The International Association Cultural Itinerary Way of the Holy Grail of Europe held the International Conference “Valencia, City of the Holy Grail” on November 2 at the Hotel Turia, closing the third block of activities for 2026 under its collaboration agreement with the Valencia City Council. The event, organized with the AIUTA (International Association of Universities of the Third Age) and attended by its president, Dr. François Vellas, presented translations of the association’s materials into French, Italian, Portuguese, English, and Turkish. The program also included a heritage route through the urban signage of the Holy Grail, l’Almoina, and the cube of the Holy Grail, as well as a visit to the Chapel of the Holy Chalice in the Cathedral of Valencia.
The conference marked the culmination of a year-round effort to internationalize knowledge about the Holy Grail, which the association says has been venerated in Valencia since 1437. Earlier, on October 19 and 26, the association brought multilingual materials to tourism classrooms at IES Benlliure, presenting them to students and teachers for use in their own dissemination actions. The students are collaborating on a tourist office they will manage themselves.
These actions stem from a collaboration agreement signed on May 4, 2026, by José Vicente Gosálbez Payá, Councilor for Employment, Training and Entrepreneurship, and Dr. Ana Mafé García, president of the association. The agreement provides a municipal contribution of 30,000 euros for 2026 and promotes cultural and creative entrepreneurship through heritage associated with The Way of the Holy Grail. It is structured in three blocks: the artistic creation of an official collection of stamps from municipalities along the itinerary; training for professionals who act as prescribers of the city, along with an International Academic Award to be announced before year-end at the Welcome Gala of the IV International Congress on Dissemination and Journalism; and the scientific and linguistic internationalization that concluded with the November 2 conference.
Participation in the year’s activities was strong. Between June and July, training workshops for tourist guides and businesspeople drew more than one hundred attendees and accredited 38 professional guides with diplomas. The three modules for guides were taught at Nautalia Viajes and Pangea The Travel Store, while meetings with businesspeople were held on Jorge Juan Street and at the CLC Arte Gallery. The cycle ended on July 27 with the Tourist Guides Gala, where diplomas were awarded.
Art also played a role. On May 20, the official presentation of the project at the Popular University of the Jardín de Ayora opened the artistic call for the CAR Programme, which a week later arrived at Pintasueños in Benimaclet. Its objective is to create the official collection of stamps for municipalities along The Way of the Holy Grail, destined to seal pilgrims’ credentials. Additionally, the 2026 call for the International Academic Award “The Way of the Holy Grail” promotes doctoral and academic research on the Holy Grail, with a first economic prize, culminating in a gala in 2027.
In total, the agreement has enabled more than thirty face-to-face, radio, and training informative sessions in Valencia in 2026. “With this conference, the knowledge that is born in Valencia about ‘The Way of the Holy Grail’ can now be confirmed that the International Association speaks French, English, Italian, Portuguese and Turkish,” said Dr. Ana Mafé García. She added that none of this would have been possible without the Department of Entrepreneurship of the Valencia City Council, “which has understood that this heritage is also an opportunity for entrepreneurship, employment and international projection for the city.”
The association expressed gratitude for the collaboration of AIUTA, the Popular University of Valencia, IES Benlliure, Nautalia Viajes, Pangea The Travel Store, the CLC Arte Gallery, Pintasueños, and the Turia Hotel, as well as the support of its patrons, Leanizbarrutia and Losan. The International Association, a non-profit entity founded on February 22, 2022, in Massamagrell (Valencia), works to preserve and disseminate the tangible and intangible heritage of the Holy Grail, encourage sustainable tourism, and promote intercultural dialogue and peace from common European heritage.
