Welcome to the March newsletter!
This month's feature article takes you to the Gračanica Monastery, following the exhibition commemorating the 700th anniversary of its paintings and the end of the recent restoration process.
In our FRH news section, we analyse the keys to the success of the Ambulance for Monuments, a finalist of our Religious Heritage Innovator of the Year 2022, in an interview with its creator, Eugen Vaida. We also update you on our members' activities such as the 69th Antwerp International Organ Conference or the call for abstracts for the conference Architectures of the Soul.
Our European news section brings you the latest policy conversation of the Cultural Deal for Europe campaign, the Europeana grants to write about minority religious heritage and an interesting online Jewish heritage event showcasing the synagogues of Worms (Germany) and Hijar (Spain).
We continue our interview series on the European Year of Skills with Luis David Salmerón and his religious art workshop in Spain. Don't miss our Notice Board either, which this month highlights the recent request by a group of French parliamentarians to the national government for more funds for rural churches.
Finally, relax while you discover our Top 8 Gothic Churches in Europe on Religiana.
See you next month!
Jordi Mallarach
FRH Executive Officer
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"CELEBRATION OF GRAČANICA AT THE GALLERY OF THE SERBIAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES", BY JANA ZARKOVIC
In February a virtual exhibition dedicated to the Gračanica closed its doors after commemorating the 700 anniversary of the painting of the church's interior and the end of the restoration works undergone between 2010 and 2018. The exhibition allowed visitors to know more about the architecture of the building (the only example of a double inscribed cross in the plan of the church in the Byzantine Empire) as well as its paintings and their eight-year-long restoration process. For Jana Zarkovic, the author of this featured article, the closing of this exhibition in Serbia is just an opportunity for the history and legacy of this monastery to continue to be promoted in Europe and beyond. READ MORE >>
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INTERVIEW WITH EUGEN VAIDA, FOUNDER OF THE AMBULANCE FOR MONUMENTS AND FINALIST OF THE RELIGIOUS HERITAGE INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR
The Ambulance for Monuments was launched in 2016 in Romania to save endangered historic monuments with the support of volunteers, heritage experts, local communities and administrations. The project is designed to work in the same way that an ambulance for humans: a fully equipped vehicle comes on site, the experts assess the damage and stabilise the patient, and then a team works to return the patient to a healthy state. We recently had a chat with the creator of this successful formula, Eugen Vaida, to learn more about the beginnings of the project and how it has grown to become a national phenomenon in Romania. READ MORE >>
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WATCH OUR LATEST FRH TALK ON YOUTUBE
Missed our first FRH Talk of the year? No worries, the recording is already available on our YouTube channel. The event was organised in collaboration with the youth-led organisation ESACH and featured three young heritage professionals, who presented their projects to the audience. You can't miss them! READ MORE >>
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OUR 2022 ANNUAL REPORT IS NOW AVAILABLE!
Curious to know what we achieved in 2022? Our latest Annual Report is already available. Check it out and see all the activities we organised throughout the year, our contributions to the European Year of Youth, all the members who have put their trust and enthusiasm in the network and much more. READ MORE >>
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WORK BEGINS ON THE FORTIFIED CHURCH OF CURCIU TO TRANSFORM IT INTO A SPACE FOR CULTURAL TOURISM
The Fortified Churches Foundation (member of FRH) have been working since December 2022 on a new and exciting project that will transform the fortified church in the Romanian village of Curciu into a welcoming space for cultural tourists in the Romanian rural landscape. This is the organisation's first own large-scale adaptive reuse project, which represents a major achievement for the whole team. READ MORE >>
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CHURCH HERITAGE IN A NEW ERA
What are the different approaches to ecclesiastical heritage in Sweden and what do they mean for churches as cultural heritage regarding ideologies, policies, and practices? How can the ecclesiastical heritage be realised as a societal resource and public good? These are some of the questions underlying the thesis "Kyrkliga kulturarv i en ny tid" (Church Heritage in a New Era) written by FRH Council member Henrik Lindblad. You can download it from the website of the University of Uppsala. READ MORE >>
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FRH PARTNERS WITH THE 2023 ENCATC ACADEMY ON SUSTAINABLE CULTURAL MANAGEMENT AND POLICY
The ENCATC Academy on Sustainable Cultural Management and Policy will take place from 24 to 27 April in Santander, Spain. As an official partner of the event, members of FRH can get a 60€ discount on the event's general fee. All you have to do is selecting the option "ENCATC Member and Partner ticket" when you buy your ticket on the Eventbrite page of the event READ MORE >>
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CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: ARCHITECTURES OF THE SOUL
The International Conference Architectures of the Soul has opened the call for abstracts for its 4th edition. This conference is organised by FRH Scientific Committee member Rolando Volzone and this year will take place from 19 to 21 October 2023 in the Monastery of Batalha, Portugal. Abstracts must deal with one of the themes or sub-themes of the conference, have no more than 300 words and be written in English. We encourage you to send your abstract before 31 March 2023. READ MORE >>
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69TH ANTWERP INTERNATIONAL ORGAN CONFERENCE
The 69th Antwerp International Organ Conference will take place from 30 July to 4 August 2023. The programme will kick off in the Cathedral of Antwerp and will include demonstrations and visits to several organs in this city as well as in other Belgian towns such as Vosselaar, Turnhout, Herentals, and Brussels, and in the Netherlands, in Bergen op Zoom. The Conference Team is composed of Daniel Vanden Broecke (FRH member) and Bert Wisgerhof. The deadline for registrations is 15th May 2023. Check the Conference website to see the full programme. READ MORE >>
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THIS SECTION IS FOR MEMBERS ONLY. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BECOMING A MEMBER, MORE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE. READ MORE >>
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FRH EVENTS
>24 March 2023 - Be.Cultour webinar "Understanding the European value of cultural heritage: the power of networks" (external event with the participation of FRH) Register now>>
>4 April 2023 - Online F2F: pre-conference meeting and policy paper recommendations (only for members) Register now>>
>19 April 2023 - Run for Heritage in Lund. More information >>
>20 - 21 April 2023 - FRH Biennial Conference in Lund, Sweden. Register now>>
>24 - 27 April 2023 - 2023 ENCATC Academy (60€ discount for FRH members). Register now>>.
