This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
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History of Religions
History of the 3 Monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) and of the main different Christianity confessions (Roman Catholicism, Eastern Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, Anglicanism and Protestantism)
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Pedagogical Approaches
New pedagogical approaches to teach history of religion
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Role of Religions in Civilization
How to didactically promote among students of different confessions, the capacity of a critical analysis and understanding of the role played by religions in the history of mankind
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Interreligious Students’ Competences
Set of teaching contents, to be used by teachers to highlight and valorize the universal values of tolerance and universalisms that all Monotheistic religions and religious texts contain to promote and sustain mutual understanding among students
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Managing Multi-Religious Classes
Teaching Sources to help teachers dealing with multicultural and multi-religious classes
Map
An interactive didactical map interactive didactical map giving access to sites with a religious relevance.-
Introduction
A comparative review of the liturgical celebrations, ceremonies and dietary rules existing in the different religions.
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Celebrations
Description and comparative analysis of the celebrations of different religions and confessions
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Ceremonies
Description and comparative analysis of the ceremonies of different religions and confessions
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Dietary Rules
Description and comparative analysis of the dietary rules of different religions and confessions
Events
The Pathway through Religions project has been promoted trough conferences and articles.
Conferences
The Pathway through Religions project was presented in a number of events in order to report about the activities carried out and the results achieved
Press Review
The Pathway through Religions project partnership made contacts with web sites focusing on the fields of educationPartnership
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Contractual Partners
From this section it is possible to access to a description of each contractual partner of the Pathway through Religions project.
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Schools
From this section it is possible to access to the information about the schools involved in the Pathway through Religions Project in the European countries involved.
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Associated Partners
As a result of the exploitation activity a number of associated partners officially joined the project in order to contribute to the improvement of the project impact on their target groups and to ensure the project sustainability by continuing using the project deliverables in the next years.
This section of the Pathway through Religions portal provides administrative information for the project contractual partners and for the European Commission and it is password protected.
Role of Religions in Civilization
Homepage > Teachers’ Guide > Role of Religions in Civilization
Set of teaching contents, to be used by teachers to highlight and valorize the universal values of tolerance and universalisms that all Monotheistic religions and religious texts contain to promote and sustain mutual understanding among students
Role of Religions in Civilization
2. Religion Supporting the Creation of Art
The world of religion and the world of art are intrinsically linked. The teacher can start by asking students how they define “religious art”. Religious art can be defined as any artwork whose themes support the moral message of the religion it illustrates, displaying the worship of its god(s), deity or religious themes.
For instance, in an architectural perspective, the Blue Mosque of Istanbul (see pictures in link in the online resources section), the Buddhas of Bamiyan (idem), the Elgin Marbles or Parthenon Marbles (idem), the Egyptian pyramids, or the French Gothic Cathedrals show that the history of religion and the history of architecture are deeply related. They include a wide range of decorative arts such as calligraphy, ceramics, crafts, icons, mosaic, stained glass, tapestry, wood-carving, etc. Architectural creations not only embody some deity or history of the religion they represent, but they also display the greatness of those religions at the time they were built.
The teacher can use this website displaying 25 pictures of religious architectural sites.
Alongside architecture, the most common type of religious art is through paintings and portable sculptures. Paintings were very important not only in the Christian religion. For instance, Hindu paintings were exemplified by early and medieval works. Islamic art also uses wall painting among many other forms of art (ceramic art, stone-carving, textile silk art). The teacher can use the following website with 28 Christian paintings and analyse some of them with the students.
The teacher can then ask students about the function and purpose of religious art. The aim of religious art could be defined as a way to give form to the supernatural, which is outside of human perception. Religious art is mainly an act of worship. Architectural sites can also be used to teach and house congregations. Public statuary can inspire people, and interior decorations and paintings can inform people about the history of the religion (and its prominence) as well as being about the appreciation of beauty.
For instance, in an architectural perspective, the Blue Mosque of Istanbul (see pictures in link in the online resources section), the Buddhas of Bamiyan (idem), the Elgin Marbles or Parthenon Marbles (idem), the Egyptian pyramids, or the French Gothic Cathedrals show that the history of religion and the history of architecture are deeply related. They include a wide range of decorative arts such as calligraphy, ceramics, crafts, icons, mosaic, stained glass, tapestry, wood-carving, etc. Architectural creations not only embody some deity or history of the religion they represent, but they also display the greatness of those religions at the time they were built.
The teacher can use this website displaying 25 pictures of religious architectural sites.
Alongside architecture, the most common type of religious art is through paintings and portable sculptures. Paintings were very important not only in the Christian religion. For instance, Hindu paintings were exemplified by early and medieval works. Islamic art also uses wall painting among many other forms of art (ceramic art, stone-carving, textile silk art). The teacher can use the following website with 28 Christian paintings and analyse some of them with the students.
The teacher can then ask students about the function and purpose of religious art. The aim of religious art could be defined as a way to give form to the supernatural, which is outside of human perception. Religious art is mainly an act of worship. Architectural sites can also be used to teach and house congregations. Public statuary can inspire people, and interior decorations and paintings can inform people about the history of the religion (and its prominence) as well as being about the appreciation of beauty.
Online Resources
- About Blue MosqueThe page presents the history of the Blue Mosque and how it is possible to visit it.
- Bamiyan BuddhasThis article deals with the history of the Bamiyan Buddhas and its importance in Buddhist culture, and the history of their destruction in 2001
- Friends or foes? Art's long, complicated relationship with religionAn article about the history of art and religion and how they are related in the previous centuries and in the contemporary era.
- How the Parthenon Lost its MarblesThis webpage presents the history of the Parthenon and of how it was later in decline (notably because of people carrying off items).
- List of Famous Religious Image Paintings 28 pictures famous Christian paintings with some historical background for each of them.
- 25 Most Impressive Examples of Religious ArchitectureA page displaying 25 pictures of religious architectural sites.
- Muslim HeritageThis is a website to discover Muslim civilisation by the Foundation for Science Technology and Civilisation.
- Religious Art (700,000 BCE – present) – Definition, History, TypesThis website deals with the history of religious art, mainly in the Christian religion. At the end, there is also a brief overview of art in other religions.
Practical Activity
- A brief history of religion in artThe activity is a discussion about the definition and the aim of art, as well as the integration of religion into art.
