Sacred Space Research Articles

Reimagining sacred spaces and spiritual leadership: Response to Andrea Baker’s paper Sacred Spaces

Through Andrea Baker’s paper, the realities of abuse and the failure of churches to protect the oppressed are brought closer to our hearts and minds. Baker presents a prophetic call to imagine how Christians may embody the kingdom of God and restore ‘sacred spaces’ in our ecclesial institutions. In light of such a prophetic challenge, as a response, this paper reflects on a couple of aspects that can be pertinent to missiologists. They are: 1) to reimagine how we understand ‘sacred spaces’ and 2) to envision the possibility of holistic leadership development that fosters ‘sacred spaces.’ Consequently, one can discern God’s redeeming presence beyond the four walls of the church while working to restore churches as ‘sacred spaces’ where the love and resurrection power of Jesus Christ become an embodying reality. This paper was read in response to Andrea Baker's plenary address titled ‘Sacred Spaces’ at the Annual Conference of the American Society of Missiology, 2024.

Timeless Caves, Sacred Spaces, Cardiology Clinics

Timeless Caves, Sacred Spaces, Cardiology Clinics

MARIA MARIA! Exploring Filipina Identity Through Mixed-Media Graphic Design

This practice-led project explores Filipina Identity through mixed media graphic design, asking how two halves of a Pre and Post-Colonial female identity may exist in visual and narrative harmony. Through a series of seven assemblages, the practitioner takes the bold landscapes and bright, colourful creatures of Pre-Colonial Philippine mythology into the intensely sacred space of devotional shrines. In doing so, the project reviews key areas of Western Storytelling; Filipino Cubism; and 20th Century Assemblage. By using Western devices to frame indigenous content, the practitioner hopes to create a timeless, familiar narrative with a native twist.

Creating the Shi’i Sacred Space in Italy

Abstract The most serious challenge that Twelver Shi’is face in Italy is the absence of their conventional places of worship. The present study through empirical methods demonstrates how Shi’is create prayer halls by inclusion and exclusion of certain elements and how confer a sort of sacredness to these locals. Although sacredness of the Islamic places of worship is subject to controversy, in this essay we will see how sacredness of such places emerges as a social construction liable to constant evolution, rather than a God-given and extraordinary phenomenon.

Prayer 24/7: The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Prayer City and Urban Invigoration in Nigeria

ABSTRACT The idea of a modern city is hardly construed from the prism of religion, even though the Tower of Babel has been discursively engaged as an agenda of building a megacity with an interplanetary goal. During the development and expansion of Christianity, cathedrals, with their elaborate architectural aesthetics and frequently as the only spectacular buildings in the provinces, became sites of ecclesiastical and political power. In Nigeria, although the mainline churches followed the cathedralization pattern of Western Christianity, the Pentecostal churches preferred the establishment or construction of prayer camps as the earliest mode of development and sacralization of space. However, there is a transition from prayer camps to prayer cities, with the latter conceived as a deliberate urbanization policy that embraces modern facilities. Using ethnographic and analytical methods, I study the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries’ Prayer City near Lagos, Nigeria, a “city” built on and sustained by prayer culture, and a “city” that invigorates urban life.

The Apotheosis of Mountains: Sacred Space, Symbolic Landscape, and National Consciousness in Ch’oe Namsŏn’s T’aebaek Poetry

Abstract Ch’oe Namsŏn was a key figure in the introduction of geography into the print media culture of early twentieth-century Chosŏn. Ch’oe used geography as a tool, creating a new territorial consciousness for national cohesion, and this article explores how this greatly shaped his poetic landscape. Locating itself between the boundaries of literary studies and cultural geography, this work looks at Ch’oe’s underexplored T’aebaek poetry, in which his interests in geography, history, and national identity significantly converge. Drawing on “Mount Taebaek” of Korea’s past, Ch’oe fashions the mountain into a pseudo-religious icon of nationhood. A symbolic landscape, evocative of a uniquely Korean past yet rising as a global icon going into a modern world, Ch’oe’s poetry creates a godlike figure for the Korean people to look to in a changing time of imperialism, nationalism, and modern progress. Through various iterations of T’aebaek—benevolent deity, bringer of modernity, omnipotent ruler of the world—one sees the mountain play a vital role in the shaping of Ch’oe’s nationalist project, which would have continued influence on his writings later in life.

