INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE Studium Conference: Sacred Space, Sacred Memory: Bishop-Saints and their Cities

The history of many European cities was shaped by one or more saintly figures whose ties to the city—real or imagined—had both spiritual and tangible consequences. The topography of the city, its economy, its institutions, its liturgy, its reputation, and even its inhabitants’ sense of civic pride, could all be shaped by and were dependent upon an idiosyncratic understanding of the saint’s association with the city. The figure of the bishop-saint, moreover, bestowed with extraordinary spiritual and temporal prerogatives, represents a distinctive type which this conference seeks to address. What was his impact on religious, political, and cultural practices and institutions in a given city? What are some of the privileges associated with promoting his cult? In what ways do local claims on the bishop-saint evince tensions on a regional/national level or between elites and the masses? Possible perspectives on these and other related issues may include, but are not restricted to liturgy, music, hagiography, art history, theology, history, and paleography.  The conference is sponsored by the Université François-Rabelais de Tours, and by Le Studium.  Program committee: Christine Bousquet (University of Tours), Yossi Maurey (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem/ Le Studium).