Agluonos ir Vilniaus krašto religinės piligrimystės objektų sąlyčiai

Abstract

All three Baltic States are Christian, but only Lithuania and Latvia have their own Catholic culture. Their ethnic religious heritage consists of sacral objects and folk devotion practices. There are many unique sacral sites that are visited by pilgrims from all over the world, such as the Hill of Crosses near Šiauliai in Lithuania or Agluona shrine in Latvia. Long-standing personal practice has led to one of these phenomena becoming a research object – religious pilgrimage objects of Agluona and Vilnius region. The aim of the research is to reveal the relation of religious pilgrimage objects of Agluona and Vilnius region. Tasks of the research are: firstly, to present briefly aspects of historic origins of religious pilgrimage in Agluona and Vilnius region; secondly, to investigate reasons for relations between religious pilgrimage objects and devotional practices of Agluona and Vilnius region. Results of conducted research allow drawing these conclusions: firstly, historic origins of visiting sacral sites in Agluona and Vilnius region are identical, i.e. visiting of the painting Madonna with Child (both copy and original), completing little calvaries or 14-station Way of the Cross, visiting of springs that have healing and grace giving features, celebration of Triduum of Pentecost and the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Secondly, the origins of these relations lie in the culture of Dominican friars. Thirdly, reasons of the origins of sacred sites and their devotional practices in Agluona and Vilnius region are geopolitical. [...]