About Us

The project, “Churches of Venice. New research perspectives”, directed by Gianmario Guidarelli, was established in 2010.  Since 2017 it has been hosted by the Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage of the Ca ‘Foscari University of Venice and supported by Save Venice Inc. The project consists of a programme of annual or biennial interdisciplinary conferences, each focused on a particular Venetian church.  In this way the project seeks to encourage the interaction between different disciplines in order to gain a better understanding of the complex dynamics of Venetian society. Over the centuries, the city’s numerous churches have helped to catalyze the formation of local identities. Churches are not simply religious monuments adorned with works of art; throughout history they have provided the context for local loyalties, economic and cultural activities, devotional ritual and the commemoration of the dead. In addition to addressing the study of Venetian churches in an innovative way through its “new research perspectives ”, the project also takes up the challenge of reaching a wider audience: each conference forms the basis for a book of essays, based on the conference proceeding. published in a special series  The first five volumes were published by Marcianum Press;  from the sixth volume onwards, the series is published by Viella Editore.