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, closing the third block of activities for 2026 under its collaboration agreement with the Valencia City Council. The event, held at the Hotel Turia with the collaboration of the AIUTA, the 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 programme also included a heritage route through the urban signage of the Holy Grail, l'Almoina and the cube of the Holy Grail, and a visit to the Chapel of the Holy Chalice of the Cathedral of Valencia.
This matters because the initiative positions Valencia as the city where the Holy Chalice is venerated since 1437, and it seeks to spread that message across borders. Earlier, on October 19 and 26, the association took the multilingual materials to the tourism classrooms of IES Benlliure, presenting them to students and teachers of training cycles so they can use them in their own dissemination actions, collaborating in what will be a tourist office managed by the students themselves.
All these actions have been possible thanks to the collaboration agreement between the Department of Entrepreneurship of the Valencia City Council and the International Association, signed on May 4, 2026, by the Councilor for Employment, Training and Entrepreneurship, José Vicente Gosálbez Payá, and the president of the entity, Dr. Ana Mafé García. The agreement provides for a municipal contribution of 30,000 euros by 2026 and promotes cultural and creative entrepreneurship in the city through the heritage associated with The Way of the Holy Grail. It is articulated in three blocks: the artistic creation of an official collection of stamps from the municipalities of the itinerary; the training of professionals who act as prescribers of the city, together with the call for an International Academic Award that will be announced before the end of the year at the Welcome Gala of the IV International Congress on Dissemination and Journalism The Way of the Holy Grail; and the scientific and linguistic internationalization that culminates with this day.
The training workshops were the best thermometer of the response. Between June and July, sessions for tourist guides and businessmen totaled more than a hundred attendees and accredited 38 professional guides with diplomas. The three modules for guides were taught at Nautalia Viajes and at Pangea The Travel Store, while meetings with businessmen were held on Jorge Juan Street and at the CLC Arte Gallery. The cycle culminated on July 27 with the Tourist Guides Gala, in which the diplomas were awarded.
Art also had its space. On May 20, the official presentation of the project at the Popular University of the Jardín de Ayora in Valencia 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 of the municipalities of The Way of the Holy Grail, destined to seal the credentials of pilgrims. Academic knowledge also has its own stimulus: the 2026 call for the International Academic Award "The Way of the Holy Grail," with a first economic prize, promotes doctoral and academic research on the Holy Grail and will culminate in a gala in 2027 where the results of these young researchers will be celebrated. In total, the agreement has made it possible to hold 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,' it can now be confirmed that the International Association speaks French, English, Italian, Portuguese and Turkish," said the president of the International Association, Dr. Ana Mafé García. "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. And thank you to all the people who have participated in the workshops, because their response has exceeded our expectations."
The association is grateful for the collaboration of the AIUTA, the Popular University of Valencia, the 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 activity is financed by the Valencia City Council.
