Across Italy and France: Sacred Space & Time

This program examines the “sacred” in its broad meaning within the history, culture, landscape, and architecture of Italy and France. The exploration will include the religious (particularly in the context of Catholic Christianity), the secular, and the natural (as in the world of physical nature). Churches, museums, monuments, government buildings, and natural heritage sites will be the focus of our visits and teachings. From these experiences will emerge a deepened knowledge and appreciation of the faith legacy we share with other Christian denominations as well as greater understanding of the complexities that characterize the realm of religion in the post-Enlightenment Western world. We will reflect on such questions as: how did Christianity shape the culture, architecture, politics, and faith of the French and the Italians? How did it face and continue to face the challenges and opportunities of modernity and postmodernity, including secularization, the separation of church and state, and the arrival of other denominations and religions? What action-inspiring lessons can Latter-day Saint and other believers draw from the once-filled Christian churches and cathedrals that now stand mostly as memories of bygone times of religious vibrancy? We will address these questions as we travel throughout Italy and France, spending about three weeks in each country. Our journey will stretch from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, through famous sites as well as off-the-beaten path locations, and culminating in the capital cities of Rome to Paris, all while enjoying the best cuisines in the world.

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