On 17 and 18 October 2024 will be held the thirteenth edition of the Convention of European Cathedrals, an event conceived and organized by the Opera della Primaziale Pisana and dedicated to artistic heritage, architectural and cultural gathering around the most prestigious European cathedrals. A complex geography in which the institutions that have always preserved and protected these places move, at different latitudes, to pass on to future generations the heritage of faith and culture they have inherited.
The City of Pisa is also a partner in this thirteenth edition, and has organized the session that opens the proceedings, immediately after the institutional greetings, entitled past, present and future UNESCO World Heritage, which proposes a kind of reflection on the value of this convention today. The talks will focus on some important issues, including what it really means to be a UNESCO World Heritage site, what responsibilities it entails and how the protection of such a heritage can and should coexist with ecclesiastical life and that of the city, but also how it is possible to treasure them for the development of an increasingly sustainable tourism.
The event can be followed online for free on the GoToWebinar platform upon registration: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/766797652634782558
The interventions intend to investigate that particular essence that makes the great cathedrals true living organisms, subject to a permanent protection, the result of a thoughtful reflection, guided not only by an aesthetic judgment. The theme of this edition, Universal Heritage: religious goods of cultural interest, wants to create an opportunity to open a full-scale discussion on the protection subject of these buildings in which are intertwined multiple values, as places of worship, faith and hospitality, and often bearers of an exceptional universal value. It is the daily challenge facing the conservators of cathedrals and sacred sites, who are called upon to manage cultural and artistic aspects, respecting the integrity and authenticity of the living heritage of places of worship and the religious and devotional sentiments of the communities that revolve around them.
The conference was held in collaboration with the Chapter of the Cathedral of Córdoba, institution responsible for the management of the Mosque-Cathedral, which celebrates the 40th anniversary of its inclusion on the UNESCO list. A second meeting, with the same title, will take place in Córdoba on 27 and 28 November.
Each year the European Cathedrals Convention presents a specific theme and over the years many of the issues and challenges related to the management and conservation of these precious and often delicate heritage have been addressed. These include the impact on monuments of climate and climate change, preventive conservation, the confrontation between new technologies and ancient knowledge, the complex theme of musealisation, and last year, the balance between conservation and spirituality.
As usual, the conference will see the participation of representatives of the most important restoration institutes in Italy, such as the Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione e il Restauro di Roma and the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence, and at international level, the Dombaumeister E.V. (Association of Building Managers).
The monumental complexes involved this year are the Cathedral of Valencia, the Basilica of Norcia, the Cathedral of Orvieto, the Cathedral of Nuremberg, the Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba, the Basilica of Istanbul, the Duomo of Milan, the Cathedral of Modena, the Cathedral of Vitoria-GastepaGasteiz, the Monastery of the Gerolamini in Lisbon, the Priory of Aylesford, the Cathedral of Vienna, the cathedrals of the French West Indies in Guadalupe and Martinique, the Cathedral of Meissen, the Cathedral of Valletta in Malta, the Cathedral of Toledo, the Cathedral of Segovia, The Cathedral of Burgos, the Duomo of Florence.
The conference is sponsored by the Order of Architects of the Province of Pisa and the Order of Engineers of the Province of Pisa, and professionals registered with both orders for the release of CFP, can participate in streaming or presence.
For more information: Opera della Primaziale Pisana - tel +39 050 835044/11 - mail info@opapisa.it - www.opapisa.it
