Programme

Thursday, 22 October 2026

Venue: Irish College Leuven, Janseniusstraat 1, 3000 Leuven, Belgium (View on Google Maps)

8.30 | Registrations

9.00 | Official institutional welcome:
            – Patty Wageman, President of FRH
            – EU Commission representative
            – Peter De Wilde, CEO Flemish Heritage Agency
            – Wouter Jaspers, Director PARCUM

1º SUB-THEME: From community-based to holistic: Different approaches to future-proofing religious heritage

Moderated by……. (TBC)

09.30 | Keynote presentation by Luigi Bartolomei, Professor in the Department of Architecture at the University of Bologna
10.00 | Presentation by Manuela Klauser, TRANSARA research group
10.15 |  Audience Q&A
10.30 | Coffee break 
11.00 | Presentation by Dani Kranz, director of research of Tikvah Institute in Berlin
11.15 | Presentation by Karim Ettourki Services and Expertise Sharing KADOC
11.30| Poster presentation 
11.40 | Audience Q&A
11.55 | Summary by the moderator of the day
12.00 | Lunch at the Irish College Leuven
 
STUDY VISITS
13.30 | Bus departure to site visits
 
            Site 1 – Paul van Ostaijen Cultural Centre in Heverlee, Leuven
            Former monastery transformed into a cultural hotspot. 
 
            Site 2 – Predikherenklooster, Mechelen
            Former Dominican monastery currently housing a library and a space for meeting, collaboration, art, culture, and
            literature
 
18.00 | Conference dinner
Restaurant TBC

Friday, 23 October 2026

8.00 | Guided heritage visit by Bishop Conference Belgium (TBC)

Venue: Irish College Leuven, Janseniusstraat 1, 3000 Leuven, Belgium (View on Google Maps)

9.30 | Coffee at Irish College Leuven  
9.45 | Welcome by the moderator of the day

2º SUB-THEME: Policies and Instruments: Good Practices Across Europe

Moderated by……. (TBC)

10:00 | Keynote presentation by Notre Dame Cathedral (TBC)
10.30 | Presentation by Sara Vermeulen, Flemish Heritage Agency
10.45 | Audience Q&A
11.00 | Coffee break
11.30| Presentation by Judith Toebast, Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands
11.45 | Islamic heritage presentation (TBC)
12.00 | Poster presentation
12.10 | Audience Q&A
12.25 | Summary by the Moderator of the Day

12.30 | Photo Competition Award Ceremony (2024-2025)
12.45 | Religious Heritage Innovator of the Year (2024-2025)

13.00 | Lunch at the Irish College Leuven

PARALLEL WORKSHOPS

14.00 to 16.15 | Conference participants will be divided into three groups and will rotate until they have attended both workshops and the poster exhibition. 

               Workshop 1 | Holistic approach, moderated by PARCUM

               Workshop 2 | Policies and Instruments, moderated by … (TBC)

               Poster presentations 

17.00 | Closing of the conference

Saturday, 24 October 2026 (OPTIONAL)

9:30 | Festive events at PARCUM & KADOC

Conference participants that start Saturday in Leuven are warmly invited to join one of the following events happening in town. Please note that these activities are not guided by FRH, although our team will provide guidance on how to get to the venues and what to expect from each event.

OPTION A | Visit & presentation at PARCUM
PARCUM is celebrating the completion of the restoration works on Park Abbey, which houses the organisation’s museum and centre of expertise on religious heritage. To mark the occasion, a festive open day will invite the public to discover the details of the restoration and learn more about the role PARCUM plays in supporting Flanders’ religious heritage.

OPTION B | Visit & presentation at KADOC