Bethléem verviétois: revitalising a tradition through participation and research

In July 2021, severe floods struck Verviers and damaged the Bethléem. The event revealed not only the fragility of its physical components, but also the vulnerability of the practices and forms of transmission that kept the tradition alive. In response, the Musées de Verviers, the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA), ESA Saint‑Luc Liège, and a wide network of local partners joined forces to initiate a collaborative project. Their ambition was not simply to restore damaged elements, but to revitalise the Bethléem through participatory, creative, and research‑based approaches.

Throughout the project (2023-2025), this collective effort contributed to broader reflections on safeguarding living heritage in times of environmental and social changes. It demonstrated that resilience depends not only on conserving objects, but also on sustaining the social dynamics and communities that give them meaning.

The project proposes a methodology structured around several guiding principles:

• The Bethléem was approached as a tradition, combining tangible and intangible dimensions that must be addressed together.

• The work starts from an existing context shaped by disruption, acknowledging the impact of the 2021 floods on both objects and transmission systems.

• Community participation was placed at its core, recognising the role of local actors in shaping, sustaining, and transmitting the tradition.

• Research, creative practice, and education were closely interconnected, ensuring that knowledge production is closely linked to practice and experience.

• A balance was sought between conservation and revitalisation, allowing the tradition to evolve while preserving its cultural significance and integrity.

• The project relied on a collaborative and interdisciplinary network of partners.

Targeted Engagement

Targeted engagement focused on structuring reflection around conservation and safeguarding decisions.

Following the floods, damaged tangible elements of the Bethléem were entrusted to ESA Saint-Luc Liège, where students in conservation-restoration began studying and stabilising them within a pedagogical framework (2021-2025). A full restoration phase is planned from 2026.

To guide this process, the Musées de Verviers, ESA Saint‑Luc Liège, and KIK‑IRPA brought together a representative group of stakeholders, including museum professionals, local associations, community representatives and heritage experts. Through participatory workshops, they addressed a central question: how can the Bethléem be restored while preserving both its material integrity and its social and cultural role?

This dialogue helped balance conservation needs with community expectations, reinforcing transparency, legitimacy, and collective responsibility.

The project highlighted several areas for further reflection:

• the long‑term impact of participatory approaches;
• inclusive mediation strategies;
• the relationship between documentation and embodied practice.

More broadly, it pointed to the need for adaptive and resilient heritage strategies, capable of addressing both material conservation and the continuity of living cultural processes.