Prof. Charlene Vella showcases research at two major European conferences

Prof. Charlene Vella, Associate Professor in Art History at the University of Malta, recently represented the University at two high-profile international conferences, contributing original research in medieval art and architecture, digital heritage methodologies, and the cultural networks of the central Mediterranean.

In October, Prof. Vella was an invited speaker at Digital Art History V, hosted at the University of Zagreb. The conference brought together leading scholars, technologists, and heritage scientists exploring the intersection of computation, visual culture, and historic environments. Prof. Vella presented new findings from an ongoing interdisciplinary project on the Church of St Anne within Fort St Angelo, research undertaken with colleagues in architectural history, geophysics, and digital modelling. This paper examined how LiDAR, ground-penetrating radar, and high-resolution photogrammetry can reveal previously undocumented construction phases and contribute to a more nuanced understanding of Malta’s medieval architectural transformations. The presentation generated considerable interest, underscoring the University of Malta’s growing profile in digital documentation of heritage sites.

Most recently, Prof. Vella participated in the international conference Permanence et continuité dans l’imaginaire matériel et visuel held in Paris on 25 November.

Organised by prominent European medievalists and hosted at the Institut national d’histoire de l’art (INHA), France’s National Institute for Art History, the event explored questions of transmission, resilience, and reuse in medieval material culture. Prof. Vella delivered a paper examining the long-standing artistic and cultural continuities that shaped the Maltese islands during the medieval period, with particular focus on the cross-Mediterranean connections linking Malta, Sicily, and the broader Byzantine and Latin worlds, with an emphasis on the cycle of paintings and the architecture of the church of the Annunciate at Ħal Millieri.

Her intervention demonstrated how Maltese heritage contributes essential insights to wider European debates, and how sustained engagement with interdisciplinary methods is reshaping the study of the region’s medieval past.

These two engagements further strengthen the University of Malta’s international academic presence and highlight Prof. Vella’s leadership in advancing research on Malta’s medieval art and architecture.