Catholic Sacred Places as Liminal and Living Cultural Heritage: A European Overview on Shrines

This article presents Catholic shrines as living and liminal sacred spaces possessing an intrinsic vitality that exerts a specific attraction not only for believers and visitors but also for the territory that surrounds them. As a place of devotion and pilgrimage destination, they are a complex system from the social, cultural, symbolic economic, and political perspectives. The essay aims to describe Catholic sacred places are a “detector” of the secular/religious contact in the field of cultural heritage. They are religious spaces that respond to the primary characteristics of heritage production but escape any single consideration in that area. Being sacred places, they get exposed to a continuous movement between immanence and transcendence which is the same movement that characterises the creation of heritage, responding to mechanisms of permanentisation of liminality

Volunteering in the religious heritage: protection, valorization and mediation in Italy and France

In Europe, voluntary work in cultural heritage is a debated but also crucial phenomenon which involves both young and retired people (VOCH 2008; Hustinx et al 2015). Volunteers carry out many activities related to caring and watching but also welcoming and guiding the attendance in these sites and institutions. In Italy, a large interest for the relation between religious heritage and tourism is not so recent but specific projects only dates back to the end of twentieth century even though this country owns one of the richest heritage in the world. In France, the Catholic church has launched a pastoral care in tourism sector and specifically in the religious heritage since the end of the Sixties. This paper will present a case study on “the mediation role” (Bordeaux&Caillet 2013) or interpretation role of guides to the catholic religious heritage specifically educated and trained by religious-oriented institutions. Voluntary work of these lay guides who accompany tourists and pilgrims into the churches are not simply an instrument to cope with a lack of financial or human resources but also an answer to the increasing liturgical, iconographical and symbolical ignorance. On one hand, research hypothesis is that Catholic Church is less and less dealing with secularisation but with a phenomenon of heritagisation of religion which is weakening the centrality of Gospel announce. On the other hand, this volunteer activity is also a means of valorisation which sets religious values against lay values on the common object that is the historical and cultural heritage and its conservation and transmission

Social Representations about Cultural Tourism in the Time of COVID-19: A Case Study of Langhe, Monferrato and Roero (Italy)

Cultural tourism is recognised as one of the broader sectors of the tourism industry, embracing an extensive range of tourist interests. Italy is a remarkable tourist destination due to its cultural appeal in tangible and intangible heritage as well as its cultural resources connected to food and gas-tronomy, and it is of special interest since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in March 2020. This study sought to analyse the perceptions of diverse significant actors regarding culture and tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic in Langhe, Monferrato and Roero, an area of southern Piedmont in north-western Italy. As part of a larger collaborative international project addressing the coronavirus situation, the research examined residents, tourists and tourism-related profes-sionals to investigate their perceptions of culture and tourism. Data were collected through a survey employing three distinct questionnaires for the three target groups of residents, tourists and en-trepreneurs and cultural bodies. The data analysis reveals that residents embraced a static repre-sentation of the local cultural tourism’s appeal and heritage, while tourists were motivated mainly by gastronomic and wine experiences. The perception of the coronavirus among the three groups of interviewees reflects a general reduction in almost all cultural activities and travel possibilities

Le « Trekking du Christ pensant » des Dolomites

Une statue représentant le Christ assis non loin d’une grande croix métallique dans une attitude méditative – sa tête repose sur sa main gauche –, a été érigée au sommet du mont Castellazzo (2333 m.), dans les Alpes orientales italiennes, le 16 juin 2009. Dix jours plus tard, la commission de l’UNESCO inscrivait cette zone des Dolomites (ainsi que d’autres secteurs de la région et de l’arc des Alpes orientales) dans la liste des sites naturels du patrimoine mondial de l’humanité. L’édificatio..

L’accueil des visiteurs dans les églises du Trentin

À partir de l’analyse de la formation de guides bénévoles qui auront pour fonction d’accueillir les visiteurs au sein des églises du Trentin (nord-est de l’Italie), les multiples enjeux de la médiation du patrimoine culturel catholique sont décrits et expliqués. Issue d’une enquête qualitative sur les modes de valorisation du patrimoine de l’Église, l’étude met en lumière d’une part la plausibilité et les limites du concept de patrimoine religieux en tant que ressource purement culturelle et, d’autre part, les conséquences de l’ouverture des lieux de culte à des usages séculiers tels que le tourisme. Il s’agit donc de comprendre comment, dans un contexte où la laïcité et la sécularisation se présentent sous des formes bien spécifiques, le catholicisme gère sa double condition de religion et de « patrimoine collectif ».The implications of mediation in the catholic cultural heritage are described and explained, starting from the analysis of the training of volunteer guides who will welcome visitors in the churches in Trentino Region (North-East Italy). This study is the outcome of a qualitative research and it highlights modalities and limits of the religious heritage concept as a solely cultural resource on one side, and the consequences deriving from opening holy places to secular uses such as tourism on the other. It is well understood how Catholicism manages its religious and collective heritage role, in a context where laity and secularization appear to be very specific.A partir del análisis de la formación de guías voluntarios que tendrán por función recibir a los visitantes en las iglesias del Trentino (noreste de Italia), se describen y explican aquí los múltiples retos de las mediación del patrimonio cultural católico. Resultado de una investigación cualitativa sobre los modos de valorización del patrimonio de la Iglesia, el estudio echa luz por un lado sobre la plausibilidad y los límites del concepto de patrimonio religioso en tanto que recurso puramente cultural y, por otro lado, las consecuencias de la apertura de los lugares de culto para usos seculares como el turismo. Se trata entonces de comprender cómo, en un contexto en el que la laicidad y la secularización se presentan bajo formas bien específicas, el catolicismo maneja su doble condición de religión y de “patrimonio colectivo”

