THE RELIGIOUS CULTURAL HERITAGE AT RISK OF WAR. A NECESSARY INTERNATIONAL MONITORING FOR PROTECTION

Abstract

Over the centuries, the religious monumental heritage has been the object of systematic destruction by the oppressors, because it is the depositary of the most deeply rooted values of the subjugated people. The history of the wars of the twentieth century and the protection of monuments during the last world conflict led the international community to reflect on a new way of understanding cultural heritage, not as an asset owned by a people, but as a legacy to be handed down to the future for its universal values. The new means available to international communities for satellite monitoring and control of war zones allow us to work faster and more consciously on this process of protection and monitoring in the event of war.