International Summer School of Tours – July 4–11, 2026

12 september 2025

The International Summer School in Tours, which will take place from 4 to 11 July 2026, will focus on the theme: “Heritages and Revivals: Christianity between History and Creation.”

This week of study and engagement aims to explore how Christianity has shaped European culture in its most diverse forms — from architecture to the arts, from music to literature — and to examine how this heritage continues to inspire new expressions today. Tours, the city of Saint Martin, remains a major spiritual center and a symbolic location for fostering dialogue between memory and the future, between heritage and creation.

A LONG HISTORY

The choice of this theme is rooted in a long history, marked by debates and conflicts, but also by fidelity and revivals. From the earliest centuries, Christianity had to articulate its faith in response to the crises it faced. The Council of Nicaea, in 325, represented a decisive moment by affirming that Christ is “consubstantial” with the Father. Yet this affirmation was not universally accepted, and it took decades before it was fully established.

In the Latin West, a key figure in this struggle was Hilary of Poitiers, one of the great Church Fathers. As a bishop, theologian, and exile for his fidelity, he devoted all his energy to defending the Nicene faith against Arianism, particularly in his treatise De Trinitate. In Gaul, he became the guarantor of this doctrinal truth, earning the title “the Athanasius of the West.” Doctrine was not constructed instantaneously but developed over time, through history, maturation, and sometimes conflictual dialogue, allowing the Christian faith to clarify and strengthen itself.

The story of Saint Hilary is inseparable from that of his disciple, Martin, the future bishop of Tours, whose luminous figure has left a lasting mark on Christian memory. Martin was not a theologian in the strict sense, but he embodied the spirit of the Gospel in his life. The gesture of sharing his cloak with the poor, his pastoral ministry, and his spiritual influence made him a universal figure, whose impact extended far beyond Tours. Hilary and Martin exemplify two complementary aspects of Christianity: doctrinal precision, which seeks truth and builds dogma, and lived charity, which bears witness to the Gospel through action.

WHEN HERITAGE BECOMES CREATION

The Summer School in Tours will encourage reflection on this dual dynamic: an heritage that is constructed through history and a creation that continuously renews itself. Christianity has not been transmitted as a frozen memory; over the centuries, it has inspired countless works that continue to speak to us. Gothic cathedrals translate theology of the Incarnation into stone and light. Medieval painting and Baroque sculpture give substance to biblical narratives and open paths for contemplation. Music, from Gregorian chant to major sacred compositions, expresses a pursuit of beauty inseparable from faith. Literature, from Saint Augustine to contemporary writers, testifies to the power of hope and the depth of spiritual experience.

FIDELITY AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES

Throughout the centuries, Christian art has continually invented new forms, demonstrating that heritage is alive and nourished by constant revivals. Even today, this heritage continues to inspire, sometimes in fidelity to tradition, sometimes in critical or creative dialogue with it. The Summer School will not be limited to a retrospective perspective; it will seek to understand how this heritage can illuminate our contemporary cultures and open new avenues for the future.

Tours is particularly suited for such reflection. As a city of history and heritage, it was one of the major centers of Western Christianity. The tomb of Saint Martin attracted crowds of pilgrims from all over Europe for centuries. The monuments, artworks, and traditions that remain bear witness to this memory. However, the challenge lies in going beyond mere heritage value by questioning what this heritage can still signify and produce today, in a world seeking meaning and hope.

AN INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC IMMERSION

The Summer School in Tours will offer an international, multilingual, and community-oriented experience. Courses and lectures will provide the keys to understanding the history, thought, and art of Christianity. Workshops will invite participants to confront their own experiences and questions. Cultural visits will allow for in situ discovery of the heritage of Tours and its region. Informal exchanges will add a human and fraternal dimension to this summer immersion.

ON THE BANKS OF THE LOIRE, A GREAT RIVER OF TRADITION

This July 2026 event is intended as an invitation to reflect together on what, in Christian heritage, remains a source of life and creation. Heritages and revivals respond to each other. Over the centuries, Christianity has navigated crises, clarified its faith, and invented new forms. From Nicaea to Poitiers, from Saint Hilary to Saint Martin, from Romanesque basilicas to contemporary stained glass, the same Loire flows: a great river of tradition running through Christian history as it runs through Tours, carrying a faith that is continuously constructed, transmitted, and renewed.

The International Summer School in Tours will be conducted in French, English, and Spanish, along the banks of the river, at La Grande Bretèche (Dominican Sisters of Tours), in close proximity to the historic center of the city.