Learn about excavations at Notre-Dame by the official team of archaeologists and how they revealed major, exciting new knowledge about its past.

Presented by:

Christophe Besnier, Director of Archaeology Excavations, and Dr. Dorothée Chaoui-Derieux, Chief Heritage Curator, the Ministère de la Culture, France.

Presented at:

University of St. Thomas, Jones Hall

Yoakum Blvd at Sul Ross Street

Join us to play board games and field games of the medieval world from the Silk Route, Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

Market Square Park

301 Milam St, Houston, TX 77002

NOTE - EVENT HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED TO MAY 20, 2025

At this in-depth conversation, Pastor Lou and Mrs. Jacqueline B. McElroy, Pastor and First Lady of the historic Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, the oldest African American Baptist Church in Houston, will be joined by historian of Gothic architecture Dr. Lindsay Cook to discuss the history and architecture of Antioch Church, as well as several other works of African American art and architecture that are in dialogue with Gothic architecture, in general, or Notre-Dame of Paris, specifically.

Antioch Missionary Baptist Church was founded by formerly enslaved individuals in January 1866, only seven months after the end of slavery was announced in Galveston on June 19, 1865. Community leader Rev. John (Jack) Henry Yates served as the first Pastor of the church established in Freedman’s Town in Houston’s Fourth Ward. In fact, Mrs. Jacqueline McElroy is the great-great-granddaughter of Rev. Yates. Notably, the church is a UNESCO Routes of Enslaved Peoples Project site and a recent recipient of a grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. 

This church became renowned in Houston’s history on May 22, 1991, as the last stop for Queen Elizabeth on her 1991 tour of the United States.

Presented by:

Dr. Lindsay Cook, Co-Director, Consortium for Early Modern & Medieval Studies,  Penn State University

Pastor Lou McElroy and Mrs. Jackie McElroy, the Pastor and First Lady of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church

Presented at:

Antioch Missionary Baptist Church | 500 Clay St, Houston, TX 77002

Cosponsored by:

Antioch Missionary Baptist Church and the Freedman’s Town Conservancy.

FREE ADMISSION

WELCOME TO A SACRED CHANT WORKSHOP WITH ENSEMBLE ORGANUM. Join us for an afternoon filled with ancient chant and musical connection. This workshop is perfect for anyone wanting to deepen their practice of chanting and explore the power of sacred music. Whether you're a seasoned chanter or a complete beginner, this event is open to all. Join like-minded individuals to experience the transformative power of sacred chants from across the medieval world.

The workshop is followed by a vespers service at 4pm .

Participate in either or event or both!

The Vespers of the Virgin, incorporating chant, incense, candlelight, and readings, recreates a medieval service that was performed at 12th century Notre-Dame de Paris

Wind the clock back 800 years to a bustling town with a towering new cathedral where some of the most mesmerizing music was being composed.  Its beauty and otherworldly sound creates an unparalleled  spiritual experience.

Christ Church Cathedral

1117 Texas

Chant Workshop: 1pm - 3pm

Vespers: 4pm -5pm

As Europeans met the Mediterranean sound-world, their music changed profoundly, creating a new heritage for music.  Experience a performance by an internationally-renowned ensemble.

Performed by:

Ensemble Organum, Directed by Marcel Pérès.

In residence at Moissac Abbey in Moissac France.

Presented at:

St. Anne Catholic Church

2140 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77098

Hands-on activities, stories, and a prepared excavation help children explore exciting tales of knights and castles around the world including Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

Octavia Fields Branch Library    

1503 S Houston Ave, Humble, TX 77338

Hands-on activities featuring arts and crafts and a prepared “excavation” help children learn about Black Texans in Freedom Colonies and German immigrants on farms through hands-on activities.

RESCHEDULED FROM ORIGINAL DATE OF JAN 19

Sun Jan 19, 2025, 1pm-5pm

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens

6003 Memorial Dr, Houston, TX 77007

Gothic architectural elements still influence our world today.  Explore their presence in Houston, in some of the most surprising spaces!

Departing from The Heritage Society

212 Dallas Street

Led by Phil Stewart, Discover Houston Tours

Steven Fox, Architectural Historian

The important work of art historian Dr. Andrew Tallon, who was one of the first to create highly detailed 3D scans of Notre-Dame, enabled the Cathedral to be rebuilt exactly as it was before the fire.  Discover how science and art align.

Members of the Iconem and Histovery Teams

FREE ADMISSION

Alliance Française

427 Lovett Blvd, Houston, TX 77006

Dr. Irving FInkel Returns

Dreams in ancient Mesopotamia were often considered to contain messages. Specialist knew what dream meant and were on hand to offer explanations. This talk will introduce the topic of dreams and omens and discuss a previously unknown group of late period cuneiform tables that use a specific form of magic to make a client have a prophetic dream. This tablet recounts a marvelous dream written down when Alexander the Great ruled Babylon.

Enjoy a candlelight feast featuring recipes from the medieval era, recreated in consultation with culinary scholars under the expertise of a French chef. A highlight of the meal will be an ale brewed in the medieval style, courtesy of Sitta Brew Hub.

