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Epigraphie et latinité au Moyen Âge : colloque international, 18-23 mai 2026, CESCM

Clôturant les projets de recherche ERC GRAPH-EAST et IUF CARMECA, le colloque international Épigraphie et latinité au Moyen Âge, qui aura lieu au CESCM du 18 au 23 mai 2026 avec l’appui de l’Equipex+ Biblissima+, va bien au-delà d’un nécessaire bilan historiographique autour de l’épigraphie médiévale (réflexions théoriques, fondements et développements de la discipline, champs d’application récents…). Adoptant une perspective de décloisonnement disciplinaire, il vise en effet à explorer, dans une alternance de synthèses thématiques et d’études de cas, les inscriptions médiévales dans le contexte de la latinité et à ses marges (géographiques ou culturelles), pour mesurer l’enjeu d’une écriture exposée dans la construction des identités.

Le programme du colloque et les modalités d’inscription (obligatoire) sont disponibles via le lien suivant : https://epilat.sciencesconf.org/registration?lang=fr 

Les avancées de GRAPH-EAST : les publications

Objectif 1 : explorer le cycle de l’objet épigraphique

  1. Ingrand-Varenne Estelle et María Aimé Villano, « Carnets et fiches de terrain : la construction du savoir en épigraphie médiévale », Écriture et image, 6, 2025. 
  2. Ingrand-Varenne Estelle, « Chiselled in rock, printed on paper: Francesco Quaresmio and the epigraphy of the Holy Land », Mediterranean Historical Review, 2023, 38 (2), p. 273-290.
  3. Ingrand-Varenne Estelle, « Transmettre les inscriptions de Terre sainte au XIIe siècle: le récit et l’annexe épigraphique de Jean de Würzburg », De transmissione epigraphica. Medios y métodos de difusión y reutilización de las inscripciones, María del Rosario Hernando Sobrino et Silvia Gómez Jiménez (eds.), Madrid : Guillermo Escolar Editor, 2024, p. 249-262.
  4. Mavromatidis Savvas et Maria Aimé Villano, “Late Medieval Cypriot Tombstones in the Colonial Period: Between the Protection of Medieval Cultural Heritage and Its Political Instrumentalization”, Medieval Art, Modern Politics, eds Brigitte Buettner & William Diebold, (Sense, Matter, and Medium series), De Gruyter (à paraître).
  5. Préteux Délia, « Typographical transcription of the inscriptions from the Holy Land: Francesco Quaresmio and the publishing adventure of the Historica, Theologica et Moralis Terræ Sanctæ Elucidatio »,Writing in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem: Inscription and Graffiti in a Multilingual and Multigraphic Perspective, co-dir. avec Clément Dussart, Turnhout : Brepols (Cultural Encounters in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages), (à paraître)
  6. Saglam Hasan Sercan, “The Arap Mosque Tombstones’ Long Life (Galata, Istanbul): Architectural Reusage. Damnatio Memoriae, Neglect”, Sepolture medievali (IV-XV secolo): Spazi, opere, scritture, Fabio Coden dir. (Minima Medievalia, 6) 2024, t. 1, p. 202-229.
  7. Villano Maria Aimé, « Un épitaphier de la Biblioteca Comunale Passerini-Landi di Piacenza per lo studio dei monumenti funerari ciprioti», dans M. Jurković, E. Scirocco, A. Timbert éd., Repenser l’art médiéval. Hommage à Xavier Barral i Altet, Turnhout (Dissertationes et Monographiae), 2023, p. 833-844.
  8. Villano Maria Aimé, « Un Génois à Chypre : le consul Marcello Cerruti et la découverte du patrimoine funéraire médiéval à travers un manuscrit inédit », Philippe Trélat, Ludivine Voisin, Actes du colloque Louis de Mas Latrie. Historian of Frankish Greece, Nicosia 30-31 octobre 2024. (à paraître)
  9. Villano Maria Aimé, « What can connoisseurship tell us about epigraphy? », in Pawel Nowakowski éd., Stone cutters and mosaicists at work, Turnhout (Studies in Byzantine Epigraphy). (à paraître)
  10. Villano Maria Aimé, « La longue vie d’un lot d’inscriptions funéraires médiévales de l’île de Chypre conservées à Paris », In-Scription [en ligne], à paraitre.
  11. Villano Maria Aimé, «Alcune considerazioni sulla tomba per il doge Marino Morosini e sul Protorinascimento veneziano», dans F. Coden (dir.), Sepolture medievali. Spazi, opere, scritture, Cinisello Basamo2024(Minima Medievalia, 2), p. 550-575.
  12. Villano Maria Aimé, «Early Modern Western Travellers in Cyprus and their Perception of Medieval and Early Modern Latin Inscriptions», dans V. Lucherini, St. D’Ovidio éd., Discovering Medieval Art while Looking for Antiquity. Travellers in Southern Europe (17th-Early 19th Centuries) (Quaderni napoletani di storia dell’arte medievale, 9), 2024, p. 287-302.

