On 24 September 2005 in Tours, the itinerary "Saint Martin, European Figure, symbole of Sharing" received the certification "Major Cultural Route of the Council of Europe".
Michel Thomas-Penette |
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european institute of cultural routes |
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| Michel Thomas-Penette |
| 02 November 2005 |
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| From the local to the European |
It is rare that cultural routes receive at one and the same moment the attention of local councillors, the Ministries in charge and a European Institution.
However, this has just happened in Tours for the Saint Martin Itinerary, which Antoine Selosse and his team have been preparing for three years, with the attentive aid of the Institute.
The Disctrict Council of Indre et Loire, in the person of its President Marc Pommereau, and the State, in the person of Renaud Donnedieu of the Vabres Minister of Culture signing, on one side, a Convention with the Association which carries the route, the "European Cultural Centre Saint Martin of Tours", and its President Bruno Judic.
The State has brought, in the form of a grant, the renovated premises of an historic monument, the Psalette cloisters, attached to Tours Cathedral.
Finally, the Council of Europe, in the person of the deputy Secretary-General Maud De Boer-Buquicchio, giving out the award which signifies that an itinerary has reached a Pan-European dimension, which is the case for Saint Martin with Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Italy, Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg, the Ministers of Culture and Ambassadors in France of some of these countries being present.
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Signature : Marc Pommereau, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, Bruno Judic
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| Symbol of Peace and Sharing |
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Maud De Boer-Buquicchio, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres et Antoine Selosse
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It does not suffice in the eyes of the Council of Europe for an itinerary to be particularly apt at enabling sustainable local development by tracing once again paths of discovery; it must also have a European dimension: along the journey, in the history, in the active cooperation, but also in the symbol.
A Saint, a man of the church and the original founder of western Monachism, whose life is reconstituted step by step, merits this recognition as much by the faith which he spread throughout Europe which passes from Romanity to the Church, as by the symbol of mercy and forgiveness which he left us with, by sharing his coat.
It is from this symbol, linked to a reflection of the fundamentals of the idea of sharing, that the Institute is going to continue working with its partners, as well as on the implementation of the itinerary in the Greater Region.
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Visit of the European Cultural Centre Saint Martin de Tours
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Speech of Mrs Maud De Boer-Buquicchio
Ministers,
Mr Chairman of Indre et Loire District Council,
Your excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Friends,
It is probably only a happy coincidence that the Armistice ending the First World War was signed on 11 November, which is the day of St Martin of Tours, the patron saint of soldiers, of whom he was himself the most peaceable example. But the life of this major figure in European history contained many other aspects which are a wonder and instruction to us and explain the devotion which he has aroused for nearly 1600 years.
To me the most amazing thing is that it has taken us so long to add a St Martin route to the Council of Europe’s network of cultural routes. Now the omission has been made good thanks, firstly, to the enthusiasm and, I would go so far as to say, faith of Antoine Selosse and all those who have been active alongside him in this exciting project, but thanks also to support from a great many institutions and individuals without whom this prestigious venture could not have come to fruition. The project is an illustration of French people’s deep attachment to and enthusiasm for the cultural heritage – enthusiasm which has spread throughout Europe through ventures like the European Heritage Days, which 48 European countries are celebrating this month.
We are gathered here, then, to pay tribute to the exemplary works of St Martin and of contemporaries of ours who have drawn inspiration from them and given them new relevance. For while the heritage, both tangible and intangible, survives, it is up to us, and each succeeding generation, to bring it alive with messages for our times.
The heritage is handed down to us. We receive it as a gift, like that of life itself, but neither can flourish without being fed, or being cared for, or being “cultivated”.
The fact is that “culture” which is exclusively turned to the past is culture which is ossified and moribund. Culture needs to take in nourishment, and therefore constantly has to be open to new experience, willing to explore innovative practices, while preserving the indispensable links to the past which created it.
That openness to the other, that spirit of sharing, is one of the fundamental values of European culture and European democracy.
The Council of Europe, deeply committed as it is to pre-eminently humanist values, stands at the opposite end of the spectrum from fundamentalism of whatever kind. It has the courage to promote openness towards the world, to welcome in what is different, to build, stone by stone, the European dream which Sforza Galeazzo Sforza, one of my illustrious predecessors as Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General, compared to a never completed cathedral.
The Council of Europe has been building that cathedral for over half a century, through its action in numerous fields.
One of the keystones is the European Cultural Convention, whose 50th anniversary we celebrate this year. It is the framework for all our activities to do with culture and the heritage. But without the member states’ constructive support for that collective enterprise, without backing from institutions and voluntary bodies and without initiative on the part of motivated individuals such as yourselves, the European cathedral will never come to completion.
The Council of Europe’s cultural routes started up in 1987 to promote awareness of the identity and citizenship which are the foundations of the European edifice. In addition the programme promotes dialogue between cultures and between faiths, and preserves and enhances the cultural and natural heritage.
The cultural routes were devised as a lively way of presenting key aspects of the European heritage by means of exchanges between regions, cities and bodies sharing a connection with the theme of the particular route. The routes are about sharing experiences through travel and dialogue. They are major enterprises in which minds and hearts alike are devoted to practical action. The heritage – our heritage – is of course the foundation on which the routes are built. Both tangible and intangible, it is meaningful to us at a great many levels.
Key moments in the histories of civilisations, the lives of illustrious Europeans, traces of historic networks and alliances, major trade routes which opened the way for exchanges of other kinds, are all things that can be demonstrated through the signs and symbols which make up Europe’s extraordinary wealth and variety.
I am delighted to see that since we relaunched this showcase activity last year, it has met with great public interest and great enthusiasm from project backers. So far we have officially approved 17 routes. Others will follow, and their quality and influence will add a European dimension to two things which are essential to us – discovery of ourselves and others, discovery of our roots and identities.
As with this innspirational theme of St Martin and the route illustrating it, what is surprising is the amount of interest and commitment generated by the programme. Interest on the part of the public, of course, but also the kind of energy and commitment on the part of individuals and groups which, once the idea of a project is born, are necessary to bring the physical infrastructure into existence: to rehabilitate paths and trails, set up visitor centres, erect signposting, restore and explain heritage items, exchange know-how with likeminded projects. All of these things present opportunities for local development, which in turn creates jobs and economic activity regionally.
That is something that all of you who have worked with such zeal to build this exciting project already know; it is something you have been experiencing and I am firmly convinced that you will pass on your enthusiasm to other European partners. Through your action, and the converts which it will win in all parts of Europe, which has had its share of tribulations but which holds out so many hopes, our shared history will become an integral part of our European future.
Allow me to express my huge admiration for your initiative, and in particular for what has already been done to open up the project to the public, especially the young – for example, the three long-distance European walking routes that retrace the main stages of St Martin’s travels through some ten countries, the charter on illumination of monuments to St Martin, and the forthcoming European Days on the theme of sharing. Nor am I forgetting the huge academic and educational investment, the collecting together of data, and the setting up of archives and electronic resources in collaboration with the Luxembourg Cultural Routes Institute.
I therefore have very great pleasure in presenting you with the Council of Europe European Cultural Routes Diploma, awarded to the St Martin of Tours European cultural route honouring a European figure who for all of us has come to symbolise generosity and unselfishness.
Congratulations.
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On the occasion of the inauguration of the European Cultural Centre Saint Marin of Tours and the restoration of the Psalette cloisters, a sound and light show, under the title " The Builders of Eternity", also took place, proposed by Philippe Cotten.
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