Moravian Church Settlements Across Four Countries Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List
26 July 2024 - 7:14PM
Business Wire
Today, J. William Reynolds, Mayor of the City of Bethlehem, and
Chair of the Bethlehem World Heritage Commission — speaking on
behalf of all four historic Moravian communities — announced that
Moravian Church Settlements has been inscribed on the prestigious
World Heritage List at the World Heritage Committee meeting in New
Delhi, India, July 21-31, 2024.
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the full release here:
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Moravian Church Settlements Delegation at
the World Heritage Committee meeting. Pictured here (from left) are
Jean Manes, U.S. Deputy Representative to UNESCO; Moravian
University President Bryon L. Grigsby; Bethlehem Mayor J. William
Reynolds; Johnathan Putnam, Acting Chief, Office of
International Affairs National Park Service; Rt. Rev. Chris
Giesler; Mr. Clemens, Saxon State Minister of the Chancellery
(Photo: Business Wire)
The historic Moravian Church Settlements of Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania/USA; Gracehill, Northern Ireland/UK; and Herrnhut,
Germany now join Christiansfeld, Denmark (already inscribed in
2015) as a single World Heritage site that represents the
outstanding universal value of these historic settlements and the
worldwide influence of the Moravian Church.
“We would like to express our appreciation to our respective
governments of the United States, Denmark, Germany, and Northern
Ireland/UK for their efforts on behalf of Moravian Church
Settlements,” said Mayor Reynolds.
More information can be found on moravianchurchsettlements.org,
launching today.
Moravian Church Settlements is a transnational extension
of Christiansfeld, a Moravian Church Settlement in Denmark founded
in 1773 and inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2015. The
Moravian Church is a Protestant denomination in the free church
tradition centered in Herrnhut, Saxony, Germany. The extension
includes three additional component parts:
Bethlehem (USA) was established in the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania in 1741. This highlights the early transatlantic
dimension of the Moravian Church phenomenon during a prolific
settlement-building decade and added the cultural dimension of the
Moravians’ outreach to Native Americans.
Gracehill (UK) was founded in Northern Ireland in 1759.
It represents the significance of the Moravian Church in the UK and
exemplifies a unique series of ‘ideal’ urban plans that demonstrate
a notable gender axis. This is showcased by the division of the
town plan into a sisters’ side and a brothers’ side, which directly
reflects the fundamental functional structure of Moravian
society.
Herrnhut (Germany) is considered the ‘mother’ or
‘founding town’ of the Renewed Moravian Church. It was established
in 1722 in Saxony and evolved in line with the development of
Moravian theology and societal ideals. This town defined the
principles of all Moravian Church settlements.
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MEDIA CONTACTS
Bethlehem: Craig Larimer, larimerc@moravian.edu
Christiansfeld: Steen Rosenvinge Lundbye,
srl@museumkolding.dk Gracehill: David Johnston,
johnstonni@aol.com Herrnhut: Friederike Hansell,
friederikehansell@gmail.com