Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English en
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Researching European Legacy in ‘Cultural Sanctum’: Digitally Preserving Neglected 19th-Century Missionary Congregations’ Architecture and Its Transcultural Heritage in Sri Lanka.

Objective

This fellowship, RELiCS, addresses a critical gap in the architectural and transcultural heritage of Sri Lanka by delivering the first comprehensive analysis of neglected missionary churches built by various European congregations outside the dominant ecclesiastical channels of colonial Sri Lanka, i.e. Portuguese-Catholic (1505–1658), Dutch-Reformed (1658–1796), and British-Anglican (1796–1948). Going beyond current missiological narratives, it examines the underexplored legacy of churches built under the Roman Curia of Propaganda Fide, mainly by Italian Oratorians and Sylvestrine Benedictines, Spanish Cistercians, and French Oblates. These congregations, active amid shifting colonial regimes and rooted ethnic divides among local Sinhalese and Tamil populations, created ecclesiastical spaces that embodied transcultural exchanges between European and indigenous traditions.

Building on my doctoral research on earlier Portuguese and Goan Oratorian churches (from 1543 to 1836), this fellowship investigates how later European congregations negotiated colonial modernity, cultural hybridity, and social and economic constraints. Methodologically, RELiCS integrates archival research in Italy, consolidates existing architectural datasets, and curates fragile records, drawings, 3D images, and exhibitions incorporating bilingual outreach in Sinhala and Tamil.

Hosted at the University of Pavia as the beneficiary and the 'Thesaurum Fidei' project of the Archdiocese of Lucca as the non-academic placement, RELiCS will enhance my skills in digital humanities, curatorial practice, and international heritage diplomacy. Expected outputs include peer-reviewed articles, conference presentations, and a digital open-access platform. By digitally preserving and reinterpreting this neglected 19th-century European missionary heritage, RELiCS advances scholarship on transcultural architecture, supports post-conflict reconciliation, and promotes sustainable community-based heritage tourism.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.

This project has not yet been classified with EuroSciVoc.
Be the first one to suggest relevant scientific fields and help us improve our classification service

You need to log in or register to use this function

Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF

See all projects funded under this call

Coordinator

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PAVIA
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 235 668,69
Address
STRADA NUOVA 65
27100 Pavia
Italy

See on map

Region
Nord-Ovest Lombardia Pavia
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

No data

Partners (1)

My booklet 0 0