Call for Applications: Cathedral Cities. Planning and Building a Medieval Utopia –
II TEMPLA Summer School, “Nicolau d’Olwer i Pere i Joan Coromines” room,
Institut d’Estudis Catalans, Carrer del Carme 47,  08001 Barcelona, July 14th-16th 2016
Deadline: May 29, 2016

TEMPLA, a permanent workshop of Medieval Studies composed of specialists from universities, museums and archives from different parts of Spain, Europe and in particular Catalonia, seeks applications for its second Summer School, Cathedral Cities. Planning and Building a Medieval Utopia. National and international researchers into medieval art history and related disciplines are invited to to debate the concept and expression of “Cathedral Cities”, which have boosted in European episcopal sees during the medieval period. The studies of Cathedral City Landscapes could reveal the historical and living memory they  contain.
This call aims to understand how the fragile historical centers of cathedral cities have become the bearers of European’s identity, memory and their complex and plural intangible heritage. The medieval cathedral is widely seen as one of the most important contributions to European and global cultural history. Besides they often are the largest and oldest of all monuments in a city or town, cathedrals and their functioning influenced the way the city evolved. They are therefore essential to our understanding of local and regional history. Alongside their urban influence cathedrals are places for people – social congregation for secular and religious occurrence, where the memories of people and events were made and are now stored, where history and “invented traditions” intertwine.
The progress about knowledge of this European heritage is a necessary measure to protect its visibility and understanding as well as to justify the survival and sustainability of their uses. This living heritage, condenser and referential framework of social and cultural pan-European principles, is at risk of depletion and irrelevance. Therefore the results of the II TSS will be transferred to the academic community, but also to policy makers and citizens in general.

The School’s aims are:

1. To analyse the confluence of diverse resources and actors (institutional, economic, topographic, architectural…) activated to planning and building the place of cathedrals inside medieval cities and development of medieval cities around their cathedrals.
2. To propose new forms of contextualising historical building of European bishoprics in order to explain the results of artistic promotion underlining extra-artistic factors: e.g. liturgical, devotional, circulatory, … as well as convergence of actions by ecclesiastical and civil policies. For proper understanding of this issue it is necessary to emphasize the corresponding “framework for action”.
3- To evidence that the urban and architectural heritage of medieval cathedral cities is bearer of axiological meaning and transmitter of European identity, the validity of the collective memory and also builder of real and imaginary urban landscape.
4- To establish, on the basis of the results of the two previous objectives, new approaches and multidisciplinary research in the urban and social environments of European Cathedral Cities.

How to Apply:  This scientific meeting is intended for a small number of participants; the application procedure allows for 10 researchers to be invited to present their research. Participants will be expected to take an active role in the debates that will follow each presentation. Every researcher must benefit from the contributions of the other specialists. The presentations and debates may take place in Spanish, French, Italian or English.
Format: The debates will take place on the first two days. On the third day there will be a visit to a Catalan Cathedral City to highlight in situ its particular specificities regarding episcopal and civil urbanism.
The workshop is principally aimed at young pre- and postdoctoral researchers in the areas of history of art, history and liturgical studies. Those who are interested in participating in the TEMPLA Summer School 2016 must submit:
• A letter of motivation that includes a description their current research,
• A CV (maximum one page)
• A presentation proposal (maximum 300 words).
These documents may be in Spanish, French, Italian or English.

The deadline for submitting this documentation is May 29 2016. It must be sent to (both): gerardo.boto@udg.edu and marta.serrano@urv.cat
Applicants will receive a response before June 13 2016. The successful candidates must provide the organizers with a description of the ideas they wish to present, any images relating to their presentation and a brief bibliography by June 26 2016. This documentation will be used to create a dossier a hand-out for the other attendees. The aim of this initiative is to encourage participants to submit proposals of direct interest to the planned debates.

Expenses for accomodation, lunch and other activities will be covered by the organisers. Participants must pay their travel expenses to the workshop.