Digital Heritage and Mapping Renaissance Tours. Recent Research from the CESR

Abstract

This article presents recent initiatives in the fields of Digital Heritage and digital mapping by researchers attached the Centre d'études supérieures de la Renaissance (CESR) in Tours, France. During the fifteenth and early sixteenth century the city of Tours, situated in the heart of France in the valley of the river Loire, was one of the main residences of the French kings and this had important consequences for the nature of artistic production and for social aspects of urban life. Making use of the latest developments in Digital and Spatial Humanities, researchers attached to the CESR have created an interactive digital map of historical Tours; several crosslinked databases of artworks and archival sources from Tours; an enriched 3D model of an artistic masterpiece, the funeral monument of deceased royal children; an interactive historical graphic novel; and a GPS-led app with an historical guided tour of the city. These digital projects all have in common that they bring together the outcomes of scientific historical and art historical research with digital applications, as a starting point for further research, and for public outreach activities.