{"id":59656,"date":"2021-10-16T14:36:27","date_gmt":"2021-10-16T12:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/topa.be\/wie-zijn-we\/our-objective\/"},"modified":"2021-11-17T16:38:37","modified_gmt":"2021-11-17T15:38:37","slug":"onze-doelstelling","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/topa.be\/en\/wie-zijn-we\/onze-doelstelling\/","title":{"rendered":"Our objective"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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TOPA? Who are we?<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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The port of Antwerp in Austrian times<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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TOPA welcome group: our objective<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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THE FIVE PILLARS OF WELCOMING<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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On the emblem of TO<\/strong>erismePA<\/strong>storaal Antwerpen (TOPA), the fa\u00e7ade of Antwerp’s Cathedral of Our Lady stands for so many expressions of religious art and culture in the cities and towns of the diocese of Antwerp.<\/p>\n

The 5 stars symbolise the pillars of the welcome function in and around monumental churches:<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0Scientific<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0Didactic<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0Hospitable<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0Volunteer<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 * Pastoral<\/strong><\/p>\n

The water waves<\/strong> represent the Scheldt, the stream that made Antwerp great and which opens it up to both the sea and the hinterland.<\/p>\n

The blue colour<\/strong> is both that of the stream and that of Our Lady, the patron saint of the cathedral, the city and the diocese of Antwerp.<\/p>\n

Revd. Rudi Mannaerts,
\nin charge of tourism pastoral in the diocese of Antwerp<\/p>\n

You find out how we intend to fulfil this mission in the following bars:<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The tourists who visit historic churches are very diverse in motivation and in religious and cultural background. Awareness of this diversity should help the Topa guide to find the right tone for the tour. The public that visits a historic church can be broadly divided into:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. The broad public<\/span><\/h3>\n

Cultural tourism continues to be popular, even if it is just ‘to have seen’. What group does not get out of the bus to have a look at the main monumental church of a tourist destination? In the cultural heritage, religious monuments and art treasures often occupy the first place. The West is indebted to Christianity for a large part of its (most famous) cultural relics. Therefore, a visit to such a church is a must on every travel programme. For many, however, visiting famous churches is little more than a form of superficial cultural snobbery.<\/p>\n

This broad public will not easily follow a guide for an hour. Hence the importance of thorough basic information in the visitors’ folder or near the works of art on site.<\/p>\n

2. The art-loving public<\/span><\/h3>\n

A significant part of the public comes specifically with artistic and art historical interest. Motivated, they are curious and hungry for insights and information about the building and its art treasures.<\/p>\n

The more the compulsory “entrance fee” forms a barrier for the public to enter a church, the larger the share of motivated art-loving public, and the more likely it is to ask for a guide.<\/p>\n

An important part of this audience are local cultural associations that sometimes put the same church on their programme several times because of an occasional theme.<\/p>\n

3. The soul-searching public<\/span><\/h3>\n

With so much cultural consumption, one should not underestimate the number of tourists who are consciously “searching” for insight and meaning. Isn’t the space of a consecrated church building meant to bring people closer to the meaning of life? The atmosphere that is typical of “religious” church buildings is meant to invite and stimulate them to reflection and contemplation. The works of art can be of further support in this.<\/p>\n

That is why they do not expect so much from a “cramped” professional art guide, but are even more delighted when the guide helps them step by step to discover the meaning in art.<\/p>\n

4. The religious public<\/span><\/h3>\n

Christian believers may feel at home in a church because the symbols familiar to them offer a foundation for experiencing their relationship with God. They may feel invited by the religious frame of reference to engage in prayer, however briefly.<\/p>\n

Because they experience the quiet of a (chapel<\/a><\/span>
A small church that is not a parish church. It may be part of a larger entity such as a hospital, school, or an alms-house, or it may stand alone.
An enclosed part of a church with its own altar.
<\/span><\/span><\/span> in a) church as the best way for their spiritual experience, they consider the plain-talking guide to be a disruptor of their church practice. That is why tourism and certainly the Topa guide must respect the reserved areas for silence and prayer, as a sign of respectful hospitality.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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In Antwerp, the church heritage forms a significant part of the cultural heritage.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the cathedral<\/a><\/span>The main church of a diocese, where the bishop’s seat is.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

In the first place there is the Our Lady\u2019s Cathedral<\/strong>, the main church and symbol of the city of the Scheldt, the most important of all cultural tourist attractions. That is why it was the right church to start the Pastoral Tourist Office there in 1993, “Antwerp Cultural Capital of Europe”, with an international “summer community”, followed a year later by the permanent welcome group.<\/p>\n

In the touristic monumental churches<\/span><\/h3>\n

The second field of action for Topa lies in the four other tourist monumental churches: St. Andrew’s, St. Charles Borromeo’s, St. James’ and St. Paul’s.<\/p>\n

Because St. Andrew’s and St. Paul’s had already developed their own structures, including guided tours, Topa’s attention was rather focused on St. James’ Church<\/strong> (2006) and then on St. Charles Boromeus’ Church<\/strong> (2007).<\/p>\n

Since then, Topa members have gradually integrated themselves into the welcoming activities of the St. Andrew’s<\/strong> church.<\/p>\n

Finally, in 2009 St. Paul’s<\/strong> asked to help take care of the welcoming by means of guided tours and to train the welcoming staff. Moreover, St. Paul’s is the first church outside the Cathedral where an international summer community was active (in 2009).<\/p>\n

In the other historic churches<\/span><\/h3>\n

Besides the monumental churches with a strong tourist appeal, there are many historic churches in the 19th century belt and in the districts. Their sometimes surprisingly rich heritage deserves more attention. It is up to Topa to support the local initiatives, e.g. on the occasion of jubilee celebrations, by providing PR information, documentation and training.<\/p>\n

In 2012, Topa took the initiative for an annual Night of the Antwerp Churches<\/strong> in August and with growing success.<\/p>\n

The field of operations can be broadened even further to include ecclesiastical institutions such as convents, chapels and the beguinage<\/a><\/span>Walled area, originally on the outskirts of a city, with a church and houses that served as residences for beguines.<\/span><\/span><\/span>, but also hospitals, schools, places of worship and even private homes.<\/strong> If on-site guided tours are not appropriate, an visitor’s brochure can be an alternative to the reception.<\/p>\n

Topa is also gradually expanding its operations to other cities in the diocese of Antwerp: Lier, Herentals, Turnhout and Hoogstraten.<\/p>\n

Religious heritage<\/span><\/h3>\n

Furthermore, Antwerp is famous for its many religious street statues, for which the Cross and Statue Association works hard, including raising awareness through guided tours.<\/p>\n

And under the banner of purely religious themes, you can also visit many a (“civilian”) museum.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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With a pastoral attitude, Topa wants to experience tourist welcoming in churches as a form of hospitality. You want to delight a guest by giving him a pleasant experience. In this case, Topa wants to provide cultural enjoyment to the guests in monumental churches, but hospitality also means that the Topa guide approaches the visitor as personally as possible, if he or she so desires.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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    With a tangible welcome<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n