European Journal of Science and Theology, February 2020, Vol.16, No.1, 187-197 _______________________________________________________________________ SPANISH RELIGIOUS TEXTILES FROM THE 18 TH AND 19 TH CENTURIES THE GARÍN CASE Ester Alba 1* , Mar Gaitán 1 , Arabella León 2 and Jorge Sebastián 1 1 Universitat de València, Department of Art History, Av. Blasco Ibáñez 28, València, 46010, Spain 2 Garin 1820 S.A., Calle Ramón de Villarroya 1, Moncada, 46113, Spain (Received 11 October 2019, revised 11 November 2019) Abstract Clothes and textiles make up a very relevant part or religious cultural heritage. This paper presents a selection of liturgical textiles from the 18 th and 19 th centuries. They were created by Garín, a Spanish factory still active today. The designs and weaving techniques employed in them have provided the starting point for a research project, SILKNOW, in operation between 2018 and 2021. It aims to apply cutting-edge computing technologies to textile heritage, including the religious and liturgical, and thus establish new historical and artistic connections. Keywords: silk, interactive, tools, weaving techniques, decorative motifs 1. Introduction Digital culture has allowed the creation a wide range of tools that are being applied in the museum and cultural heritage sector. These aids are extremely useful not only for preventive conservation but also to improve cataloguing systems and decision-making processes, when restoring an asset. Because of textiles‟ fragility and diversity, the application of these technologies adds new possibilities for their preservation. First, the study of the fabric structure and materials greatly benefits from the use of non-invasive techniques, not only for conservators but also for documentation purposes, an unavoidable step in the accurate preservation of the cultural object. Nowadays, moreover, museums are actively working to improve accessibility. Digital technologies support cultural heritage institutions in guaranteeing universal access, the dissemination and transmission of cultural values for everyone. In this regard, religious textile heritage poses additional challenges. Ordinary collections are quite heterogeneous: one can find fabrics in fashion museums, but also in ethnological or decorative art museums. When it comes to religious textiles, they can also be found in churches, cathedrals, or convents, in many cases lacking the proper display conditions usually found in most museums. * E-mail: esther.alba@uv.es, tel.: +34 963864241