Sacred spaces

Sacred spaces are living and changing realities, dependent on the passage of time. These natural and/or man-made places, which host scheduled rituals, give meaning to a community and embody the connection between terrestrial and transcendence time.

The reflection about the evolution and change of sacred spaces, the nature and motivations behind their creation, the relationship between forms and their meanings, the dynamics of renovation, and the accumulation of artistic programmes is currently a subject of considerable interest in the study of architecture, applied arts, visual culture, and devotional rites.

This section welcomes papers focusing on the study of sacred spaces across a long period of time and a broad geographical spectrum, favouring a holistic and integrated view of the following topics:

1) analysis and interpretation of forms and meanings;
2) connection with rituals;
3) historical and artistic transformations;
4) contemporary uses;
5) holiness and tourism.