Objective This project will specifically focus firstly on the development and dissemination of the theological matters that affected the policies of the Roman Catholic Church between the late seventh-mid ninth century, and secondly on the ‘translation’ of these theological matters into a literary and visual imagery. In the period 680-850 a great debate about the cult of sacred images – the Byzantine ‘image struggle’ or iconoclasm – engaged monks, emperors, popes. Sacred images have for different reasons ispired devotion or spurred iconoclastic reactions and cultural opposition world-wide and often in human history – unfortunately also in the last fifteen years. The place of sacred image in the actual Christian religious mentality – i.e. the way in which cult images stimulate reactions, are perceived, venerated, chosen as personal ‘talismans’ and intercessors with the divine in contemporary culture – was radically shaped by the intense period of the Byzantine ‘image struggle’. The political, cultural, and artistic interactions and the developments of Christian mentality between the West and the East during this phase are actually still a ‘grey area’ in Medieval and Byzantine studies, having been dealt with only occasionally and compartimentally. By using literary as well as visual evidence, 'ICONOPHILIA' will explore this ‘grey area’ and prove to be significant to a range of scholarly disciplines, while being appealing also to a wider global audience interested in religious mentality, Church history, history of monasticism, cultural policies, visual thinking, art production and consumption as socio-political statements. The Centre for Byzantine, Ottoman and Modern Greek Studies in Birmingham will provide the ideal intellectual environment for the development of this interdisciplinary project. Fields of science humanitieshistory and archaeologyhistoryhumanitiesartssocial sciencessociologydemographyhuman migrationshumanitiesphilosophy, ethics and religionreligionssocial scienceslaw Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2014-EF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF) Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2014 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF Coordinator THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM Net EU contribution € 195 454,80 Address Edgbaston B15 2TT Birmingham United Kingdom See on map Region West Midlands (England) West Midlands Birmingham Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00