Michele Bacci

Michele Bacci is a Full Professor of Medieval Art History at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, where he has been teaching since 2011. Previously, he served as Associate Professor of Iconography and Iconology at the University of Siena, Italy (2002-2011) and as a Research Fellow at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, Italy (1999-2002). His academic journey began with a Ph.D. from the Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa in 1999.

Professor Bacci has established himself as a leading scholar in medieval art history through his extensive research on religious materiality, sacred spaces, and cultural interactions across the Mediterranean world. His work bridges Byzantine studies, art history, and religious studies, focusing particularly on the visual and spatial dimensions of religious experience in the medieval period.

His research trajectory reveals a deepening engagement with the material manifestations of religious experience, evolving from studies of images and their functions to broader investigations of non-figurative religious objects and spaces. His recent work explores the spatialization of the sacred, topographic networks of holy sites, and transcultural artistic interactions across the Mediterranean and beyond. A significant portion of his research examines how holy sites are visually constructed and integrated into transnational networks, particularly along pilgrimage routes between Venice and Palestine.

The analysis of Bacci's recent publications shows a consistent focus on the material and spatial dimensions of religious experience in the medieval world. His work demonstrates sophisticated methodological approaches that combine art historical analysis with insights from anthropology and religious studies. Key recurring themes include the relationship between visual culture and religious experience, the dynamics of cultural exchange across the medieval Mediterranean, and the material manifestations of sacred presence in diverse cultural contexts.

• Honorary member of the Society of Christian Archaeology (Χριστιανική Ἀρχαιολογική Ἑταιρεία) of Athens (2014)
• Hanno and Ilse Hahn Price for excellent research in Italian arts, Rome, Bibliotheca Hertziana-Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (2017)

Professor Bacci has secured significant research funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation for multiple projects, including 'Von Venedig zum Heiligen Land', 'Holy Networks', 'Royal Epiphanies', and 'Cultural Interactions in the Medieval Subcaucasian Region'. He has edited several important multi-authored volumes resulting from these projects. As co-editor of the journal 'Iconographica' since 2002, he has played a significant role in shaping scholarly discourse in his field. His involvement in the restoration of the Nativity Church in Bethlehem since 2010 demonstrates his commitment to applying academic research to practical conservation challenges.

Bacci leads several research initiatives, most notably the SNSF-Advanced Grant Project 'Holy Networks: Locating, Shaping, and Experiencing Palestinian Loca Sancta (1187-1852)' and the project 'Cultural Interactions in the Medieval Subcaucasian Region'. His research group collaborates internationally, particularly with institutions in Georgia, the Czech Republic, and Italy. His scholarly network extends across Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia, reflecting the global scope of his research interests in Mediterranean and transcultural artistic interactions.