Join us on a Visual Theology Pilgrimage from Rome to Venice
April 18 - May 2, 2020
At a recent meeting, biblical scholar John Dominic Crossan described his way of approaching the study of art, archeology, and architecture as “visual theology.” Unlike the study of art history just on its own, visual theology begs the question, “So what did it mean?” What does a 5th century mosaic in Ravenna say about Christianity during the fall of Rome? What does a Paleochristian site under St. Peter’s Basilica say about Christianity under the Empire? What does a fresco in the subterranean reaches of fifth-century church in Siena say about the ways they saw resurrection? What can a Byzantine mosaic in Ravenna impart about the ways different peoples and cultures have experience Christ and how women were included in the early church?
And the biggest questions for pilgrims is What does that art, architecture, and archeology say to me about the way I live my faith in the 21st century? Recently, Richard Rohr wrote, “Art reveals what people believe and emphasize at any one time….Visual art speaks to us on a deeper level than our intellectual mind. Artists use color, form, line, and texture to bypass our normal defenses, stirring emotions that transcend language, explanation, time, and space.” You are invited to join Plymouth ministers Hal Chorpenning and Jane Anne Ferguson on this journey, beginning in Rome and the Vatican, journeying to Assisi and Orvieto, Siena, Florence – including the Accademia and Uffizi Galleries and the scavi under the Duomo, Ravenna – with its phenomenally preserved 5th c. mosaics, Padua and Giotto’s Scravegni Chapel, and incomparable Venice. Please download the brochure on this page for complete detail and and application form. Please note that the deadline for signups is November 30, 2019! For more information, email hal@plymouthucc.org |