Faculty of Law lecturer Juan José Guardia participated in the VI National and I International Conference on the Ethnography of Religion: Sanctuaries and Pilgrimages, with a lecture entitled: “Urban regulation of places of worship: Challenges and opportunities”.

Guarda presented the challenges that countries face in order to incorporate the collective and institutional dimension of religious freedom into urban ordinances based on Spain's example and his research into urban facilities for religious use in this country.

The conference revolved around the topics of history, feasts, myths and rituals related to sanctuaries and pilgrimages, and their links to the agricultural cycle, food, dance and music, as well as their relationship with both territory and identity. A dialogue was also held on emerging sanctuaries and pilgrimages in the context of globalisation, sacred cartography and infographics, religious tourism and the commercialisation of faith, and government regulation, among other areas of interest.

In addition to Guardia, one of the keynote speakers was Dr Silvia Aulet Serrallonga, who gave a presentation on “Sanctuaries as sacred spaces: Challenging adversity”.