International project studies how images cross religious and cultural boundaries

A four-year research project led by universities in Switzerland, Romania and Bulgaria is examining how images, metaphors and symbols move across Christian and secular contexts. The IMAGO consortium has already held its first international symposium in Sibiu and says the work is meant to support intercultural and interreligious dialogue.

Why it matters: - The IMAGO project is studying how visual images shape narratives, values and norms across religious, cultural and linguistic boundaries. - The research focuses on how images speak about the divine, the human body and modern society. - The project is meant to inform intercultural and interreligious dialogue.

What happened: - IMAGO — How do images speak? The dynamics of figures, metaphors and symbols in Christian discourse and beyond — began on July 1, 2025, and runs through June 30, 2029. - The project is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation through the MAPS program and by UEFISCDI. - The academic consortium includes the University of Bern, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu and Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski". - The first major project event was the international symposium "Imagining the Body: Metaphors in Early Christian Literature and Beyond," held June 4-7, 2026, in Sibiu. - The symposium was hosted by the "Sfântul Andrei Șaguna" Faculty of Orthodox Theology at Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu.

The details: - The research examines biblical and patristic literature, the history of Christianity, iconography, art, rituals, liturgical celebrations, philosophical influence, reception of images and their impact on modern society. - Researchers are studying three categories of images: body images, organic images and inorganic images. - The project draws on philosophy of language, cognitive metaphor theory, iconology and iconography. - The team is tracing how images transform from early biblical and patristic writings through Byzantine art and modern theology to contemporary secular use. - The symposium brought together faculty members, researchers, PhD candidates and students from Romania, Switzerland and Bulgaria. - Participants also came from partner countries including Australia and Hungary.

Between the lines: - The project reflects growing academic interest in images as carriers of meaning that move between sacred and secular settings. - The mix of theology, philosophy, language studies and art history suggests the consortium is treating imagery as both a religious and cultural system. - The first symposium signals that the project is already moving from planning into public scholarly activity.

What's next: - The consortium will continue research through 2029. - Future work will likely build on the Sibiu symposium and expand the project’s comparative study of symbolic forms. - The project aims to develop best practices for interpreting symbols across cultures and faith traditions.

The bottom line: - IMAGO is positioning images as a bridge between Christian tradition, secular culture and cross-border academic collaboration.