Objectif 2 : Comprendre la représentation et la pratique de l’écriture en alphabet latin en Orient, d’un point de vue paléographique, linguistique, sociologique et sociographique.

  1. Agrigoroaei Vladimir, Clément Dussart, Thierry Grégor, Estelle Ingrand-Varenne, Savvas Mavromatidis, « L’inscription ‘palimpseste’ du château de Larnaca. Tour de force méthodologique interdisciplinaire », avec, Maria Villano, MuseIKON, Alba Iulia 5, 2021, p. 50-89.
  2. Dussart Clément, « Christian Graffiti on a Reused Lintel from Mamluk-Period Ramla: A Glimpse from the East into Western Medieval Society », ‘Atiqot, no 110 (2023), p. 283‑299.
  3. Ingrand-Varenne Estelle « The Staurotheke of Henry of Constantinople and its Inscription: The ‘Smart Power’ of the New Latin Empire », The Routledge Handbook of Crusade, Texts, Images and Artefacts, ed. by Simon Thomas Parsons and Linda Paterson (à paraître).
  4. Ingrand-Varenne Estelle et Maria Aimé Villano, « The Words of the Last Hour. Tombs and Epitaphs for Women in the Kingdoms of Jerusalem and Cyprus », Tomb Monuments in Medieval Europe, ed. Paul Cockerham and Christian Steer, 2025, p.
  5. Ingrand-Varenne Estelle et Maria Aimé Villano, « Les inscriptions en alphabet latin de Chypre au Moyen Âge : enquête exploratoire », Cahiers du Centre d’Études Chypriotes, 50, 2020 [2021], p. 305-328.
  6. Ingrand-Varenne Estelle, « ‘Qui a mesuré les eaux dans le creux de sa main…’ Un relief inscrit inclassable à Emmaüs », Liturgical Furnishings between East and West (5th-15th centuries): Fragments, Objects and Contexts, ed. Fabio Coden (Minimalia medievalia), 2021, p. 142-155.
  7. Ingrand-Varenne Estelle, « French Inscriptions in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem: from Word to Museum », Atiqot – special issue Inscriptions and Writing, 110 (The Ancient Written Wor(l)d), 2023, p. 241-262. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/27204913)
  8. Ingrand-Varenne Estelle, « La poésie funéraire au Royaume de Jérusalem : le cas des épitaphes de Baudouin Ier », His verbis exprime luctum, dir. Julien De Ridder, Turnhout : Brepols (Culture et société médiévales) (à paraître).
  9. Ingrand-Varenne Estelle, « The Tree of Abraham in the Nativity Church and its Epigraphic Exegesis », Writing in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem: Inscription and Graffiti in a Multilingual and Multigraphic Perspective, dir. Estelle Ingrand-Varenne et Clément Dussart, Turnhout : Brepols (Cultural Encounters in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages), (à paraître).
  10. Ingrand-Varenne Estelle, « Writing on the Burial of Christ in the Twelfth Century: An Absent Presence in the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem », éd. Tobias Frese, Lisa Horstmann et Franziska Wenig, Sakrale Schriftbilder – Zur ikonischen Präsenz des Geschriebenen im mittelalterlichen Kirchenraum, Berlin/Boston, De Gruyter, 2024, p. 253-273.
  11. Saglam Hasan Sercan, “A Reevaluation for the Genoese Period of the Galata Tower: Epigraphy and Architectural History”, In-Scription: revue en ligne d’études épigraphiques 3, 2021.
  12. Saglam Hasan Sercan, “Examining the Landward Defensive Concept of Pera: Spiga and its Walled Vineyards”, Proceedings of Istanbul University Faculty of Architecture, National Symposium of Walled Cities, Castles and Fortifications 10.09.2022 (à paraître).
  13. Saglam Hasan Sercan, “Fortifications of Enez (Ainos) and Urban Morphology: Architectural, Historical and Epigraphic Evidence Revisited”, Journal of Urban Research and Development, Vol. 4, Issue 1, 2023, p. 29-36.
  14. Saglam Hasan Sercan, “Genoese” Heritage Along Aegean Anatolia. Neglected Fortifications Versus Ghost Colonies”, Genoa and Venice Overseas People, Power, and Art, 13th to 16th century, Rebecca Müller and Rafał Quirini-Popławski ed. (Forschungen zu Kunst, Geschichte und Literatur des Mittelalters  – Band 013), (à paraître, p. 373-393).
  15. Saglam Hasan Sercan, “Maritime Walls and Towers of the Enez Castle: A Joint Work by Libadarios and Gattilusio”, Proceedings of the Online International Conference on Byzantine, Western and Post-Byzantine Towers (10th–16th centuries) 18–20 November 2022  (à paraître).

