A quantitative approach in the ecclesiastical heritage appraisal

Cultural, environmental and religious resources are a repository of values participating in the process of recognizing the environmental semantic roots. The presence and use of these resources transform an anonymous place into a place of art, contemplation, meeting and cultural exchange; they contribute to psychological well-being, to the realization of social equity and to the economic development by attracting new investments and strengthening existing ones. Ecclesiastical goods represent a conspicuous part, in terms of quantity and quality, of the historical and artistic heritage. Religious heritage is also an economic asset, having the characteristics of utility, usability and limited availability that distinguish economic assets (increasingly rare) from non-economic and natural ones. The ecclesiastical cultural heritage, given its widespread distribution, is certainly a testimony, like other cultural heritage, of history, civilization and culture of a country, but at the same time also of people religiosity as used for liturgical or devotionals purposes. Given the particular nature of these assets, the valuation approach aimed at their appraisal is also particular and targeted. This contribution aims to increase knowledge about the evaluation of ecclesiastical cultural heritage, for which at present there is still a few attention, due to its marked atypical nature, uniqueness and complexity.