Periodic Reporting for period 2 - CONQUES (Conques in the Global World. Transferring Knowledge: from Material to Immaterial Heritage)
Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2024-12-31
The CONQUES project has undertaken an interdisciplinary and integrative study of Conques, a remarkable pilgrimage and tourist site in Southern France renowned for its rich visual, material, and ritual culture spanning from the ninth to the twenty-first century. By drawing on expertise from diverse fields — including art history, history, anthropology, music and performance studies, archaeology, archaeometry, digital technology, and visual studies — the project has systematically examined the site’s monuments, their chronology, their restorations, and their broader historical and art historical significance.
A central aim of the project has been to elevate Conques from its current marginal position in academic discourse and public consciousness, fully recognizing its exceptional artistic and historical value beyond touristic interests. The research team, consisting of experts from six European and two American institutions, has thus examined the main stages in the medieval and post-medieval construction of Conques – its abbey, treasure, buildings, landscape, and intangible performative culture – to reconstruct crucial aspects of the development of the medieval European cultures involved. A key objective has been to investigate how Conques has been shaped by historical processes, from its medieval development to its reinterpretation in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when medieval heritage was selectively restored and repurposed within broader ideological and cultural frameworks.
A central aim of the project has been to elevate Conques from its current marginal position in academic discourse and public consciousness, fully recognizing its exceptional artistic and historical value beyond touristic interests. The research team, consisting of experts from six European and two American institutions, has thus examined the main stages in the medieval and post-medieval construction of Conques – its abbey, treasure, buildings, landscape, and intangible performative culture – to reconstruct crucial aspects of the development of the medieval European cultures involved. A key objective has been to investigate how Conques has been shaped by historical processes, from its medieval development to its reinterpretation in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when medieval heritage was selectively restored and repurposed within broader ideological and cultural frameworks.
Throughout the project, research has focused on a comprehensive analysis of Conques, combining archival research, digital documentation, and historical study to reassess the site’s transformations and restoration history. A key aspect of this work was the examination of archival materials from Conques, Rodez, and Paris, which provided insights into the processes and motivations behind the nineteenth- and twentieth-century restoration campaigns. This analysis clarified how the site was reshaped over time, offering a nuanced understanding of its architectural and cultural transformations.
In addition to archival research, the project employed digital tools, including 3D scanning and reconstruction, to document and visualize the site’s architectural transformations. These efforts facilitated the creation of detailed 3D models, allowing researchers to analyze the structural modifications of Conques over the centuries. Furthermore, an acoustic reconstruction of the abbey-church was undertaken, providing new perspectives on the sonic environment of the site and its impact on medieval liturgical and performative practices.
Together, these approaches have refined scholarly understanding of Conques’ medieval development and its later reinterpretations, confirming key hypotheses about the deliberate evocation of the Carolingian past in its architecture. The research results have been widely communicated and disseminated through public lectures, workshops, scholarly conferences, and open-access publications, ensuring that the project’s insights contribute to broader discussions on heritage preservation, medieval architecture, and the reinterpretation of the past in modern contexts.
In addition to archival research, the project employed digital tools, including 3D scanning and reconstruction, to document and visualize the site’s architectural transformations. These efforts facilitated the creation of detailed 3D models, allowing researchers to analyze the structural modifications of Conques over the centuries. Furthermore, an acoustic reconstruction of the abbey-church was undertaken, providing new perspectives on the sonic environment of the site and its impact on medieval liturgical and performative practices.
Together, these approaches have refined scholarly understanding of Conques’ medieval development and its later reinterpretations, confirming key hypotheses about the deliberate evocation of the Carolingian past in its architecture. The research results have been widely communicated and disseminated through public lectures, workshops, scholarly conferences, and open-access publications, ensuring that the project’s insights contribute to broader discussions on heritage preservation, medieval architecture, and the reinterpretation of the past in modern contexts.