Objectif 3 : Replacer l’écriture latine dans un paysage graphique large, prenant en compte les écritures environnantes

  1. Agrigoroaei Vladimir et Estelle Ingrand-Varenne, « Cum manus his Efrem fertur fecisse tu autem (1169). The transfer of a formula in the mosaics of the Nativity Church in Bethlehem », Translation Automatisms in the Vernacular Texts of the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period, dir. Vladimir Agrigoroaei, Ileana Sasu, Turnout : Brepols, 2023, p. 430-436.
  2. Dussart Clément, Estelle Ingrand-Varenne dir., Writing in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem: Inscription and Graffiti in a Multilingual and Multigraphic Perspective, Turnhout : Brepols (Cultural Encounters in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages), 2026.
  3. Dussart Clément, Estelle Ingrand-Varenne, « A Landscape of Signs: the Southern Façade of the Holy Sepulchre (12th-16th c.) », Epigraphies of Pious Travel: A Conference on Pilgrimage and Graffiti, Turnhout : Brepols (Studies in Byzantine Epigraphy), (à paraître).
  4. Dussart Clément, Estelle Ingrand-Varenne, « On the Margins of Graffiti: ‘Writings Fixed’ in Pilgrimage Sites in the Holy Land », Writing on the Margins. Graffiti in Italy and beyond (7th-16th c.), Turnhout : Brepols (Utrecht Studies in Medieval Literacy), (à paraître).
  5. Harutyunyan Khachik A., Estelle Ingrand-Varenne, Anna Lagaron, « The Inscribed Armenian Wooden Door from 1227 in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem », Above the Curve Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Woodwork in Mediterranean and Balkan Perspective, 11th-16th c. (à paraître).
  6. Ingrand-Varenne Estelle, « The Bilingual Inscriptions in the Nativity Church in Bethlehem: Translation, Adaptation, and Refusal of Transfer », Latin Translations of Greek Texts from the 11th to the 13th Century, Paraskevi Toma et Péter Bara dir., Brill, p. 428-461.

Objectif 4 : Analyser cette écriture migrante au prisme des transferts culturels entre Orient et Occident

  1. Dussart Clément, « Venitian Graffiti from Palestine to Egypt (14-19th c) », Viella (Scritture e libri del medioevo) (à paraître)
  2. Dussart Clément, Écrire dans les lieux saints : graffitis latins et pèlerinages en Palestine (xie – xvie siècles), Brepols (SCRIPTVRA: Places, Forms, and Functions of Writing) (à paraître)

Autres : Livres financés par GRAPH-EAST en lien avec la thématique

  • Grégor Thierry, Bertrand Riba, De la trace à l’outil, Talence : Fedora, 2025.
  • Villano Maria Aimé, Les colonnes du ciborium de San Marco à Venise,Turnhout 2025 (Culture et société médiévales, 43).

Programme du colloque international “Epigraphie et Latinité”

Clôturant les projets de recherche ERC GRAPH-EAST et IUF CARMECA, le colloque international Épigraphie et latinité au Moyen Âge, qui aura lieu au CESCM du 18 au 23 mai 2026 avec l’appui de l’Equipex+ Biblissima+, va bien au-delà d’un nécessaire bilan historiographique autour de l’épigraphie médiévale (réflexions théoriques, fondements et développements de la discipline, champs d’application récents…). Adoptant une perspective de décloisonnement disciplinaire, il vise en effet à explorer, dans une alternance de synthèses thématiques et d’études de cas, les inscriptions médiévales dans le contexte de la latinité et à ses marges (géographiques ou culturelles), pour mesurer l’enjeu d’une écriture exposée dans la construction des identités.

