back
The Phenomenon of a Sacred Countryside, Its Signs and Components (international scholarly seminar) will present the issue of folk religiosity, including its diverse manifestations. Christian piety shaped culture, and cultural artifacts contributed to the beauty and dignified course of religious ceremonies, which influenced the piety of believers and their religious ideas.
How do we perceive folk piety and what did it mean in the past? What does this term actually mean? How did it influence material and spiritual culture? Do we know the diverse manifestations of folk piety? How do they change, persist, or disappear? What social relevance does folk piety have in contemporary society? What cultural heritage can we be proud of? Do we pay due attention and care to this heritage?
On behalf of the Ponitrianske Museum in Nitra, the main organizer, we would like to invite you to the international scholarly seminar The Phenomenon of a Sacred Countryside, Its Signs and Components, which will take place on October 1-2, 2025, at the Ponitrianske Museum in Nitra.
The event is organized in cooperation with the Institute of Ethnology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, represented by the expert guarantor PhDr. Markéta Holubová, Ph.D. from the Department for Cultural Heritage Research.
The goal of the international scholarly seminar is to network representatives of the professional community (scientific disciplines of ethnology, anthropology, religious studies, sociology of religion, monument protection, fine art and others) and create a platform for the presentation of theoretical, empirical and scientific knowledge in the field of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, and the outputs of field research work.
To present and develop new knowledge and information related to the thematic focus of the seminar.
To present opportunities and development trends that influence interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary cooperation between scientific disciplines and institutions, have an impact on museological research and enable the implementation of museum activities.
In line with the thematic focus of the seminar, create an opportunity for the exchange of knowledge, experience, and information on the implementation of the topic in the field of museum presentation, museum pedagogy, or education about regional history.
To initiate a discussion on comprehensive research on religiosity in Slovakia, the creation of archives of small sacral objects, documentation of musical, artistic, verbal and other expressions that influenced the formation of identity, coexistence, but also religious tolerance or religious indifference in communities.
The photo exhibition is a space for presenting successful rescues of small sacral architecture objects in the Czech Republic.
The event is intended for ethnologists, historians, art historians, experts in the field of landmark care and maintenance, museum workers and all researchers who deal with manifestations of folk religiosity in both historical and contemporary contexts. We accept contributions in Slovak, Czech and English.
The organizers of this scholarly international seminar want to create a professional platform for the following thematic areas:
- identification and presentation of local, rural sacral spaces, local small sacral objects and pilgrimage sites,
- identification and presentation of local, rural sacral spaces, local small sacral objects and pilgrimage sites with ties to the Nitra region,
- exceptional collection items or collections of collected items,
- identification and presentation of local expressions of folk piety, including religious customs and acts,
- verbal, musical, artistic expressions,
- landmark maintenance and care.
LANGUAGE: Slovak, English (translation)
Fill out the application for participation in the conference with a contribution (maximum length 20 minutes) by 30. 6. 2025 using this registration form. We will send you the decision on whether or not your application has been accepted no later than 11. 7. 2025 to the contact email you provided.
The complete conference program will be sent to you by 31. 8. 2025 and will be published on our website.
The conference will culminate with a planned online collection of contributed material available on the museum’s website. Interested parties can now submit their contributions to the upcoming issue of Slovak Ethnography 1/2026 Folk Piety: The Spiritual World of the Rural Population More information can be found at: https://uesa.sav.sk/slovensky-narodopis/
For any questions, please contact: Mgr. Barbora Turčanová, PhD. : +421 940 943 016 | muzejnypedagog2@muzeumnitra.sk