The Palace of the Patriarchate in Bucharest will host the National Conference “Doctrinal Unity and National Distinctiveness in Church Painting” in November, bringing together specialists in iconography, church painting, architecture and restoration.
Now in its 13th edition, the Romanian Patriarchate’s Church Painting Commission will organise the conference on 12–13 November.
This year’s theme is Church Art: Byzantine Heritage and Contemporary Expression.
Iconography and art history
The first day’s programme will open with a laudatio address, followed by a session on iconography and art history, themed Iconography and Style: The Byzantine Tradition and Its Interpretation Throughout History.
The address will be delivered by lecturer Luigi Bambulea of the National University of Arts in Bucharest and will honour the Prolog Group.
The first session will feature presentations on the Orthodox Byzantine iconographic manual; church painting in Ohrid; the icons of Alexandru Ponehalschi; the iconography of the prothesis; and depictions of the Holy Emperors Constantine and Helen in contemporary painting.
Restoration of religious heritage
The final session, devoted to architecture and restoration, will focus on Heritage, Restoration and Ecclesiastical Architecture: Memory and the Recovery of History.
Presentations will include studies of the St Thekla Establishment in Bucharest; the restoration of icons from the former iconostasis of the Metropolitan Church in Târgoviște; the conservation of wooden elements at Bánffy Castle in Răscruci; and the restoration of paintings at the Annunciation Church of the Romanian-Greek Mixed Parish in Brăila.
Registration and participation
Attendance requires advance registration, and the conference will take place exclusively in person, with no online broadcast. The registration form is available online.