Argumentaire complet : Colloque_épigraphie_et_latinité – FR – EN_ok

Programme prévisionnel

Lundi 18 mai 2026

  • 17h30 – Accueil et introduction : Cécile TREFFORT (Université de Poitiers – CESCM – IUF) et Estelle INGRAND-VARENNE (CNRS – CESCM)
  • 18h – Conférence inaugurale : Benoît GREVIN (CNRS – EHESS), « Le latin des pierres, ou la dernière frontière du latin médiéval (400-1700) »
  • 19h30 – Cocktail d’ouverture et vernissage de l’exposition « 50 ans d’épigraphie médiévale à Poitiers »

Mardi 19 mai 2026

9h-10h30 : 1ère session : Latinité(s) (présidence de séance : Vladimir Agrigoroaei, CNRS – CESCM)

  • Andreas RHOBY (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften), « Medieval Latin Epigraphy in Greek Context »
  • Maria VILLANO (CNRS – CESCM – ERC GRAPH-EAST), « Negociating latinitas: the case of works of art commissioned in non-Latin areas for a Latin public »

Discussion

11h-12h30 : 2e session : Paysages épigraphiques (présidence de séance : Andreas Rhoby, Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften)

  • Ida TOTH (University of Oxford), « Reading (and Writing) Latin Inscriptions in 10th Century Constantinople: Two Case Studies »
  • Hasan Sercan SAGLAM (Koç University), « The Epigraphic and Architectural Landscape of the Bodrum Castle of St. Peter: Jacques Gatineau’s Lapidary Program in Context »

Discussion

14h-15h30 : 3e session : Présence, absence, dissonances (présidence de séance : Michalis Olympios, University of Cyprus)

  • Vincent DEBIAIS (CNRS – EHESS), « Conformités, difformités graphiques : l’écriture sous l’influence de l’image médiévale »
  • Maria PARANI (University of Cyprus), « Stubbornly Greek: painted inscriptions in the churches of 13th-century Cyprus »

Discussion

16h-17h30 – Présentation des posters des jeunes chercheuses et chercheurs

  • John Joseph GALLAGHER (Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies), « Latinitas Anglica: The Multimodal Nature of Latin Epigraphy in Early Medieval England »
  • Johan BOLLAERT (University of Oslo), « Latinisation and Standardisation in The Medieval Epigraphy of Scandinavia »
  • Ema Tennås RIMSTAD (University of Oslo), « Latin and vernacular medieval epigraphy on the British Isles »
  • Ophelia NORRIS (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich), « Jewish Participation in Latinitas: Multilingual Early Medieval Epitaphs from Tortosa, Narbonne, and Auch »

18h30 – Conférence grand public de Robert Favreau à la Médiathèque : « Les inscriptions de la ville de Poitiers au Moyen Âge »

Mercredi 20 mai 2026

9h-10h30 : 4e session : Mondes septentrionaux (présidence de séance : Vincent Debiais, CNRS – EHESS)

  • Alessandro PALUMBO (University of Oslo), « Latinization and (re-)vernacularization of medieval Scandinavian epigraphy »
  • Katherine FORSYTH (University of Glasgow), « Getting the message across, or just showing off?: The choice of Latin in early Medieval Celtic epigraphy »

Discussion

11h-13h : 5e session : Mondes orientaux (présidence de séance : Benoît Grévin, CNRS – EHESS)

  • Estelle INGRAND-VARENNE (CNRS – CESCM), « Latinité épigraphique et multiculturalité dans les lieux saints du Royaume de Jérusalem »
  • Frédéric IMBERT (Aix-Marseille Université), « Graffiti arabes médiévaux du Proche-Orient et de l’Arabie : arabité, arabisation et islamisation en question »

Discussion

Rémi BONNIN (CESCM – CNRS – Biblissima+), Damien STRZELECKI (CNRS – CESCM), Léontine FORTIN (CESCM – CNRS – Biblissima+), « TITULUS : une nouvelle base de données d’épigraphie médiévale en France et en Méditerranée »

14h30-16h30 : Visite du baptistère Saint-Jean et des collections épigraphiques du Musée Sainte-Croix

17h-17h30 – Présentation des posters des jeunes chercheuses et chercheurs

  • Roman CHAMBONNET (chercheur indépendant), « Latinité et non latinité dans l’espace sacré médiéval : une approche holistique des graffitis scripturaux »
  • Antonella UNDIEMI (Università di Padova), « Scratching on Giotto: A Cosmopolitan History of the Scrovegni Chapel through its Graffiti »

17h30-19h30 – 6e session : Graffitis et multigraphisme, partie 1 : Table-ronde présidée par Carlo TEDESCHI (Università degli Studi “G. d’Annunzio” Chieti Pescara), avec la participation Flavia DE RUBEIS (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia), Simone ALLEGRIA (Università degli Studi “G. d’Annunzio” Chieti Pescara – ERC Graff-IT), Véronique PLESCH (Colby College) et Clément DUSSART (CNRS – CESCM – ERC GRAPH-EAST), Adam LAJTAR (University of Warsaw).

