The Sea in Religious Imaginary: Cults, Spaces, Representations

 

Throughout history, the oceans and seas have always provoked different reactions in the human imagination. They were environments of mystery, fear and the unknown. Invading peoples arrived, pirates and corsairs, floods and storms, spreading destruction and chaos. Whoever dared challenge the sea faced other dangers, such as shipwrecks or an endless number of sea monsters. However, the Sea was also a place of adventure and riches, the means of reaching new kingdoms with their exotic markets and building great fortunes. On the sea or on its shores, men sought for divine intercession, whether to deal with the dangers or to achieve their dreams. They invoked deities, dedicated their ships to them, visited their shrines, worshipped them, gave offerings and carried their symbols. Finally, they wrote down or recounted their experiences, their fears and discoveries, all contributing to feeding the imaginary about the Sea.

The relationship between the Sea and Religion represents a rich and promising, but still fairly unexplored field of study. In this sense, the IEM, the CHAM, the IHC, the IELT, under the auspices of the UNESCO Chair: The Cultural Heritage of the Oceans, and the Centre for Religious History Studies (UCP) are launching this cycle of annual conferences and organising, on 26-28 November 2018, the International Conference “The Sea in Religious Imaginary: Cults, Spaces, Representations”. The event aims to explore the presence of the sea in the religious imaginary from a diachronic and multidisciplinary perspective in accordance with the following issues:

  1. The search for protection against the sea: cults and hagiographic memories
  2. The shrines and religious spaces: history, heritage and functionalities
  3. Religious discourses and representations of the maritime imaginary: literature, liturgy, iconography and music.


Organisation: IEM – Institute of Medieval Studies of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities, NOVA University; CEHR – Centre for Religious History Studies, the Catholic University of Portugal; CHAM – Humanities Centre of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities, NOVA University and the University of the Azores; IELT – Institute of Literature and Tradition Studies of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities, NOVA University; IHC – Institute of Contemporary History of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities, NOVA University
Support: National Museum of Ancient Art
Organising Commission: Gonçalo Melo da Silva (IEM-NOVA FCSH), João Luís Inglês Fontes (IEM-NOVA FCSH; CEHR-UCP), Maria Filomena Andrade (UAb; CEHR-UCP; IEM-NOVA FCSH), António Camões Gouveia (CHAM-NOVA FCSH; CEHR-UCP)
Scientific Commission: Álvaro Garrido (Coimbra Univ.); Amélia Aguiar Andrade (NOVA Univ.); Amélia Polónia (Oporto Univ.); Ana Paiva Morais (NOVA Univ.); Ana Paula Avelar (Univ. Aberta); Cristina Brito (NOVA Uni.); Francisco Caramelo (NOVA University); Isabel Almeida (Lisbon Univ.); João Leal (NOVA Univ.); José Augusto Ramos (Lisbon Univ.); Margarida Lalanda (Azores Univ.); Maria Helena da Cruz Coelho (Coimbra Univ.); Maria Inácia Rezola (NOVA Univ.); Maria João Branco (NOVA Univ.); Nuno Estêvão (Catholique Univ.); Paulo Fontes (Catholique Univ.).