Ecclesiastical heritage, territory and society: Knowledge tools and historical-critical debate

The plurality of architectural languages, construction solutions and ownership structures of Italian religious heritage is an expression of the rich ecclesial history of the different places where the Church has developed territorialisation processes. The outcome of these processes is a cultural heritage still difficult to document in its quantity and spatial distribution, but whose knowledge on a large scale is the necessary prerequisite for any single transformation and reuse. The essay presents a summary framework relating to the tools of knowledge available on the heritage of religious interest and to the international critical debate on the methods of historical analysis and proposed reuse. In conclusion some perspectives of development of the theme are underlined according to the recent document of the Pontifical Council for Culture.