Studies and Memorabilia from Palestine and Transjordan. The revival of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the re-discovery of the Holy Land during the 19th century (original) (raw)

Orientalism Revisited: Art, Land and Voyage Ian Richard, Netton (ed), Series: Culture and Civilization in the Middle East, Routledge, 2012, pp. 165-175

The revival of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem (1847) under the auspices of Uniatism represented another dimension of the meeting between the West and the East that encompassed the specific religious meaning of the enterprise. In 1872, the first pastoral visit that Mgr. Valerga paid to his diocese between Palestine and Transjordan represented the complexity of this encounter quite well. Besides the spiritual and religious significance of the journey, Mgr. Valerga’s tour of the Holy Land gave him the chance to get acquainted with this land and its inhabitants, bringing back to Jerusalem and to the West the results of this experience: studies and memorabilia. Firstly, the essay analyzes the socio-political and cultural implications of the revival of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem within the Holy Land. Aiming at permanently reunifying the East and the West, the initial interpretation of the revival project involved cultural acquaintance with this land to bridge the gap between different times and spaces in order to anchor this “new” institution within the Holy Land. The interactions between memory, historical past and imagined future are analyzed. Secondly, the essay reconsiders Mgr. Valerga’s journey and his narration under the perspectives of “narrative as form of power”, focusing on the relation between Mgr Valerga, his biographer and their audience. Finally, the essay reconsiders the consequences of creating a specific image of the Holy Land deeply rooted in its Biblical and pre-modern past, a land to be saved and revived.

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