBLE RELIGIOUS CULTURAL HERITAGE: FROM THE 2003 UNESCO CONVENTION TOWARDS A NEW UNDERSTANDING IN ITALIAN LAW AND CANON LAW

Davide Dimodugno (University of Turin, Torino, Italy)

 

LIFE AND FORMS OF THE SACRED SPACE

Gianluca Buoncore (University of Florence, Firenze, Italy)

 

THE BOLOGNESE "CAMPANERIA" AND ITS INTERACTION WITH THE MATERIAL HERITAGE: FROM THE CODIFICATION TO TODAY'S PROTECTION CHALLENGES

Pietro Pandolfini (University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy)

 

PROTECTION BEYOND WALLS: SAFEGUARDING THE INTANGIBLE LEGACY OF MULTIPURPOSE RELIGIOUS HERITAGE

Vanesa Menéndez Montero (European University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain)

 

ADAPTIVE REUSE OF SACRED SPACES: BALANCING TANGIBLE HERITAGE AND INTANGIBLE CULTURAL IDENTITY

Maria Arno (Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland)

 

THE ZAIREAN RITE BEYOND FOLKLORE: RETHINKING THE ARCHITECTURAL AND ARTISTIC IMPLICATIONS OF ECCLESIASTICAL STRUCTURES IN POSTCOLONIAL AFRICA

Joël Baraka Akilimali (Catholic University of Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium)

 

"DEVOTIONAL PATHWAYS: SACRED TATTOOS AND SPIRITUAL IDENTITY"

Rossana Salerno (University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy)

 

ENCOUNTERS BETWEEN SACRED SPACE AND AUDIO-VISUAL CULTURES IN BRITISH EVANGELICAL CHURCHES.

Kate Jordan (University of Westminster, London, United Kingdom)

 

BRIDGING THE TANGIBLE AND INTANGIBLE IN MUSEUMS: THE ETHICS OF DISPLAYING RELIGIOUS OBJECTS

Sabina Rosenbergova (University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands)

Élise Rouméas (University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands)

 

RETHINKING SACRED HERITAGE BETWEEN RESTORATION AND SOCIAL PRACTICE: ST ANTONY'S CHURCH IN FOREST GATE, EAST LONDON

Gimin Lee (University of Kent , Canterbury, United Kingdom),

Giacomo Damiani (Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, United Kingdom)

 

RELICS AND THE SACRED IN ALTARPIECES - APPROACHES TO CHANGING SPATIAL ENVIRONMENTS

Antje Roggenkamp (Universität Münster, Münster, Germany)