This post is about what is Arabs Religion. Inaugurated in 1987, the Institute of the Arab world focused progressively on Christians in this region.
An exhibition on the pilgrimage to Mecca, three years ago, had shown the curiosity of the general public for the knowledge of religions.
“If there was a place where scheduled for this exhibition on the Christians of the East, it is at the Institute of the Arab world.” Élodie Bouffard is one of the two Commissioners who have worked on the project ” Christians of the East, two thousand years of history “: it measures the path traveled by this public institution that celebrates its 30 years and which had been thought, in its draft original, “as a Museum of art and Arab-Muslim civilization”.
Christianity was took into account progressively: in 2000, the IMA had welcomed a first exhibition on “Coptic art in Egypt. Then a second, in the summer 2003, on the “Arab icons, Christian art of the Levant. And since the decision was made to rethinking the Museum and focus his remarks on Arab civilization, the holy books and ritual objects of Judaism and Christianity have found their place in the permanent collections.
In Angers, ancient fabrics from the Nile
But paradoxically, it is the success of the large exhibition dedicated to the ” Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca “, three years ago, which helped to broaden the perspective. “After this beautiful focus on islam, the time had come to reflect the diversity of religious in the Arab world”, summarizes Élodie Bouffard, who had worked for the project ‘Hajj ‘.
The issue is important for the Christians of the East. “The Christian Arabs don’t want to not be considered a minority, a residue”, says Jean-Jacques Pérennès, Dominican and Director of biblical and archaeological Jerusalem school. “They want to be full citizens of their country.”
Such exhibitions help to this awareness, recalling the duration and strength of their anchor in this region where Christianity was born: Jerusalem, it quickly spread in Egypt and in the now occupied territories by the Lebanon, the Syria, the Jordan, the Iraq, the Turkey… Throughout history, Christians played a major role in the development of political, cultural, social and religious societies.
The churches of the East, a long and diverse history
While the teams of the Institute of the Arab world thinking internally, a project them was submitted by Raphaëlle Ziadé, head of the Department of Byzantine and the small Palace by Charles Personnaz, senior official, heritage officer and culture for the Œuvre in the East, a humanitarian association which aims to help Eastern Christians. “Our meeting pushed things. We made a proposal to the Presidency of the IMA which has been accepted and we went to work on the heels’, tells Raphaëlle Ziadé.
Given “the extent of the subject” – 2000 years of history – exhibition was designed very quickly “at large”. The assistance provided by the Louvre in the East to contact institutions, churches and individuals to lend their treasures greatly accelerated work.
