For the sake of salvation and happiness in life. Studies of Byzantine pilgrimage and its origins, Römisch-Germanischen  Zentralmuseum Mainz, December 2–4, 2015

The project entitled “For the sake of salvation and happiness in life. Studies of Byzantine pilgrimage and its origins” is sponsored by the Leibniz Association and carried out at the Roman-Germanic Central Museum in Mainz. The international conference to conclude the project will take place in December 2015 and will deal with the topic on an interdisciplinary level including the fields of archaeology, Byzantine studies, art history, history, religious history, epigraphy, historical geography and social psychology. The deadline for proposed presentations is 31 May 2015.

In the Middle Ages, pilgrimage gained an ever-increasing religious and socio-economic significance. Visits made initially to biblical sites provided a way of directly experiencing the process of salvation, thereby cementing the beliefs of the individual visitors/pilgrims. A whole range of local and supra-regional centres of pilgrimage gradually evolved, which attracted visitors from afar by cleverly staging saintly individuals or their relics as well as various miracles.  Special memorabilia (eulogia) spread the reputation of these centres. The search for salvation and happiness as a religious motive, however, is rooted in the pre-Christian era.

The international conference to conclude the project will take place in December 2015 and will deal with the topic on an interdisciplinary level including the fields of archaeology, Byzantine studies, art history, history, religious history, epigraphy, historical geography and social psychology. Presentations are welcome on the following groups of themes:

• The origins and Christianization of ancient sacred sites
• The contextualization of pilgrim destinations and sacred sites in their natural surroundings and sacral topography.
• The pilgrims on their way (travel routes, journey duration, modes of transport, accommodation)
• Cult objects and worshipped individuals
• Votive offerings, pilgrimage souvenirs, relics and reliquaries
• Changes and developments of the organisation of the cult sites, environmental history and political influences
• Theological, religious, hagiographic, social and medical aspects of pilgrimage

All topics should place a special emphasis on changes that are traceable in the course of diachronic developments.

The general aim of the conference is to provide a synopsis of archaeological investigations and research in the field together with analyses of textual sources as well as new approaches from the fields of sociology and psychology.

The official conference languages are German, English and French.

Expenses incurred for transport and accommodation will be reimbursed by the organisers for all speakers.