The House of One

This paper explores the potential of the client-architect relationship to be part of a design methodology conducive to conceiving sacred space as collaborative, dialogical practice. The case study for this investigation is the multi-confessional project ‘House of One’ by Kuehn Malvezzi, currently on site in Berlin, Germany. The client for this project is not one cleric or religious community but a foundation initiated by a local Protestant, Jewish and Muslim congregation. The fact that the client is not one homogenous entity has shaped the conception of the project and consequently the building’s final appearance: all design decisions have been taken conjointly by the three clerics. In this project, the correlation between theological considerations and material realisation has been recognised as a reciprocal two-way process: theological doctrines are materialised through constructed space – equally, architectural questions can act as a catalyst for theological debate between the three clerics and their respective communities.

Infrasecularity in Stardew Valley

ABSTRACT Stardew Valley is a role-playing and farm simulator video game released by sole creator Eric Barone (online alias ConcernedApe) in 2016. This paper aims to apply an infrasecular (della Dora, V. 2018, “Infrasecular Geographies: Making, Unmaking and Remaking Sacred Space.” Progress in Human Geography 42 (1): 44–71) lens to the analysis of sacred spaces in Stardew Valley. Della Dora’s (2018. “Infrasecular Geographies: Making, Unmaking and Remaking Sacred Space.” Progress in Human Geography 42 (1): 44–71) work on infrasecularity stresses the layered nature of sacred spaces. Different belief systems may be present in a single sacred space that interact with each other over time. This paper analyzes some of the game’s spiritual spaces, including magical ritual spaces, as well as spaces dedicated to reverence of in-game deity “Yoba”. This paper’s methods include auto-ethnography and narrative analysis.

Secularisation as the Fragmentation of the Sacred and of Sacred Space

Contemporary conflicts about secularity in ‘the West’ tend to focus on public space. Although collective Christian heritage means that public space is rarely exclusively neutral, conflicts continue to arise over the relationship between secularity and religious symbolism, and especially over those symbols which derive from religious minorities. This contribution critically considers the designation of space as either sacred or secular in political imaginaries, approaching processes of secularisation as part of a fragmentation of the sacred and of sacred space. We introduce the concept of trans-liminal space: spaces which can contain multiple and potentially conflicting ascriptions of meaning. Conceptualizing public space as trans-liminal allows for contemporaneous and competing ascriptions of the secular, the sacred, the secular-sacred, and the sacred-secular, without being exclusively grounded in either. Trans-liminality does not preclude public space to be predominantly secular, but it does problematise the phenomenon of normative exclusions of religious symbols from public spaces.

Imaging Uncertainty: Layers of Time and Meaning in a Sacred Space

AbstractLaid bare by contemporary scanning techniques and technologies, historic buildings reveal a series of nested, diaphanous presences – the membranes of memory and fragments of history. Architectural writer Eva Menuhin investigates a recent project by the University of Greenwich's Captivate: Spatial Modelling Research Group, whose gossamer‐threaded architectural representations decode time, movements, changes, additions and destructions of a London Garrison church – a poetic, ghostly ballet between time, building and nature.

