Art of the Sacred: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Religious and Spiritual Artistic Activity

The intersection of art and religious or spiritual activity is an enduring feature of human existence. Religious thinking and praxis act as a mirror through which spiritually inclined individuals and societies may get a better understanding of their surroundings and even discover deeper meanings in the phenomena they experience. Throughout this autopoietic process, art serves as a powerful conduit for the ultimately ineffable meanings to be directly expressed and communicated.  Consequently, as scholars of religion continue to draw inspiration from this cornerstone of human experience, there is a need for spaces where the intersections of religion and art can be explored from a multitude of angles. This year’s interdisciplinary conference seeks to serve as one such extraordinary environment, where dynamic and often contested relationships between the spheres of art, religion, and spirituality can be discussed across the ages. In such a sphere, theoretical approaches may meet, case studies may bring more thorough understandings, and multi- and transdisciplinary perspectives may offer novel tools to explore the multifaceted connections to the ultimately ineffable.

The Central European Symposium for the Academic Study of Religion’s 2026 conference features 40 papers from young and established scholars, across the fields of Art History, Religious Studies, Theology, Cultural Anthropology, Folklore, Sociology of Religion, Social and Political History, Philosophy and Psychology of Religion, Comparative Cultural Studies, Architecture, Musicology, Literature, Theater, Film Studies and many other related specializations. Ultimately, all papers contribute to a growing discussion on how artistic practices have already-, can now-, or shall approach, interpret, embody, and transform humanity’s understanding of the sacred in the future.

The papers accepted by our international Reviewers’ Committee have been organized into 10 dedicated thematic sessions. These papers are complemented by keynote presentations from renowned academics from Europe and beyond, delivered by emeritus Professor. Eileen Barker and Professor Dyron Daughrity.

With this event, CESAR hopes to provide an inspiring and safe setting where both early-career scholars and established researchers can find appropriate audiences to discuss their research, receive critical feedback, and gain new perspectives and test their theorems in academic environments. Our symposium also strives to provide several informal events where researchers from around the world can build stronger connections and explore further collaboration among the participating institutions. Our affiliated journals, Religio, Sacra, and the Hungarian Journal of Religious Studies, support these endeavors by offering peer-reviewed publication opportunities to a select number of excellent presenters.