The second phase of transHERITAGE project activities took place between June 7th and 9th, in Bergen, involving Portuguese and Norwegian teams around the church of Fana, in the diocese of Bjørgvin that belongs to the Lutheran Church of Norway.
The first day of activities consisted of a presentation on the history of the church, and an informal dinner where memories associated with this space and its community were shared. The presentation - “Fana kirke i europeisk perspektiv” (“The Church of Fana from an European Perspective”) - was done by Justin Kroesen (professor and curator at the University of Bergen Museum), the co-principal Norwegian investigator of the transHERITAGE project. Justin summarized the history of the church, which dates back to the mid-12th century, and to which a legend involving the discovery of a miraculous silver cross fished in the fjord, is associated. This legend generated a medieval pilgrimage, concerning the cure of illnesses, and was the basis for creating a hospital connected with the church, managed by Knights of Saint John.
At the end of the presentation, there was space for a convivial dinner and a sharing of memories associated with this space, led by Ragna Sofie Grung Moe (cultural advisor for the Diocese of Bjørgvin), and where representatives of the diocese, the church, volunteers, and other elements of the community shared their own stories. Here, central themes of the congregation were addressed, such as the importance of the church in the history of Fana, and in creating a sense of collective memory and identity, and others, of a more personal nature, focusing on private testimonies from members of the community. In the end, there was a wish to open the church more to the community since it is a major part of it.
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