For many centuries since its foundation, the Valencia Cathedral has been the center and witness of the history and religious and cultural development of Valencian society. The awareness of the rich heritage generated from the Cathedral as a place of memory has fostered research and exploration of both material and immaterial cultural legacies.
The Congress, titled “ORA PRO NOBIS. From the Cathedral of Valencia to society. Tradition, legacy, and current state of cultural heritage,” took place on November 15 and 16, 2023, at two different venues with free attendance for all interested parties. On Wednesday, November 15, at the Vicariate of Evangelization of the Archdiocese of Valencia, Spain (calle Avellanas, 12, Valencia); and on Thursday, November 16, at the auditorium of the Colegio Mayor Rector Peset in the city of Valencia.
The Congress is organized by the Association of Young Researchers in Sciences of Religions (AJICR), in collaboration with the Cathedral of Valencia, the Aromas Itinerarium Salutis Association, the European Route of Pharmacies and Medicinal Gardens, the Chair of Traditional Music and Dance of the University of Valencia, the APES group, Visual Culture Studies of the Department of Art History (UV), and the Colegio Mayor Rector Peset.
Over these two days, specialists and researchers will gather with various presentations divided into five thematic sessions on Valencian heritage, focusing on traditional music, traditional dance, the world of aromas, and the use of color and iconography. The importance of the Cathedral of Valencia as a generator of historical and artistic research will also be discussed.
Each day begins with a keynote address by an expert in one of the conference topics. The inaugural conference, titled “Liturgy and Music in the Cathedral of Valencia,” was delivered by D. Jaime Sancho Andreu, Canon of the Cathedral of Valencia and former curator of its artistic heritage. On the second day, Dr. Adrià Beso Ros, Associate Professor of the Department of Art History at the University of Valencia, gave the opening lecture titled “Beauty Takes Us to the Orchard. The Orange Grove as a Place to Recreate the Senses.”
These orange groves, considered a genuine locus amoenus for the Valencian bourgeoisie of the 20th century, were authentic orchards in harmony with the Todolí Citrus Foundation, a founding partner of Aromas Itinerarium Salutis, which preserves, shares, and disseminates the cultural heritage linked to these plant spaces.
The program concluded with a roundtable discussion coordinated by Professor Enric Olivares Torres, Director of the Chair of Traditional Music and Dance of the University of Valencia, titled “Experiences on the Recovery of Festive Heritage.” In addition, Congress attendees enjoyed two sensory and immersive experiences: a guided tour of the Cathedral of Valencia, led by D. Jaime Sancho; and an organ concert by Pablo Márquez Caraballo, the titular organist of the Valencian Cathedral.
