Description
The transformation of religious institutions into museums is a recurring topic in heritage studies. This is particularly visible in the secularisation of sacred spaces, the reclassification of religion as culture, and the shifting narratives that reframe them within national, artistic or historical contexts. However, the specific situation of musealised female convents and their gendered histories remains understudied. In 18th- and 19th-century Europe, the forced secularisation of female convents, followed by emerging national heritage policies, led to their dual marginalisation: as religious institutions affected by secularisation, and as female-led spaces whose histories were often overlooked in favour of gender-neutral or male-dominated narratives. Focusing on three case studies, this contribution discusses how femaleconvents were redefined through their conversion
into museum spaces.
The Monastery of Poor Clares in Prague, today part of the National Gallery, shifted from a female-centred religious space to a national museum for medieval art. The former Monastery of San Salvatore in Brescia, now the Museo di Santa Giulia, underwent a similar transformation, emphasising its regional and European significance over its monastic past. The Essen Abbey, today the Essen Cathedral Treasury, prioritised a universal Catholic narrative that overshadows its long history as a powerful regional female institution. These European cases parallel a broader trend in museum-making in which certain histories are marginalised to serve new institutional and nationalistic purposes. By examining the motivations behind these transitions – whether political, ideological or practical – this work focuses on the discussions on how museums emerge, evolve and construct narratives, particularly in relation to gendered histories at local, regional and national contexts.
| Period | 27-Sept-2025 |
|---|---|
| Held at | The National Gallery, United Kingdom |
| Degree of Recognition | International |
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