Conference entitled ‘The Physiognomy of Cathedrals: Conservation Strategies’

Conference on ‘The Physiognomy of Cathedrals: Conservation Strategies’

The St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation organised a conference on ‘The Physiognomy of Cathedrals: Conservation Strategies’ and invited top European Cathedrals to participate. The conference was held between 1st and 2nd July 2021 at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta. This high-level conference was convened to mark the twentieth anniversary of the St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation.

Ms Cynthia de Giorgio CEO and Curator said that ‘the aim of the conference was to convene conservators, academics and curators from different Cathedrals in Europe to showcase conservation projects and create a network for sharing knowledge, good practices and experience’. During the conference, eighteen different case studies of conservation projects carried out at Cathedrals in Italy, Malta, the United Kingdom, France, Poland and Austria were presented.

The conference was addressed by the H.G. the Archbishop of Malta, Charles Jude Scicluna, the Hon. José Herrera, Minister for Cultural Heritage, the Arts and Local Government; the Hon. Clayton Bartolo, Minister of Tourism and Consumer Protection; Prof. Roberto Cela, from the Opera Della Primaziale Pisana, and Prof. Mgr Emmanuel Agius, the President of the Foundation.

In his opening address, Mgr Prof. Agius stated that: “There is no better way of celebrating the success story of the state-of-the-art restoration and preservation projects carried out by the Foundation during the past twenty years than with a European conference on conservation strategies. The restoration and conservation projects embarked upon by the Foundation have embraced a wide range of works of art, together with many architectural features of the Church fabric.”

This conference was held in collaboration with the Opera della Primaziale Pisana which is responsible for the conservation of the monuments in Piazza del Duomo in Pisa. The second part of the Conference will be held in Pisa (Italy) on 28th and 29th October 2021. The Malta Conference was supported by The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, The Arts and Local Government, and The Ministry of Tourism and Consumer Protection.

The twentieth anniversary of the Foundation will also be marked by the opening of the Caravaggio Wing, the restoration of the oratory and a publication on the restoration works carried out in the last twenty years.

Photos: The St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation, DOI