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Before the end of the year, the City Council will tender the works to adapt the Clockmaker’s House to the uses required by the new museum.
The future center dedicated to the Holy Chalice in Valencia, which will be located in the Clockmaker’s House in front of the Miguelete and next to the Cathedral, will be an «innovative» space that will combine «history and tradition with technology» to allow visitors to immerse themselves in the history of this «sacred» relic that is housed in the Chapel of the Holy Chalice of the Seo.
The content of the new museum will be structured around five sections through which this piece will be placed in the context of the Last Supper, in the archaeological studies carried out around it, in its legendary tradition, its arrival in Valencia and custody in this city, its cultural impact – in medieval literature and as a symbol of the universal imagination, its influence on Valencian painting, its role in musical productions, its function as an inspiration for contemporary novels, and its presence in cinema.
This was indicated on Thursday during the presentation of the museological project of the future interpretation center of the Holy Chalice by the mayor of the city of Valencia, María José Catalá, and the historian and priest Miguel Navarro Sorní, coordinator of this project and its content.
The mayor has assured that the implementation of this museum will also mean «advancing in the protection and recovery of the heritage of the Clockmaker’s House,» its headquarters and a building that they want to «revive after a long and long lethargy.» At this point, Catalá has announced that «before the end of this year, in which we will celebrate the third Jubilee Year of the Holy Chalice,» the City Council will put out to tender the works to adapt that property «according to its new destination» as a museum for that relic.
This space seeks, as explained in the presentation of its content, to «facilitate a greater and better knowledge about the Holy Chalice not only as a Christian relic but also as a work of art of great value that has served as inspiration for multiple cultural realizations.» «It is a work of all for all, choral, the result of the contribution of a whole ensemble of specialists, coordinated by the renowned historian Miguel Navarro, one of the leading authorities in the field,» pointed out the mayor.
The municipal representative also stated that the future museum will strengthen the municipal commitment to promote «quality tourism.» «Cultural and religious tourism is also a driving force for the dynamism of our society,» she said in this regard, while stating that this initiative will help reinforce Valencia’s position as a «reference in the cultural field.»
«A MILESTONE»
Also participating in the presentation was the regional secretary of Culture, Pilar Tébar, who stated that today marks «the starting point for the Center of the Holy Chalice, a milestone.» She thanked the City Council for its vision to promote this initiative and Navarro for the «didactic approach» that will be given based on the most advanced research.
The presentation event also included other representatives from the cultural sector and entities of the city, as well as the Archbishop of Valencia, Enrique Benavent, and members of the musical group Capella de Ministrers, who performed several medieval pieces around the Holy Chalice.
Enrique Benavent highlighted «the incalculable value of a sacred relic that brings us closer to one of the most important and significant moments in the life of Jesus Christ,» while affirming that the presence of this piece in Valencia «has marked in a special way the ecclesial life of the city, leaving an indelible mark both in its spiritual legacy and in its cultural and artistic dimension.»
«The future interpretation center will allow us to once again follow the steps of this precious relic, getting closer to the cultural and religious legacy that its presence has generated,» in addition to offering «the possibility of delving into the faith of the Church that receives in the Last Supper of the Lord its greatest spiritual inheritance,» added the archbishop.
In late 2023, the Delegation of Cultural Action, Heritage, and Cultural Resources of the City Council of Valencia entrusted Miguel Navarro with the coordination of this museological project to define its exhibition contents.
Navarro holds a Ph.D. in Ecclesiastical History from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, is a professor of Church History and Director of Publications at the Faculty of Theology of Valencia at the UCV, as well as president of the Academy of Ecclesiastical History of Valencia and corresponding member of the scientific association Rome nel Rinascimento. He has recently been appointed president of the Scientific Committee of the Foundation of the Holy Chalice.
EXPERT COLLABORATION
His work to design the content of the future museum of this piece has been carried out with the collaboration and research of other experts who have helped shape each of the sections in which this new center will be divided.