The Rock and the Contemporary Sacred Space

The Rock and the Contemporary Sacred Space

The Sacred Space of Hagia Sophia / Aya-Sofia in the Perception of European Artists

The Sacred Space of Hagia Sophia / Aya-Sofia in the Perception of European Artists

Religious Soundscape, Sacred Space, and Affective Body: The Experience of Sufi Whirling Ritual Practitioners in Java

This article explores the experience of cultivating religious senses and sensibilities through ritual Sufi dance. In contemporary Indonesia, Sufi dance serves both as a performance and a ritual. As a performance, it is staged at specific events; as a ritual, it acts as a religious practice, engaging the body and fostering a connection with God to experience spiritual ecstasy. Employing a phenomenological approach, the research data were gathered through interviews, participant observation, and social media. This article focuses on the Tari Sufi Mafia Sholawat group, the predominant Sufi dance community in Java, and illustrates how sound and listening during Sufi dance rituals significantly nurture and enhance religious sensibility and the affective body. Furthermore, it identifies various sounds present in the Sufi dance performance that resonate with listeners’ senses and sensibilities. These sounds evoke a range of bodily actions and emotional responses from the performers, such as hand movements, closed eyes, weeping, and screaming. The dancers perform these movements within a sacred space, thereby amplifying their spiritual impact.

Best Kept Secret: The Conspiracy of Silence in Mahesh Dattani’s Thirty Days in September

This article explores the nuanced dimensions of silence, examining its physical, psychological, and textual manifestations in Mahesh Dattani’s play “Thirty Days in September,” addressing the sensitive theme of child sexual abuse (CSA). It delves into the multifaceted roles of silence as a mechanism for psychological resistance, repression, suppression, and avoidance in the lives of CSA survivors, particularly portrayed through the characters of Shanta and Mala. The article also explores the symbolic presence of God as a silent refuge and the intentional use of authorial license to veil characters’ voices, highlighting the complexities of familial dynamics, societal expectations, and the pervasive silence surrounding CSA, emphasizing the challenges faced by victims in articulating their experiences. Furthermore, it delves into the psychological impact of repression and suppression on CSA survivors, detailing the intricate interplay between memory recall, dissociation, and the difficulties survivors encounter in acknowledging and confronting their traumatic past. The narrative of the play is dissected to reveal instances of silence as a coping mechanism, as well as the role of shame, secrecy, and power dynamics within familial contexts. The portrayal of God as a silent presence becomes a symbolic sacred space for characters to express and confront suppressed aspects of their harrowing experiences

Construction of Sagrada Famlia --Building the Architecture and Sacred Space in the Modern World

This research report examines the construction and evolution of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, focusing on the level of complexities of the global debates on the proceeding construction of the project. This study delves into the original vision of the second leading architect, Antoni Gaudi, and his political perspective within the church, then subsequent shifts into the transforming design philosophy after Gaudis death, considering factors such as tourism and urban plans. Through a thorough analysis of architecture itself, this research investigates the ongoing debate over the cathedrals completion and the concept of sacred space, revealing the tension between the churchs initial identity and the continuing of construction of novel sacred space. The study concludes that the cathedral has evolved into a symbol not only of the Catalan community but also of broader application such as religious tourism, continuing to drift away from Gaudis insightful purpose, however, reshaping the sacred space benefits the society economically.

Sacred space: a qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis of women’s experiences of supportive birthing environments

BackgroundIn the United States there are roughly three million births a year, ranging from cesarean to natural births. A major aspect of the birthing process is related to the healing environment, and how that helps or harms healing for the mother and child. Using the theoretical framework, Theory of Supportive Care Settings (TSCS), this study aimed to explore what is necessary to have a safe and sacred healing environment for mothers.MethodThis study utilized an updated Qualitative Interpretive Meta-synthesis (QIMS) design called QIMS-DTT [deductive theory testing] to answer the research question, What are mother’s experiences of environmental factors contributing to a supportive birthing environment within healthcare settings?ResultsKey terms were run through multiple databases, which resulted in 5,688 articles. After title and abstract screening, 43 were left for full-text, 12 were excluded, leaving 31 to be included in the final QIMS. Five main themes emerged from analysis: 1) Service in the environment, 2) Recognizing oneself within the birthing space, 3) Creating connections with support systems, 4) Being welcomed into the birthing space, and 5) Feeling safe within the birthing environment.ConclusionsProviding a warm and welcoming birth space is crucial for people who give birth to have positive experiences. Providing spaces where the person can feel safe and supported allows them to find empowerment in the situation where they have limited control.

