The Monastery of Sant Miquel d’Escornalbou: multidisciplinary research for the understanding of the relation between the religious complex, the territory and the European Franciscan network

Abstract

This research is part of the European project F-ATLAS – Franciscan Landscapes the Observance between Italy, Portugal and Spain, which aim is to study the Franciscan Observance network and to find effective strategies for the conservation, protection and promotion of this important heritage. The contribution is focused on the multidisciplinary study of the Monastery of Sant Miquel d’Escornalbou (Tarragona, Spain). The historical, architectural and patrimonial research on this last and interesting centre of medieval spirituality has been developed jointly by the Italian and Spanish teams of the project. From its foundation until the last reconstruction by Eduard Toda around 1910, the complex’s function and shape have changed significantly: during the centuries, several interventions have modified it to the point of making it difficult today to read its origin and evolutionary phases. The integrated laser-scanner and photogrammetric survey, together with the creation of a digital catalogue of geo-referenced convents and the results of the international workshop carried out in November 2021, represent the bases for further analysis regarding the evolutionary phases of the complex, the buildings’ structure conditions and the definition of possible strategies for redevelopment.