01/07/2026 15:00 - 17:10

HALL: Pola - A204

Contact: Gargova F.

Chair: Gargova F.

Throughout history, minority and marginalized religious communities have frequently faced constraints on the visibility of their places of worship and the public performance of their rituals. Construction of such structures was often restricted or religious practice forbidden, compelling communities to operate covertly and limiting integration of their religious spaces into the built environment and public sphere. Some chose inward religious practice, whether from fear of persecution or spiritual conviction. Consequently, these "clandestine" or "hidden" minority religious spaces remain largely unrecognized, invisible, or destroyed. Financial constraints, situational demands, and the need for discretion further fostered ephemeral or temporary structures, including occasional use of buildings belonging to other religions.


Beyond historical factors contributing to their invisibility, scholarship has often overlooked the centrality of such religious spaces to their communities. This oversight can be attributed to several factors, including the paucity of sources and surviving sites, as well as a scholarly preference for spaces deemed noteworthy—historically or artistically.


This panel aims to address this historiographical gap by examining inconspicuous, clandestine, ephemeral, or temporary places of worship of minority and marginalized religious communities across Europe and the Mediterranean from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. While such spaces have been studied for particular religious communities, the objective is to foster dialogue from an interreligious historical perspective to identify common threads, underlying concepts, and contextual factors. Through this inclusive lens, the panel aims to understand the diverse strategies employed by minority and marginalized communities in navigating their specific cultural, political, and social environments.