Transcript 7.3 Religion and Spatial Expression PPT

Religion and Spatial Arrangement
Space is the final frontier
STARTERS
The basic premise here is that religion helps create the cultural landscape.
First, the world can be mapped according to religion and we can see inter- and intrafaith boundaries.
Second, religion alters the landscape through a variety of
methods, creating its own cultural (built) landscape that
overlays the physical landscape.
This built landscape happens through a number of methods:
Places of worship
Sacred places
Administration of Space
Organization of time
Wayside Shrines
Other Effects
Burial Practices
Places of Worship
All religions have structures.
The function of a structure influences
the arrangement of the building in
space and across the landscape.
Some structures may house shrines
and others may serve as gathering
places for worship.
The distribution of religious
structures in the landscape reflects
the importance of religion in a
culture’s value system.
Religious Structures are often the
largest or most prominent feature of
the landscape.
Christian Churches
The Christian landscape is
dominated by a high density of
churches.
Churches are significant in
Christianity both because they serve
as gathering places but also because
their physical structure is designed
to reflect religious principles.
Churches are often the largest or at
least the central feature of Christian
settlements.
Given Christianity’s large variety of
denominations, no single style
dominates.
Churches often reflect the
architectural heritage of the local
culture and are often constructed of
local materials.
Muslim Masjids (Mosques)
Muslims also gather to worship at
their structures (mosques or
masjids), but the masjid itself is not
considered hallowed ground.
Although any structure can serve as
a masjid, classic masjids include
domes and towers (minarets).
Masjids are organized around a
central courtyard.
Surrounding the courtyard are
rooms for education and other
community functions.
The pulpit is at the end of the
courtyard that faces Mecca.
Muslims will pray five times each
day, whether in a masjid or not,
facing Mecca.
Muslims may also ritualize space by
using a prayer rug.
Hindu Temples
Sacred structures are relatively
unimportant in Asian religions,
whether ethnic or universalizing.
Most important religious rituals
and functions are likely to take
place in the home.
Many homes will have their own
small shrines for these
functions.
However, Larger temples are
sometimes built to house
shrines.
A temple may serve as a ritual
home for one or more
manifestations of Brahman
(God).
Temples usually has an internal
space where a relic or image of
God resides.
Buddhist Stupa
Pagodas are also not often used as
houses of worship so much as they
are shrines devoted to the Buddha
or to other Buddhist deities.
Worship takes place in a near
temple, monastery, or home
They also often host individual
prayer or meditation practice.
Many contain relics of the Buddha
himself. Pilgrimages carried relics
to other countries and built
pagodas for them
They are often many-sided with
elaborate towers, tiers, terraces,
balconies and slanted roofs.
Shinto Pagodas
Shinto pagodas are also
devoted more to shrines
housing certain kami (spirits)
and also offer space for ritual
dance or personal meditation
and prayer.
May pagodas are places in
which adherents come to offer
gifts to the kami and to ask
favor in the area of the kami’s
power.
Shinto pagodas are known for
their many tiered roofs and
their tori gates.
Baha’i Houses of Worship
Since its founding,
Baha’I has built a
number of Houses of
Worship all over the
world (Russia, the US,
Australia, Uganda,
Germany, Panama,
Samoa, and India.
The location of the
Houses does not
reflect meaningful
places or large
concentrations of
adherents for the
Baha’i, but instead is
meant to illustrate
Baha’i as an
established
universalizing religion.
Sacred Space
Religion demonstrates its impact in the way it arranges human activity on the landscape.
A religion’s beliefs determine the way it distributes its elements on the land.
Burial Practices
Religious Settlements
Know about:
Know about:
Cemetaries (Christian, Muslim, Jewish)
Cremation (Hindus, Chinese,
Sky Burial (Parsis, Tibetan Buddhists)
Sea Burial (Micronesia)
Utopian Settlements
Bethlehem, PA (Moravians)
Salt Lake City (Mormons)
Puritan Settlement planning in New England
Sacred Space
Religious Toponyms
Holy Sites
Toponyms serve as a way for a
culture/religion to mark an area as
their own through religiously-themed
place names
Mark the location of an life event,
miracle, etc. They mark the place as
sacred and are often the objectives of
pilgrimages.
Administration of Space
Universalizing
Religions
Ethnic
Religions
In order to
maintain
communication
and consistency
across the
globe,
universalizing
religions tend to
arrange space in
an
administrative
hierarchy.
Ethnic religions
tend not to have
organized,
central authority
systems.
Administration of Space
Hierarchical Religions
Locally Autonomous Religions
Hierarchical Religions have a well-defined geographic
structure and organize territory into local administrative
units.
Locally Autonomous Religions are self-sufficient and
interaction among communities is confined to loose
cooperation and shared ideas.
Know about:
Know about:
Mormons (wards and stakes)
Catholics (Provinces, Diocese and Parishes)
Episcopals, Lutherans and Methodists
Islam (unity through adherence to the Qur’an)
Baptists, Church of Christ, Presbyterians
Judaism (minyan) and Hinduism (individual)