The Intangible into the Perceptible: Ethereal Aspects of Religious Spaces and Their Theological Foundations

Dear Colleagues,

Although any space, interior or outdoors, may serve to accommodate a religious rite, specific spaces have evolved to represent and express the most profound doctrines of each religion originating in their respective theological scriptures. Each set of beliefs tends to be impelled towards certain artistic and architectural expressions, as well as a certain milieu, to best serve its goals. Depending on its theological postulations, each space attempts to discern the most suitable means to guide perception towards them. The methods engaged may to a certain degree be similar to those employed by other religions or be entirely different. In the latter case, this may position a particular religion quite apart from others, by fashioning a distinctive milieu. In some cases, similar spaces with another religion may be desirable, while in other cases, a clear clash may constitute the quintessential outcome.

Accordingly, religious buildings have traditionally served as a field of experimentation on the subtlest and most refined aspects of spatial design, probing into the most recondite aspects to reach a suitable atmosphere. This may be achieved through the manipulation of various design aspects to guide perception towards the essential values aiming at inspiring. It is often achieved through the handling of more or less intangible aspects, such as light, shadow, and color, or aspects of space such as scale and proportion, or even non-visual aspects such as acoustics, etc., in order to render perceptible fundamental theological principles and norms. The atmosphere tends to transpire and emit these principles in the form of an aura as an indirect and intangible complementary but essential element to the images, forms, or writings peculiar to each religion.

In this Special Issue, we invite papers attempting to tackle issues and nuances of this kind embedded in religious architecture. The papers submitted may deal with original observations in a single type of building or venture into deriving similarities or differences in milieu between buildings of different religions and attempt to relate these to the teachings and doctrines of each. To strengthen the critical depth and academic rigor of the Special Issue, we encourage you to clearly identify the sources you have used, whether they are historical, or critical sources grounded in specific architectural design theories or the theology of architecture. We want to ensure the Special Issue maintains a balance of phenomenological approaches while also grounding the discussions in solid historical and architectural frameworks.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send this to the Guest Editor, or to the Assistant Editor Sandee Pan (sandee.pan@mdpi.com) of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo a double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Iakovos Potamianos
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• religious architecture
• sacred buildings
• space and form
• philosophical concepts
• theological concepts