Associate Professor Charlene Vella from the University of Malta's Department of Art and Art History participated in the international workshop "Medieval Images of the Virgin: Materialities, Environments, Ecologies," hosted by the University of Bamberg on 23 May 2025. Organised by the Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Heritage Sciences and History of Art, the conference was convened by Medieval Art Historian Katharina Christa Schüppel.
This conference saw leading scholars examining the dynamic interactions between Marian imagery, materiality, and environment in the medieval period. Prof. Vella was one of nine speakers selected from thirty abstract submissions. She delivered a paper entitled ‘The Mellieħa Cave Church Icon: Materiality, Environment, and Marian Devotion in a Sacred Landscape’, which explored the unique devotional practices surrounding the Mellieħa sanctuary in Malta. Her research highlighted the significance of site-specific sacred art and its sensory engagement with worshippers, contributing to broader discussions on the ecological and material contexts of medieval religious imagery.
The workshop featured a keynote address by Professor Heather Pulliam (University of Edinburgh) on the eco-iconography of eighth-century Iona, Ireland, alongside presentations from scholars representing institutions such as Roma Tre University, the University of Chicago, Stanford University, and the University of Salamanca. The event was supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and will be published by the University of Bamberg Press.
Prof. Vella's participation underscores the University of Malta's commitment to international scholarly collaboration, the advancement of Mediterranean art historical research, and bringing the art of the Maltese islands to international fora.