Jeudi 21 mai 2026

9h-10h30 : 6e session : Graffitis et multigraphisme, partie 2 (présidence de séance : Carlo Tedeschi, Università degli Studi “G. d’Annunzio” Chieti Pescara)

Clément DUSSART (CNRS – CESCM – ERC GRAPH-EAST), Khachik HARUTUNYAN (Matenadaran  – Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts), Anna LAGARON (IFAO Le Caire), Savva MIKHEEV (Universität Heidelberg), « Pour une approche holistique des graffitis du portail sud de la basilique du Saint-Sépulcre : de l’étude des signes à l’histoire des sociétés »

Discussion

11h-12h30 : 7e session : L’épigraphie face au multilinguisme (présidence de séance : Sonja Hermann, Universität Bonn)

  • Thierry GREGOR (CESCM), « La gravure d’inscriptions lapidaires à Chypre au XIIIe-XIVe s. : une spécialité latine ? »
  • Savvas MAVROMATIDIS (University of Cyprus), « Tombs and Texts: Funerary Epigraphy and Multiculturalism in Latin Cyprus »

Discussion

14h-16h30 : 8e session : Carmina épigraphiques, partie 1 : Poésie et identité (présidence de séance :  Clemens M.M. Bayer, Liège/Bonn)

  • Francesco STELLA (Università di Siena), « Le latin “populaire” des Versus ad picturas carolingiens »
  • Chiara LAMBERT (Università degli studi di Salerno), « La poésie épigraphique en Italie du Sud aux VIIIe et IXe siècles : entre continuité d’un genre ancien et innovations religieuses et politiques »
  • Paola MOCELLA (Università di Siena), « Versus per singulos titulos aecclesiarum et altaria singula dictavimus: le iscrizioni di Alcuino tra identità locali e reti europee »

Discussion

17h-19h – Présentation des posters des jeunes chercheuses et chercheurs 

  • Amal AZZI (Université de Poitiers – CESCM) : « Inscriptions et normes typographiques sur les dalles funéraires à effigie gravée de la fin du Moyen Âge »,
  • Giacomo CONFORTIN (EHESS/ Universita Ca’ Foscari Venezia), « Beccario Beccaria’s inscription and the equestrian monument to Oldrado da Tresseno:
    A mirror, a trophy and a witness in the Broletto Nuovo of Milan »
  • Lila CONTE (École nationale des chartes – ANR E-cclesia), Nassim MANDHOUJ (CNRS Aix Marseille Université – ANR E-cclesia), « Du marbre à l’écran : Méthodes expérimentales d’identification et d’analyse du vocabulaire relatif à l’église-bâtiment dans les inscriptions latines tardo-antiques et médiévales »
  • Dai GUO (Université de Lorraine), « Les épitaphes des reines carolingiennes (du début du VIIIe siècle à la fin du IXe siècle) »
  • Beatrice LUCI (Sapienza Università di Roma), « Medieval exposed writings and the Languages of Power: Latin and no Latin inscriptions in the Patrimonium beati Petri in Tuscia (Italy) »
  • Anna MIKHALCHUK (École nationale des chartes – Centre Mabillon), « L’épigraphie créée par les érudits modernes (fin du XVIe-début du XVIIe siècle) »

Vendredi 22 mai 2026

9h-10h30 : 9e session : Carmina épigraphiques, partie 2 : Le lieu de l’inscription (présidence de séance : Adam Łajtar, University of Warsaw)

  • Wim VERBAAL (Universiteit Gent), « Les cimetières manuscrits ou à quoi sert l’épitaphe manuscrite ? »
  • Enimie ROUQUETTE (Sorbonne Université), « Pour une poétique du lieu ? Quelques carmina épigraphiques carolingiens »

Discussion

11h-13h : 10e session : Le Moyen Âge et Rome (présidence de séance : Nicolas Tran, Université de Poitiers)

  • Andreas ZAJIC (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften), « Latinité épigraphique versifiée – entre norme didactique du haut Moyen Âge et code culturel de l’humanisme »
  • Marc H. SMITH (École nationale des chartes – PSL), « Écriture et architecture : l’épigraphie monumentale des façades romaines (XIIe-XVIIe siècle) »
  • Lorenzo CALVELLI (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia), « Ancient Roman Inscriptions in the Middle Ages: From Observation to Understanding »

Discussion

14h30-17h : 11e session : Reprises et références (présidence de séance : Javier de Santiago Fernández, Universidad Complutense de Madrid)

  • Gaëlle HERBERT DE LA PORTBARRE-VIARD (Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, TDMAM), « Paulin de Nole et Suger de Saint-Denis : quelques remarques sur la construction d’une latinité épigraphique chrétienne du IVe au XIIe s »
  • François PLOTON-NICOLLET (École nationale des chartes – PSL), « Autour de l’épitaphe du cardinal Hélie de Talleyrand-Périgord (Rome, basilique Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens) »
  • Cécile TREFFORT (Université de Poitiers – CESCM), « Pourquoi étudier les inscriptions latines médiévales au XXIe siècle ? »

Discussion et conclusions

Samedi 23 mai 2026

8h30-13h excursion : Les inscriptions de l’abbaye de Saint-Savin, d’Antigny et de Leignes-sur-Fontaine, de l’époque romane à la première modernité. 

Call for Posters – International Conference “Epigraphy and Latinity in the Middle Ages”

The international conference “Epigraphy and Latinity in the Middle Ages,” which will take place at CESCM in Poitiers from May 18 to 22, 2026, offers an opportunity for PhD students or post-doctoral researchers to present their research related to the themes of the event (see the conference description below).

Posters will be displayed throughout the conference and will also be presented orally in five-minute sessions. Thus, they will constitute an interactive means of presenting the key aspect of ongoing research. The posters can be written and presented in either French or English.

To submit your poster, please send a title and an abstract (400 words), and your CV to the following email address: maison.epigraphie@univ-poitiers.fr  by December 15, 2025.

Proposals will be reviewed by the scientific committee, and responses will be given in early 2026. Selected candidates will be required to submit the digital PDF version of their poster by April 15, 2026, at the latest.

The posters will be printed by the organizers of the conference, and travel and accommodation expenses will also be covered by the conference.

Appel_à_poster_FR-EN_colloque_épigraphie

Conference Description:

Concluding the ERC GRAPH-EAST and IUF CARMECA research projects, the international conference ‘Epigraphy and Latinity in the Middle Ages’, organised by the CESCM with the support of Equipex+ Biblissima+, aims to do more than just provide a historiographical review of medieval epigraphy (covering theoretical reflections, disciplinary foundations and developments, and recent applications). This conference will explore medieval inscriptions within the broader context of Latin culture and its geographical and cultural margins through thematic summaries and case studies. The goal is to assess the significance of written expression in shaping identities.

Latinitas,’ both a historical concept and historiographical notion, is particularly well-suited for this exploration. Beyond its original rhetorical use, the concept of Latinitas, in its broadest sense, allows for an examination of very different epigraphic fields. The Latin alphabet brings up the question of writing itself. The Latin language, meanwhile, addresses not only linguistic issues but also literary and stylistic ones.

From a cultural, social, or geographical perspective, Latinitas can refer to those in the West or East who, through a multilingual Christianity, used Latin as their liturgical language and were subject to the primacy of the Roman Church. In the East, Latinitas also defined a collective ‘identity’ – that of the ‘Latins’ – which could even encompass a particular habitus (manners, customs, clothing, etc.). Finally, discussing medieval Latinitas requires situating it in time, between the Romanitas of classical or late Antiquity and the ‘neo-Latinitas’ of the Renaissance and the humanists.

The Poitiers conference seeks to explore how inscriptions contributed to the formation, development, understanding, and presentation of the concept of ‘Latinitas’ across diverse contexts. It will provide an opportunity to analyze the varied manifestations of medieval Latinitas through epigraphic media and their creators, promoting a ‘connected’ historical perspective and a dynamic approach to interactions with other epigraphic cultures, spanning the Mediterranean and further north. This allows for comparison of ‘Latinitas’ with other group identities, whose nuances are only partially captured by neologisms like ‘Francité,’ ‘Grecité,’ or ‘Arabité.’

Epigraphic documentation thus offers a unique and important lens for re-evaluating medieval Latinitas. Building on studies initiated in the 1990s concerning social writing practices and literacy, contemporary research in medieval epigraphy now views the inscribed object as a true ‘text in context.’ Its spatial, visual, and material dimensions—even its iconic and symbolic aspects—can be remarkably intricate. This broader perspective, which can be termed as ‘holistic’ or ‘ecological’, enables us to understand inscriptions by examining their text, graphic and material forms, the circumstances in which they were created, and reception within specific contexts. It also provides an opportunity to break down traditional disciplinary barriers, allowing for a broad definition of epigraphy that encompasses inscriptions on seals, coins, and even graffiti, which often resembles cursive handwriting.