Tue Nov 12, 2024, 6pm-8pm

Beckendorff Farms

28533 Morton Rd, Katy, TX 77493

A Silent Film

Starring Lon Chaney, Patsy Ruth Miller, Norman Kerry, Nigel de Brulier, and Brandon Hurst.

A fantasy world of Notre-Dame existed in the Hollywood imagination. Experience a silent film classic as we near Halloween. Bring a blanket, bring the kids! Enjoy snacks and coffee drinks for sale from Toute Suite.

We will supply the popcorn.

Trebly Park

1515 Fannin St, Houston, TX 77002

Hands-on activities reveal the stories of Indigenous people who lived along Buffalo Bayou long ago before Houston was a city.

Tony Marron Park

808 N York St, Houston, TX 77003

Learn about the extraordinary story of Notre-Dame in a journey that takes you from Roman temple to the fire-damaged cathedral’s rebirth.

Join us for medieval-style refreshments at 6:30 pm, courtesy of Trésors de France.
The book Notre-Dame: Nine Centuries of History by Dr. Dany Sandron and Dr. Andrew Tallon, translated by Dr. Lindsay Cook, will be available for sale and signing that evening.   

Featuring:

Dr. Dany Sandron, Director of Restoration, Notre-Dame de Paris, Prof, Sorbonne Université; Dr. Lindsay Cook, Dept. of Art History,  Penn State University

Presented at:

Hudspeth Auditorium, 7pm, Oct 1

Rice University, Entrance #8 at University and Stockton Streets

Further information, archaeologyhouston@gmail.com

Generously co-sponsored by Program in Medieval and Early Modern Studies, Rice University

Notre-Dame Rises Again

Demonstrations, videos, and large-scale models reveal the  skills of Compagnons du Devoir a guild of artisans in France originating in the medieval period who helped in rebuilding Notre-Dame.

Exhibit mounted June 28 - July 31,  2025

Julia Ideson Library

550 McKinney St, Houston, TX 77002

Your hands-on work cleaning and repairing headstones will help preserve and restore a historic African American cemetery in Houston.  Be part of saving the past for future generations while commemorating ancestors.  Children under parental supervision welcome. 

Descendants will be on hand to tell the stories of their families buried at the site. 

Evergreen Negro Cemetery

Sat, April 5, 2025, 10am-3pm

5499 Market Street at Lockwood

PART OF THE UKRAINIAN PROJECT

Join the frontline of cultural preservation in embattled Ukraine.  Journey with a member of Blue Shield to discover efforts to shield and preserve Ukraine’s historic treasures from looting, vandalization, and destruction due to warfare.  Learn more about the vital task of protecting at-risk workers, collections, and cultural heritage sites to safeguard a nation’s identity. 

Dr Brian I Daniels, Director of Research and Programs, Penn Cultural and Heritage Center and a Smithsonian Associate

Welcome by Ukrainian Consul General, The Honorable Vitalii Tarasiuk

FREE with reservation

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.  Lynn Wyatt Auditorium.  1001 Bissonnet

Thursday, May 30, 2024, 7pm-8:30pm

PART OF THE UKRAINIAN PROJECT

In Baba’s Kitchen

Be part of preserving a culinary tradition!  Participate in a cooking class and demonstration lead by chefs Irina Mamataliyev & Monica Pope that teaches how to make borscht and  pierogi and the proper way to drink vodka. Then feast on the results! Borscht has been listed as an Endangered Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

Foreign Grill at the Conservatory

606 Dennis St, Houston, Texas 77006

Sunday, May 19, 2024, 3pm-6pm

Discover what life was like for a Maya boy or girl.

Free presentation for children ages 6 through 10 at Harris County Public Libraries. The event includes an excavation, hands-on crafts and games, all focused on the culture of the Maya

FREE ADMISSION

Octavia Fields Branch Library

Sat Feb 10, 2024, 2pm – 4pm

Harris County Public Library, Octavia Fields Branch

1503 S Houston Ave, Humble, TX 77338

PART OF THE UKRAINIAN PROJECT

Talking Walls: Graffiti from the War

Join us for a compelling online event where we explore graffiti left behind by Russians during the Ukrainian war that is often threatening or boastful about their own brutality.  In April 2022, Ukrainian researchers formed the Wall Evidence project to document Russia's actions and to achieve accountability.  As the archive’s content lead, Roksolana Makar works to uncover patterns, symbols, and narratives of intimidation. Her talk will focus on the influence of popular culture, literature, and propaganda found in Russian messages to Ukrainians and the transformation of public and private space during the occupation. It’s an age-old story that is tragically being repeated today.

Roksolana Makar, Content Lead.  Wall Evidence Team, Ukraine

Sunday, April 28, 2024, 2pm-3:30pm

FREE ADMISSION with Reservation

THE UKRAINIAN PROJECT

Scythians: Golden Horses & Swift Arrows

Join us on a cultural journey from the comfort of your own home to meet a legendary culture.