Les parcours d'adhésion aux croyances collectives dans le domaine du religieux: une Ãtude de cas dans l'Italie du Nord

This dissertation places itself in the sociology of religions: it is a monographic study of qualitative field work. The aim is to understand collective beliefs starting from a specific phenomenon: the age-old devotion to Patrons saints Vittore, and Corona which has developed from a Northern Italian territory since the early eleventh century. Nowadays social links do reveal interactions that go beyond just religious purposes. In accordance with an interdisciplinary approach that crosses sociology, anthropology and history, data collection also concerns historical archive research

Alla ricerca di un sacro divertimento

Il turismo religioso non è solo una nicchia di mercato di grande interesse, ma anche un vettore di comprensione della diversità culturale che può avere una gestione sostenibile. Se il turismo religioso e il pellegrinaggio muovono molti milioni di persone, soprattutto in Asia e Medio Oriente, una destinazione importante resta certamente l’Italia, anche in vista del Giubileo del 2025

La réappropriation de la religion dans le Nord de l’Italie. Une approche historique aux sanctuaires

This paper presents religiosity in shrines as a form of intersubjective appropriation and reappropriation of figures, themes, representations, and practices that are not specific to a particular social class. Based on the discussion of the concept of popular religion, as well as ethnographic and historical data, it exemplifi es the relevance of sanctuaries for the Catholic Church by proposing a broad definition of sanctuary. Taken as an example, this small sanctuary in northern Italy shows in what way sacred places are part of a cultural and religious heritage that local societies are striving to preserve

Tromboembolismo Pulmonar Agudo - revisão sistemática sobre o manejo da doença e novas perspectivas na intervenção cirúrgica em pacientes graves

O tromboembolismo pulmonar apresenta elevada morbimortalidade quando não diagnosticado e tratado rapidamente. Por apresentar um quadro clínico inespecífico, pode ser confundido com inúmeras patologias e, nesse sentido, para o seu devido diagnóstico, o TEP sempre deve ser considerado em pacientes com sintomas cardiorrespiratórios e portadores de fatores de risco. Dessa forma, a partir da suspeição clínica, tem-se intitulado inúmeros exames complementares que auxiliam na confirmação diagnóstica, sendo a angiotomografia computadorizada (angio-TC) considerada, atualmente, o padrão ouro. Contudo, outras ferramentas podem auxiliar no diagnóstico, como o escore de WELLs, a dosagem do Dímero-D e a ultrassonografia com doppler de membros inferiores. Ademais, a doença pode ser estratificada, a depender de sua gravidade, em TEP maciço, submaciço e leve; nesse sentido, a depender da estratificação, institui-se diferentes tratamentos. Atualmente, o TEP submaciço tem gerado inúmeras discussões, a respeito de qual tratamento instituir: um manejo intensivo - através de intervenção cirúrgica ou fibrinólise - ou conservador - mesmo tratamento do quadro leve de TEP. Entretanto, para o manejo do TEP maciço, tem-se ganhado espaço a intervenção cirúrgica, visto que em muitas circunstâncias há contraindicações no uso de fibrinólise como medida terapêutica. Por fim, para o TEP leve, recomenda-se a terapia de suporte e o uso de anticoagulantes orais

Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults

Background Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories. Methods We used data from 3663 population-based studies with 222 million participants that measured height and weight in representative samples of the general population. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends in the prevalence of different BMI categories, separately for adults (age ≥20 years) and school-aged children and adolescents (age 5–19 years), from 1990 to 2022 for 200 countries and territories. For adults, we report the individual and combined prevalence of underweight (BMI <18·5 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). For schoolaged children and adolescents, we report thinness (BMI <2 SD below the median of the WHO growth reference) and obesity (BMI >2 SD above the median). Findings From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in 11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 that the observed changes were true decreases. The combined prevalence increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and 140 countries (70%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. In 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity was highest in island nations in the Caribbean and Polynesia and Micronesia, and countries in the Middle East and north Africa. Obesity prevalence was higher than underweight with posterior probability of at least 0·80 in 177 countries (89%) for women and 145 (73%) for men in 2022, whereas the converse was true in 16 countries (8%) for women, and 39 (20%) for men. From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of thinness and obesity decreased among girls in five countries (3%) and among boys in 15 countries (8%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80, and increased among girls in 140 countries (70%) and boys in 137 countries (69%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. The countries with highest combined prevalence of thinness and obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were in Polynesia and Micronesia and the Caribbean for both sexes, and Chile and Qatar for boys. Combined prevalence was also high in some countries in south Asia, such as India and Pakistan, where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined. In 2022, obesity in school-aged children and adolescents was more prevalent than thinness with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 among girls in 133 countries (67%) and boys in 125 countries (63%), whereas the converse was true in 35 countries (18%) and 42 countries (21%), respectively. In almost all countries for both adults and school-aged children and adolescents, the increases in double burden were driven by increases in obesity, and decreases in double burden by declining underweight or thinness. Interpretation The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries, driven by an increase in obesity, while underweight and thinness remain prevalent in south Asia and parts of Africa. A healthy nutrition transition that enhances access to nutritious foods is needed to address the remaining burden of underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesit