Bones of Contention in the Heritagization of Living Catholic Monasteries: The Heilige Driehoek in the South of the Netherlands

Abstract

This essay examines lived religion as a valued but complicated aspect of religious heritage constellations. This will be done through analyzing the heritagization process of a religious site comprised of three living monasteries. There, different heritage groups have been involved with managing the area as a heritage site, while the monastics have retained a communal life of prayer. In the heritage perception of the area, the ‘’presence’’ of three ‘’praying communities’’ is seen as distinctive and meaningful characteristic of the area. However, the question is to what extent this vision on presence corresponds with the self-understanding of the religious communities.