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT UPCOMING EVENTS?
MORE EVENTS>>
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CULTURAL DEAL FOR EUROPE POLICY CONVERSATION
The #CulturalDealEU campaign was launched on 18 November 2020 as a series of proposals to put culture at the heart of the EU Commission's policies. In view of the European Parliament elections in 2024 and the mid-term review of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) in 2023, several cultural organisations were invited to a policy conversation in Brussels on 28 Feb 2023. The event featured MEPs Alexis Georgoulis, Marcos Ros Sempere and Sabine Verheyen. For those who were not able to follow the event or wish to review it, the recording is now available online. READ MORE >>
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WRITE ABOUT EUROPE'S DIVERSE RELIGIOUS HERITAGE FOR EUROPEANA
Can you tell a story about Europe's Islamic heritage, Hinduism, Orthodox, Yazidism and other minority religions? Europeana is offering a grant of 200€ to write about minority religious heritage for their online blogs. Part of this editorial grant programme will be dedicated to the World Festival of Cultural Diversity, supporting underrepresented stories and experiences on religious diversity. If you have a story to tell, you can apply for an editorial grant on the Europeana website. READ MORE >>
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ONLINE JEWISH HERITAGE EVENT ON 30 MARCH AT 18:00 CET
The Jewish heritage network Moreshet organises the online event "Jewish Heritage: Crossroads and Diversity. EU and German Strategies on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life". Two case studies will be presented during the session, one on the Worms Synagogue (Worms, Germany) by our Conference Committee co-chair Susanne Urban and one on the Synagogue of Hijar (Hijar, Spain) by Lucia Conte Aguilar. If you are interested in participating, please register before 30 March. READ MORE >>
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As a signatory of the European Skills Pact, FRH presents a new section in collaboration with Mad'in Europe, in which we will discuss the importance of maintaining heritage craftsmanship and ensuring crafts do not become extinct through a series of interviews with professional craftspeople. March is dedicated to church ornaments and furnishings.
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INTERVIEW WITH RELIGIOUS ART MANUFACTURER LUIS DAVID SALMERÓN
When he was 19 years old, Luis David Salmerón learned most of what he knows about religious ornament production from his father. Today he and his brother run the business they inherited from him. Over time, they have managed to give it a more international dimension and now produce furniture, altarpieces and other elements for churches in Spain and abroad. However, the lack of young people interested in this activity and the administrative obstacles to recruiting apprentices pose a major challenge to the future of their studio. Read our interview with Salmeron to learn more about his workshop's achievements and threats and how he deals with the current situation. READ MORE >>
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Are you a craftsperson and would you like to appear in this section? Write to us at members@frh-europe.org telling us about yourself and the crafts you work with and we will get in touch with you.
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FRENCH PARLIAMENTARIANS CALL FOR THE SAFEGUARDING OF RURAL CHURCHES
A group of 131 parliamentarians has called for the safeguarding of rural churches in France in a letter addressed to President Emmanuel Macron. The letter was published on 18 February in Le Journal du Dimanche under the title "Nos petites églises s’effondrent sous vos yeux!" (Our little churches are collapsing before your eyes!). According to the French Senate, between 2,500 and 5,000 French churches could be in ruins by 2030. READ MORE >>
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FRH is an independent, non-faith, not-for-profit organisation working to promote religious heritage buildings and their contents across Europe. It currently has more than 80 full members and 120 associate members from over 35 countries.
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