In the Spotlight: Deadline extended Call for abstracts – Architectures of the Soul

For centuries, religious built heritage has played an essential role in shaping social, economic, environmental and cultural values. Caves, eremitical settlements, chapels, monasteries, convents, churches and cathedrals have dialogued with their surroundings, be them mountainous or solitary places, fertile valleys, peripheral or urban centres.

UPDATE: The submission deadline for the abstracts has been extended to 14 April.

Nowadays, the memory of these places tends to be erased. The secularisation of many convents, churches or monasteries, as well as the abandonment or low usage of others, led to the loss of material values. These specific buildings and landscapes need to be rethought at the light of the contemporary challenges.

The 4th International Conference “Architectures of the Soul. Religious Heritage: understanding the past, shaping the future” aims at promoting the scientific study and discussion around the architecture and landscape connected to religious and spiritual practices, grounded on the experience of seclusion and solitude.

The conference will be hosted, between 19th and 21st of October 2023, by the Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória (municipality of Batalha, Portugal), recognised as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, exactly 40 years ago.

This is structured around two main topics, in order to understand the historical and current values of these places and how they can shape the future:

1. History of religious experience; 2. Future for religious heritage.

Call for Abstracts

Abstracts must have no more than 300 words, written in English and submitted before 14 April 2023, along with a short bio with no more than 200 words. Each abstract must include: context, aim, methodology, results, conclusions and five keywords. Otherwise the abstract will not be considered.

After the conference, we will open a call for papers. Selected papers, through a double-blind peer-review process, will be published in an international book with ISBN and/or special issue(s) in indexed scientific journals.

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