The project has significantly expanded the scope of research on the site, introducing new methodologies, interdisciplinary collaborations, and digital reconstructions that have reshaped scholarly perspectives on its historical and architectural development. The project’s innovative approach has attracted considerable international interest, leading to the inclusion of four distinguished experts outside the consortium — Janet Marquardt, Lei Huang, Vincent Debiais, and Michele Luigi Vescovi — who have contributed with specialized expertise in historiography, medieval visual culture, literary traditions, and performative practices. Their participation in the project’s workshops and conferences underscores its broad intellectual and geographical reach, addressing fundamental questions about the art of pilgrimage, medieval storytelling, and the reinterpretation of sacred spaces across time.
A key objective of the project has been to connect academic research with broader audiences, fostering a dialogue between scholars, heritage professionals, and the public. This effort has been met with strong engagement from local authorities and communities, including the religious community, the mayor, and the citizens of Conques, as well as numerous pilgrims who visit the site annually. To facilitate this exchange, the project has produced various outputs for non-specialized audience.
The research team has actively disseminated project results through public lectures, scholarly presentations, and interactive discussions, reinforcing the importance of making medieval heritage accessible and relevant. The project has demonstrated the need to mediate historical research for contemporary audiences, particularly in light of the ways in which medieval culture is often oversimplified in popular narratives or appropriated for ideological purposes.
A major scholarly outcome of the project is the publication of "Conques Across Time: Inventions and Reinventions (9th–21st Centuries)", edited by Ivan Foletti and Adrien Palladino (Viella / Masaryk University Press, 2025). This monograph, the first comprehensive English-language study dedicated to Conques, brings together sixteen scholars from the consortium and beyond to examine the site’s evolution — from its medieval origins and legendary narratives to its ninteenth-century restorations, twentieth-century reinterpretations, and Pierre Soulages’ artistic interventions.
By integrating archival research, study of the treasure, architecture, and performative cultures, as well as 3D reconstructions and acoustic analyses, the CONQUES project has not only deepened understanding of the site’s medieval fabric but has also shed new light on the cultural forces that have shaped its meaning across time. Alongside its scholarly contribution, the project has prioritized public engagement through public lectures, an illustrated guide to the site, tourist booklets, and a documentary, all designed to make Conques’ complex history more accessible to a wider audience. As a result, it offers a replicable model for studying historic sites as dynamic spaces of reinterpretation, adaptation, and dialogue, ensuring that medieval heritage remains both a rigorous field of research and a resource for public appreciation and education across Europe.
A key objective of the project has been to connect academic research with broader audiences, fostering a dialogue between scholars, heritage professionals, and the public. This effort has been met with strong engagement from local authorities and communities, including the religious community, the mayor, and the citizens of Conques, as well as numerous pilgrims who visit the site annually. To facilitate this exchange, the project has produced various outputs for non-specialized audience.
The research team has actively disseminated project results through public lectures, scholarly presentations, and interactive discussions, reinforcing the importance of making medieval heritage accessible and relevant. The project has demonstrated the need to mediate historical research for contemporary audiences, particularly in light of the ways in which medieval culture is often oversimplified in popular narratives or appropriated for ideological purposes.
A major scholarly outcome of the project is the publication of "Conques Across Time: Inventions and Reinventions (9th–21st Centuries)", edited by Ivan Foletti and Adrien Palladino (Viella / Masaryk University Press, 2025). This monograph, the first comprehensive English-language study dedicated to Conques, brings together sixteen scholars from the consortium and beyond to examine the site’s evolution — from its medieval origins and legendary narratives to its ninteenth-century restorations, twentieth-century reinterpretations, and Pierre Soulages’ artistic interventions.
By integrating archival research, study of the treasure, architecture, and performative cultures, as well as 3D reconstructions and acoustic analyses, the CONQUES project has not only deepened understanding of the site’s medieval fabric but has also shed new light on the cultural forces that have shaped its meaning across time. Alongside its scholarly contribution, the project has prioritized public engagement through public lectures, an illustrated guide to the site, tourist booklets, and a documentary, all designed to make Conques’ complex history more accessible to a wider audience. As a result, it offers a replicable model for studying historic sites as dynamic spaces of reinterpretation, adaptation, and dialogue, ensuring that medieval heritage remains both a rigorous field of research and a resource for public appreciation and education across Europe.