To foster lively exchange and discussion, the conference is structured around five key themes:

1. Writing. In epigraphy, writing is undeniably the most instantly recognizable visual element, making it the most effective means of expressing and identifying Latin culture. We will consider: How has epigraphic writing, through its forms, visuality, and iconicity, shaped the graphic landscape of the West? What connection do the creators of inscriptions—patrons, editors, artists, and craftsmen—have with Latin culture? Does the choice of materials and techniques influence the production and perception of Latin letters? From this viewpoint, how can we interpret ‘images of writing’ (e.g., pseudo-Latin writing, more or less skilled imitations of foreign scripts) and graphic ‘otherness’?

2. Questions of Style. While epigraphic language frequently appears highly standardised, we can also investigate the role of inscriptions in shaping a particular type of Latin culture. Could the long-term circulation and transmission of common linguistic features (e.g., formulas) have contributed to the formation of specific textual networks in both the West and the East? Might so-called epigraphic poetry—a vast and multifaceted domain, previously overlooked by historians yet ubiquitous in both manuscripts and material inscriptions—have played a similar role?

3. Latin and Vernacular Languages. Inscriptions also illuminate the relationships between languages within societies or on a broader scale. This includes the various registers and layers of Latin from late Antiquity through the Middle Ages, followed by the emergence of vernacular writing during the Middle Ages, and ultimately, a renewed interest in Latin culture during the Renaissance. These dynamic, non-dichotomous relationships will be central to our discussion, approached from linguistic, sociolinguistic, and socio-semiotic perspectives. We will pay particular attention to epigraphic texts in medieval French, encompassing their diverse dialectal forms from Ireland to Cyprus and the Latin states of the Holy Land.

4. Latinity in contact. Whether in the East or the West, cosmopolitan and multicultural societies present a complex and intertwined epigraphic landscape in which the concept of Latinity can serve either as a catalyst or a lens of revelation. This invites us to explore forms of permeability, cross-fertilisation, and even hybridity evident in both the content and presentation of epigraphic messages—manifested through choices in letterforms, visual composition, graphic aesthetics, or specific techniques employed. While not excluding northern traditions such as runes or Ogham script, the Mediterranean context will be prioritized, given its rich opportunities for comparative analysis between Latin and other scripts and languages, including Greek, Arabic, Syriac, Armenian, Georgian, Hebrew, Cyrillic, and more. Particular emphasis will be placed on instances of bilingualism or digraphism within individual inscriptions or sites, enabling an examination of diverse issues: similarity or difference in textual relationships—whether translation or adaptation—between different examples; the bilingual cultural backgrounds of patrons, artisans, or intended audiences; and, more broadly, the significant identity dynamics reflected in these epigraphic choices.

5. Latinity as seen by others. The final segment of the conference will focus on how Latin inscriptions have been perceived by other cultures from the Middle Ages to the present day, including within the frameworks of modern scholarship and Orientalist perspectives. How are inscriptions rendered in Latin characters viewed from an external standpoint? Can we identify instances of ‘Latinisation,’ that is, the appropriation of identity through the incorporation of monumental Latin inscriptions on architecture, or, conversely, negative responses manifesting as erasure or destruction? What socio-cultural, ideological, and political meanings are attached to these languages and scripts when displayed?

Speakers:  

