By Zoe Finholm//
French Professor Didier Course traveled to Vatican City to present at a conference on early modern Christianity on March 27 and 28.
The conference was held at Papal College of the Campo Santo Teutonico, which is a college, chapel, and cemetery. The conference was about well-being in early modern Christianity. There were 20 experts in various fields such as history, political science, music, and medicine from countries such as Italy, the Czech Republic, Germany and the United States.
Course was invited to the conference because the organizers were familiar with his book, “D’or et de pierres précieuses,” which translates to “Gold and Precious Stones,” published in 2005. Course presented on a similar topic at the recent conference.
Course’s presentation was called “Pearls, Diamonds, Velvet and Silk: Pleasure and Devotion at the French Court.” He spoke for about 30 minutes and focused on the Jesuits at the court of Louis XIII and Ann of Austria, “more exactly on the resolution of moral problems and the pleasure of physical appearances,” Course said.
Some other topics included the discourse of peace and the balance of powers at the time of the Counter-Reformation, bodies and dissections, concepts of a happy life, the theory of beauty and music and therapy.
“It was a beautiful reunion of international scholars under the Dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica,” Course said.
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