Sacred Space, Mourning and the War Dead in Protestant Germany, 1945–

Abstract Using the Flensburg Memorial Dispute of 1967 as a microstudy, this article explores how Germany’s twentieth-century war dead have been represented within Protestant sacred space since 1945. It highlights the central role played by church spaces in the mourning and commemoration of Germany’s war dead and the tremendous difficulties accompanying attempts to redesign these iconographies in the later twentieth century in the face of popular sentiment.

Sacred space of the Jochid Ulus: Saraychik and Barсhinkent

The study of the history of the emergence and development of medieval cities in Kazakhstan remains one of the most difficult and important tasks of modern research. A comprehensive study of hillforts allows us to determine both the general features of urban development and the peculiarities of the formation of individual urban settlements. The cities of Saraychik on the Ural (Zhaiq) River and Barchinkent in the lower reaches of the Syr Darya River were not only large commercial and economic, but also spiritual centers of the Jochid Ulus. Having developed as cities during the Mongol period, they played an important role in the political life of the Golden Horde. The fate of Saraychik and Barchinkent is closely connected with the general course of the history of this state. Written sources and materials from many years of archaeological research indicate that the heyday of both cities coincides with the time of rising, and the beginning of decline and desolation – with the beginning of the collapse of the Golden Horde. The enthronement of khans of Berke, Janibek and other representatives of Juchids in Saraychik, and then the emergence of a necropolis where the remains of several rulers of the Golden Horde had been buried, led to the beginning of the sacralization of the place. By the 14th century, Barchinkent became famous as a city where many preachers of Islam and Sharia scholars lived, who played a significant role in spreading Islam among the population of the Jochid Ulus. Excavations in Saraychik and Barchinkent (Kyshqala hillfort) made it possible to identify the location and historical names of cities, the time of their origin and growth, as well as to determine the features of functioning as centers of international trade, crafts and culture.

Re-examining the Representation of the Land in Hosea 4-11 in Light of Sacred Space

This article reconsiders the role of land in the YHWH-Israel relationship in Hos 4-11, a text which reworks positive notions of land-gift, inheritance, homeland-as the land becomes associated with Israel's iniquitous actions and distorted values. To achieve this, the study explores how land is represented as a sacred space in the text and how sacred space is subject to the actions, ideas and perceptions of the people who inhabit the land. The study employs a synchronic, social-scientific approach and conducts a thematic analysis of the text, focusing on the interconnections of sacred space's moderators-holiness, cultural memory and covenantal exchange-and their place in the land's deconstruction and reconstruction. Considering these relational modes, the study shows that the representation of the land is reflected in the text's movements from deconstruction to reconstruction, which suggests that the state of the YHWH-Israel relationship is interlaced with the physical landscape.

Shared Heraldry and the Sacred Space: The Building Blocks of João I of Portugal’s Imagery

This study considers the practice of shared heraldry as an instrument of affirmation of late-medieval monarchies, examining the case study of King João I of Portugal. The study of how this sovereign’s heraldry was shared with those close to him illustrates how heraldry was understood as an instrument of propaganda for the cause of independence, in the context of the 1383-1385 dynastic crisis, and subsequently in building the imagery of the King and the dynasty he founded. The transposition of this heraldry to the Monastery of Batalha, erected to commemorate the victory at Aljubarrota and later a dynastic necropolis, established a privileged relationship with this monument’s architecture and iconography, expanding the same theme of shared heraldry (now in a dynastic context) as an expression of the royal power’s legitimacy.