The (In)visibility of Places of Worship in Two New Religions: A Comparative Analysis of Heritagization in Italy and France

This chapter examines the process of heritagization (or heritage-making) of the places of worship in two new religions: the Damanhur spiritual community in Italy and the Aumist religion in France. Heritagization, or heritage-making, in the religious context, comprises the conservation, presentation, enhancement and social transmission of monuments and objects. It involves mechanisms of negotiation among actors from secular and religious institutions, as well as experts in the fields of archaeology, art history and cultural economy. This process mainly depends on the legal framework of each nation. However, when it comes to religion, it is always subject to ideological and aesthetic controversies. In the field of Critical Heritage Studies, there is a lack of scientific literature specifically focused on European contemporary religions, denominations, religious confessions and spiritual communities. Starting from the (in)visibility tactics, this contribution aims to compare two sacred places belonging to new religions in Italy and France, as well as the controversial events they were involved in. These events include the opening and construction of the Temples of Humankind in Damanhur (Italy) and the destruction of the statue of the Cosmoplanetary Messiah at the Holy City of the Mandarom (France), respectively. The interpretative hypothesis concerns the cultural pluralism and religious freedom experienced by new religions in these two European nations. Labelled as sects and objects of social and media disrepute campaigns, the new religions have created a legacy that attracts numerous tourists, visitors and spiritual seekers from around the world.