Call for papers

Monographic Ecclesiastical heritage: current challenges

Monographic coordinator: Laura Magdalena Miguel (lmagdalenami@upsa.es)
Languages: Spanish, English, French, Italian and Portuguese.
Instructions to authors:
Length: ten thousand words (abstract, keywords, notes and bibliography included).
Please consult the journal's guidelines before writing your article for other details (e.g., how to cite).
Maximum number of articles to be published: seven (7).
Deadline for receipt of articles: 31 December 2024.
Peer review and revision dates: January-March 2025.
Publication date: June 2025.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SUBJECT

The importance of the historical, artistic and cultural heritage belonging to the Catholic Church in many countries of the world is unquestionable (in Spain it is approximately 80% of the total), which justifies the need for a scientific study of its situation given the number of problems that arise in relation to heritage issues of interest to a wide range of disciplines and which have repercussions not only at the ecclesiastical level, but also in the relationship with the civil authorities.

Certainly the most relevant issue is that of the management and administration of real estate (churches, hermitages, monasteries...), as the Church faces multiple problems derived from various variables such as the ageing and deterioration of the buildings, many of them ceasing to be useful for the function they previously had, a lack of human resources in charge of them, a lack of economic resources, complicated relations with the state or regional administration... As these are assets with a religious purpose and, therefore, not for profit, they do not even produce enough wealth to cover the expenses involved in their maintenance and total conservation, despite the tax exemptions with which the Church is favoured.