Publication details
Christian Belief and Practice in the Alps (ca. 250-ca. 600) : In Search of a Topography of Faith
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| Year of publication | 2020 |
| Type | Workshop |
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| Description | In past decades, numerous studies were dedicated to the ways in which Christianities arrived and disseminated in the area of the Alps. Drawing on textual and archaeological sources, these scholarly efforts indicate that the new religion spread following the Roman network of settlements and, in particular, the commercial routes across the Alps. This overlapping invited associations with the earlier process of Romanisation, which had also been shaped by the topography that directed human presence towards specific alpine passes and valleys. This conference brings together historians, archeologists, and art historians to discuss the latest finds regarding the spread of the new religion in the Alpine area, inviting them to consider how the natural component influenced the process. By placing the topography at the basis of the phenomenon, the present initiative changes the approach usually taken in past decades, which saw scholars document the process by province. Thus, the religion’s spread in Ticino, Trentino-Alto Adige, Lombardy, and Piedmont was studied separately, despite the fact that these considerations were often published in volumes that announced a panoptic view of the process. In order to take a step forward, towards a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon, researchers working on the specific areas are here invited to identify and discuss the relevance of recurrent patterns. |
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