This Tuesday, July 22, 2025, the collaboration agreement between the University of Girona, Àltima, and the Association La Processó de Verges for the creation of the Dance of Death Chair: Psychological Perspectives on Death Studies was signed.
The agreement, formalized in Girona, has as its main objective the multidisciplinary study of death from psychological, medical, and anthropological perspectives, with a clear aim of transferring knowledge to society. The chair will be based on Carrer Eiximenis in Girona, directed by the University of Girona, and supported directly by Àltima and our Association.
The promoting entities emphasized the importance of breaking the taboo around death and opening spaces to speak about it openly, with rigor and sensitivity, drawing not only from disciplines that face death directly but also from cultural contexts such as our festival.
With this step, the three signatory entities wish to acknowledge and highlight the Dance of Death of Verges, which gives its name to the chair and stands as one of the oldest, most unique, and most vibrant symbols of Catalan popular culture.
For the Association La Processó de Verges, this new project is experienced as a very special milestone. It not only represents another step toward projecting our festival beyond Holy Thursday but also serves as clear proof that our legacy can inspire new forms of thought and research—rooted in tradition but with a forward-looking perspective.
The signing of this agreement reaffirms Verges as a symbolic and living epicenter of a tradition that year after year continues to be an example of culture, community, and identity, and it reasserts our association’s commitment to sharing the heritage embodied in our Procession.
A public event to officially present the chair is planned for the autumn, open to everyone.
