Department for the Study of Religions

Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University

Connecting the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences in the study of religious traditions and their general conditions

We educate

"Religious Studies taught me above all to think critically — to look up sources, not to accept everything as given fact, but to ask questions and investigate."

Fro PhD Applicants

We experiment

We study religious behavior in collaboration with the natural and social sciences.

I want to know more!

We organize lectures, workshops and conferences

We invite leading experts on both classic and new topics to Brno.

Look!

We map

We model religious behavior
in space and time. We strive to see connections —
the individual within the whole.

Show me!

Previous Following

IACESR International Conference in Brno, July 1–3, 2026

Mendel Lectures - Michael Tomasello

Lecture

In person

12 Nov 5:00 PM

Michael Tomasello - The Evolution of Human Psychology

From the Research and Deparment

28 Oct

Katia Riccardo receives Vice-Rector’s Award

Katia Riccardo receives Vice-Rector’s Award for Excellence in Doctoral Studies in the academic year 2025/2026.

22 Oct

Hidden mechanisms of religious authority contestation: 4,433 inquisition testimonies across 300 years

Which medieval men and women were most prone to challenging the Church? Analysing 4,433 inquisitorial testimonies (1243–1522), a DISSINET study in the Journal of Cultural Analytics traces how contestation varied by religious group, gender, urban or rural setting, and period. It identifies women and countryfolk as the more frequent challengers, and finds that criticism grew over the period studied.

30 Sep

Sacra – Call for papers 10/2026: Digital Games, Religion, and Actor-Centered Perspective

Achievement Unlocked: Submit your paper to Sacra

From the Study

8 Jul

Anestis Karasaridis is now a PhD

Anestis defended the thesis A Computational Assessment of McNeill and Stark on Christian Expansion during the Antonine Plague and the Plague of Cyprian, and completed the doctoral exam. The defense took place on June 29 2026.

8 Jul

Katia Riccardo defended her thesis and is a Phd

On June 9 2026, Katia Riccardo defended the thesis A computational analysis of inquisitorial language and relationship networks in the inquisition register of Bologna (1291-1310) and passed the State exam successfully.

1 Jun

Two LEVYNA Team Members Receive Prestigious Awards

We are delighted to share that two members of the LEVYNA team have recently received major awards recognizing their outstanding research.