Cultura Heritage and memory: preliminary notes on the value of antiquity

Abstract

Regarding cultural heritage, lately, Aloïs Riegl's (1858- 1905) reading becomes almost epistemologically mandatory, specially one of his works, Der moderne denkmalkultus (The modern cult of monuments). Riegl has been known by his writings about cultural heritage preservation for more than a decade. From our part, we believe we can contribute to the continuation of this interest on him by accessing authors whose principal worries are about bringing up consciousness about cultural heritage, regarding the conditions of architecture and the cities at the end of the nineteenth century. The selection comprehends a diagnosis that connects the city crisis as a dilema to the body to the possibilities to the development of the antiquity concept and value, as well as relates it to other values, either because they share some similarities such as regarding the value of reverence; or because they suffer it's cultural influence, such as the modern predominance of the value of exposure over the value of reverence. Our arguments are organized around three main points: 1. City crisis as a dilema to the body: approximation to Camilo Sitte, 2. Seeing and remembering architecture: approximation to John Ruskin, 3. Value of cult and value of exposure: comprehension of a new era and the value of antiquity.