  • BONNIN Rémi (CESCM – CNRS)
  • CALVELLI Lorenzo (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia)
  • DE RUBEIS Flavia (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia)
  • DEBIAIS Vincent (EHESS – CNRS)
  • DUSSART Clément (CESCM – CNRS)
  • FAVREAU Robert (CESCM)
  • FORSYTH Katherine (University of Glasgow)
  • FORTIN Léontine (CESCM – CNRS)
  • GREGOR Thierry (CESCM)
  • GREVIN Benoît (EHESS – CNRS)
  • HARUTUNYAN Khachik (Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts  Matenadaran)
  • HERBERT DE LA PORTBARRE-VIARD Gaëlle (Aix-Marseille Université)
  • IMBERT Frédéric (Aix-Marseille Université)
  • INGRAND-VARENNE Estelle (CESCM – CNRS)
  • LAGARON Anna (IFAO Le Caire)
  • LAMBERT Chiara  (Università degli studi di Salerno)
  • MAVROMATIDIS Savvas (University of Cyprus)
  • MEYER-FERNANDEZ Geoffrey (Aix-Marseille Université)
  • MIKHEEV Savva (Universität Heidelberg)
  • MOCELLA Paola (Università di Siena)
  • PALUMBO Alessandro (University of Oslo)
  • PARANI Maria (University of Cyprus)
  • PLOTON François (École nationale des chartres)
  • RHOBY Andreas (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften)
  • ROUQUETTE Enimie (Sorbonne Université)
  • SAGLAM Sercan (Koç University)
  • SMITH Marc (École nationale des chartres)
  • STELLA Francesco (Università di Siena)
  • STREZELECKI Damien (CESCM – CNRS)
  • TEDESCHI Carlo (Università degli Studi “G. d’Annunzio” Chieti Pescara)
  • TOTH Ida (University of Oxford)
  • TREFFORT Cécile (CESCM – Université de Poitiers)
  • VERBAAL Wim (Universiteit Gent)
  • VILLANO Maria (CESCM – CNRS)
  • ZAJIC Andreas (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften)    

The Columns of the Ciborium of the Basilica of San Marco in Venice, by Maria Villano

Between iconography and epigraphy, East and West… Maria Aimé Villano just published the book Les colonnes du ciborium de San Marco à Venise (Turnhout, Brepols, 2025), 496 p. It is based on her doctoral dissertation in Italian “Le colonne del ciborio della Basilica di San Marco a Venezia”, submitted in 2020 to the University of Venice, in cooperation with the University of Poitiers in France (supervised by prof. Stefano Riccioni, prof. Fabio Coden and Vincent Debiais).

To see the table of contentsBrepols

Entirely covered with 92 sculpted stories about the infancy of the Virgin Mary and the life of Christ – displayed over 36 strips and 324 nichettes –, the columns have been the object of a long-standing scholar controversy regarding their dating, which has been placed both as early as the 6th century, due to iconography and style, and as late as the 13th, due to the palaeographical features of the inscriptions carved as tituli above the scenes. Although what seems more plausible is that the columns were sculpted in Late Antiquity and taken to Venice – where the Latin inscriptions were carved – as part of the booty of the sack of Constantinople in 1204, the complex entanglements of this whole operation were yet to be explored. Deeply connected to the problem of dating are in fact the series of relationships between the parts of the work (image-text), between the columns and the artistic context, namely the Late Antique art and the Venetian art (influences and exchanges), and between the columns and the architectural frame of the St. Mark’s Basilica. Not secondary is the problem of the symbolic implications linked to the sack of Constantinople and the practices of reutilizations of the booty in the St. Mark’s Basilica, the church that best embodies the political aspirations of the Venetian Republic. In order to analyse this complex net of relationships I was compelled to carry out interdisciplinary strategies, whose core were, however, the images. It was necessary to master the vast literature regarding the columns of the St. Mark’s Basilica, from their first mention in 1581 until today. Being conscious of the lack of neutrality of the Historian due to their position in time and space, the review of the literature was accompanied by a consistent effort of understanding the influences and the currents of thought that crossed our discipline throughout history and how these were reflected in the analysis of the columns. The methodology of analysis employed for the scenes (style, composition, content) was also applied to the inscriptions, in an attempt of breaking the boundaries between text and image. Also the form of letters convey a message, namely the message of who thought the four columns of the ciborium were worthy of occupying the most prestigious area of St. Mark’s Basilica. The elegant and well-ordered capitals, the infrequent use of abbreviations and ligatures tell of a careful and thoughtful execution, probably during the 12th century. They also bear witness of the issues at labelling the sculpted parts since not always do the inscriptions match the scenes they intend to explain. This is especially truth for those scenes often depicted in Late Antiquity or in Eastern art which were not in use during Middle Ages in Western Europe. Finally, the architectonical framing made of small shelled niches, small columns and capitals could be treated as an image bearing significance. The use of the arches, the shell and the columns recall the composition of Late Antique sarcophagi, while the small capitals, which do not belong to any classical order and depict a form resembling a lily, might be connected to the description of Solomon’s Temple. The study of a complex work of art, with an intricate history placed in a stratified context, such as the columns of the ciborium of St. Mark’s Basilica required the application of various strategies aiming to evoke – as much as possible – the almost infinite messages they bear. Such an approximation was only possible through the analysis of every single part and their re-composition in a coherent net of reciprocal relationships.