Misericordia International was founded by Elaine C. Block (1925-2008) as an association dedicated to the research, diffusion and study of choir stalls and their relation to other artistic manifestations during the Middle Ages.
From its beginnings, Misericordia International has been promoting the celebration of a semiannual international conference as a place for scientific exchange among members of the research community interested in this topic from a multidisciplinary approach. The previous editions – Cologne, Barcelona, Amiens, Angers, Sheffield, Rouen, Basel, Paris, Nijmegen and Gdansk – have created a space to delve deep in the study of choir stalls from different points of view.

The next edition, set for 2014 and titled «Choir Stalls in Architecture and Architecture in Choir Stalls», will highlight the importance that choir stalls had in the spatial conceptualisation within cathedrals and how sculptors and carvers tested formal, stylistic and constructive motifs, models and solutions that were later reflected in the architectural constructions.
The celebration of the conference, as a joint activity of the Universities of Cantabria, Oviedo and Leon, will be held in the city of Leon. The total duration will be four days – from Thursday to Sunday –, of which Thursday and Friday morning will be dedicated to sessions on theory (talks and papers); while Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday will be dedicated to practical sessions with visits to different choir stalls in Leon – its Cathedral and the convent of San Marcos – as well as in other places, such as the Cathedrals of Astorga, Zamora and Oviedo.

Those who are interested in presenting a paper should send the title and abstract in Spanish or English (1000 characters max.) accompanied by their personal information (full name, email address, mailing address and phone number) before 31 December, 2013 to the following email addresses: cahilleunican.es / villasenorfunican.es.