A new cultural event focused on Ibiza’s heritage
Ibiza Town Council will host the first Esphera Cultural Heritage Days on October 15 and 16 at Sa Peixateria, a new event designed to deepen knowledge, promote research and raise awareness of the island’s historical and artistic heritage.
The event will bring together national and international specialists in art, history and cultural heritage. Among the speakers will be Joan Molina, Head of the European Painting Collection up to 1500 at the Museo del Prado, as well as poet Antonio Colinas.
The initiative was proposed by Ibiza-born professor Martí Vila, who recently took part in a meeting at the Museo del Prado alongside a delegation from northern Italy and Joan Molina, according to Ibiza Town Council.
The meeting took place during a private visit to the exhibition “In the Manner of Italy. Spain and Mediterranean Gothic (1320–1430)”, which explored the artistic exchanges between the two Mediterranean peninsulas during the development of Gothic art.
The exhibition brought together more than 100 works from national and European institutions, as well as museums and collections in the United States.
During the visit, Martí Vila highlighted the importance of the Gothic monstrance preserved at the Diocesan Museum of Ibiza Cathedral. According to Vila, the piece would have fitted naturally into the exhibition and represents an example of the medieval heritage still preserved on the island.
Sa Peixateria to host the Esphera Cultural Heritage Days
“These first Esphera Cultural Heritage Days allow us to bring leading specialists to Eivissa while creating a space to learn about, promote and highlight the extraordinary cultural heritage we have,” said Carmen Domínguez, Ibiza Town Council’s Councillor for Culture.
Domínguez also highlighted the choice of Sa Peixateria as the venue. The location, she said, will help continue to bring activity to La Marina, while connecting culture and heritage with events and knowledge in Ibiza’s historic centre.
For visitors exploring Ibiza Town, the event will take place in one of the areas that forms part of the city’s historic heart, adding another cultural dimension to the attractions of the old town.
From the Osona altarpiece to Saint Francis of Assisi
The Esphera Cultural Heritage Days grew out of lectures given by Martí Vila last year at the Casino de Ibiza and the parish church of Jesús, focusing on the Osona altarpiece, one of the island’s notable works of art.
The first edition will also be linked to the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi. The saint is depicted in the central panel of the altarpiece preserved in Jesús, with its iconography connected to the ideals of the Franciscan order.
The participation of Joan Molina will provide an opportunity to explore Ibiza’s medieval heritage from the perspective of one of Spain’s leading specialists in the field.
Martí Vila said that Molina’s participation represents “a way of bringing in internationally recognised specialists who can help us understand and promote the importance of Ibiza’s cultural heritage.”
Ibiza’s cultural heritage with an international perspective
The programme will also feature Giandomenico Bocchiotti and Nuria Mignone, who will offer a practical perspective on the revaluation and international promotion of cultural heritage.
Both have been involved in exhibitions devoted to the Triptych of the Virgin of Montserrat of Acqui Terme, associated with Bermejo and the Osona family and displayed at institutions including the National Gallery in London, the Museo del Prado and the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya.
The event will conclude with a presentation by poet Antonio Colinas, who will explore the poetic dimension of Saint Francis of Assisi.
Colinas previously took part in an event at Ibiza Town Hall last summer, when he presented the guide Ibiza, Architecture of Light.
A new platform for discovering Ibiza’s cultural heritage
Carmen Domínguez also highlighted the growing cultural activity in the municipality and the council’s intention for the Esphera Days to contribute both to further research and the promotion of Ibiza’s heritage, while also making it more accessible to local residents.
The first edition of the event therefore aims to create a meeting point between specialists, researchers and the public, while putting the spotlight on a side of Ibiza that extends beyond its beaches, nightlife and tourism: the island’s rich artistic and historical heritage.