It was on the world’s first “superhighway”—the vast grasslands of the Eurasian steppe which stretch from modern-day Ukraine to the edges of China—that horses were probably domesticated around 5,000 years ago. The cultures that emerged from this sea of grass developed an essential partnership that has endured thousands of years. The Scythians are one of the most fascinating and enigmatic of these groups, celebrated as an arrow-shooting, nomadic culture of horse people known for their extravagant tombs and astonishingly beautiful goldwork. Discover how they exerted such a powerful influence on steppe history and why horses and nomads played such a significant role in the region.

The Ukrainian Consul General will deliver opening remarks.

Dr. Carolyn Willekes, Asst. Prof. Mount Royal University

FREE YOUTUBE LIVE EVENT

Sunday, April 14, 2024

2pm - 3:30 pm

Discover what life was like for a Maya boy or girl.

Free presentation for children ages 6 through 10 at Harris County Public Libraries. The event includes an excavation, hands-on crafts and games, all focused on the culture of the Maya

FREE ADMISSION

Katherine Tyra Branch Library

Sat Apr 13, 2024, 2pm – 4pm

Harris County Public Library, Katherine Tyra Branch Library

16719 Clay Rd, Houston, TX 77084

PART OF THE UKRAINIAN PROJECT

Preserving the Homeland in a Sacred Space

Embark on a tour of Pokrova Ukrainian Catholic Church to learn how sacred spaces are pivotal to the preservation of Ukrainian culture in a diaspora community. Discover the meaning behind the stunning icons in the space and the methods of creating of their creation, view heavily embroidered and beaded vestments used in worship as well as folk embroidery that was part of everyday life, and see a demonstration of the creation of pysanky eggs, a joyous symbol of Easter

Limited to 50 participants

FREE ADMISSION with reservation

9102 Meadowshire St.

Houston, TX 77037

Olha Seniw Photography

PART OF THE UKRAINIAN PROJECT

Ukraine has an ancient, unique history with movements of people sweeping from east to west that were pivotal to the formation of Europe.  Known as the “Gateway to Europe,” Ukraine’s stories are placed in context with a talk focused an early beginnings and then a panel discussion that details more recent events that helped form contemporary Ukrainian identity.

TALK - Ukraine: An Ancient Gateway to Europe

7:00 pm

Dr. Adam Rabinowitz, UT Austin

PANEL DISCUSSION - Foreign Policy & Diplomacy

8:00 pm

Moderated by Eric Botts, University of St. Thomas

Reception - 6pm - 7pm

FREE ADMISSION

University of St. Thomas,

Jones Hall

3910 Yoakumb Blvd., Houston, TX 77006

Preserve and restore a historic cemetery in Pearland.  Descendants will be on hand to tell the stories of their families buried at the site.  We will end the day with a self-pay lunch and a history roundtable at Vallensons’ Brewing Company, a microbrewery conveniently located next to the cemetery!               

Limited to 50 participants

FREE ADMISSION with reservation

Old Settlers Cemetery

4499 Halik St, Pearland, TX 7758

Join us at Bayou Bend for the Children’s Texas Art Festival for activities that forge a connection to Texas and American heritage.  Learn about the life of a boy and girl who lived in a Freedom Colony, African-American settlements formed throughout Texas in the 1800s after the Civil War.

EXCAVATE  like an archaeologist

DISCOVER plant dyes and make a crazy quilt sample

MAKE a certificate by using quill pens and ink

LEARN about culinary traditions: grind corn & identify seeds

Sunday, January 21, 2024, 1pm – 5pm

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, 6003 Memorial Drive

Map and Directions

POETRY & MUSIC Gilgamesh, an Ancient Voice

Discover the world’s first story and learn about a hero who searched for the secret of immortality at a mini-marathon reading of Gilgamesh. Copies of the book will be available for sale for you to follow along as people from all walks of life in Houston participate in relating a story as relevant to humanity today as when it emerged from the Marshes over 5,000 years ago.

Then, join us as we bid goodbye to the mudhif. On its last night in Houston, we will sing a lament and extinguish the lights that have illuminated it since we opened it to the public in September.

FREE ADMISSION

Glasscock School Auditorium, Rice University

Paid Parking, Lot #4

Follow the signs

FAMILY DAY Meet Me at the Mudhif

Free hands-on activities introduce your family to the ancient culture of the Marshes.

The Mudhif, hosted at Rice University

Entrance #8 off of Stockton at University

CULINARY ADVENTURE An Ancient Meal

Feast like an ancient Sumerian! Chefs from Bite of Hope and the Iraqi community, as well as the archaeologist Dr. Zaid Alrawi, replicate a meal from a 5,000-year-old tavern discovered at excavations in Iraq last summer.

$65 per person. Limited to 60 diners.

CULTURAL EVENT Traditional Music Concerts

The concert has been rescheduled for Nov. 19, 2023, 1pm - 3:30 pm

FREE

The Mudhif, hosted on the campus of Rice University

Entrance #8 at Stockton and University Blvd.