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Sacred Buildings: Visible and Invisible Aspects of Religious Architecture
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Sacred Buildings: Visible and Invisible Aspects of Religious Architecture

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2021) | Viewed by 8117

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Iakovos Potamianos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Professor of Architecture and Theatre, School of Drama, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54622 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: Byzantine architecture; light in religious buildings; psychology of perception; philosophy; Poetics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Religious architecture is unlike most architecture. Religion delves into the realm of higher realities that may be sensed through a sudden vision. It attempts to surmise thoughts, beliefs, hopes, wishes, and intuitions not about the world of day-to-day life but about virtually unknowable realities that reside in the realm of the noumenon. In sacred buildings, these allusions ought to be composed in a spatial artifact. Each religion attempts to process this complex abstract system and determine its structure through logic, feeling, and language before undertaking the generation of an architectural artifact. In this sense, religious architecture is one of the highest achievements of human imagination. In order to comprehend such invisible but nonetheless sensed qualities, one must attempt to draw systematic connections to the allusions that brought them into existence while at the same time carefully examining the building itself and experiencing it during its operation. One has to become aware of the image of a higher reality and at the same time distinguish it from the reality of everyday life. For this Special Issue, we invite the submission of papers that attempt to delve into the foundations of thought, whether theological, philosophical, cultural, spatial, formal, etc., that fuel the sensation and comprehension of higher religious qualities in sacred buildings of any denomination while at the same time drawing connections to the corresponding refined aspects of architecture that transmute such thoughts into tangible forms and spatial ensembles.

Prof. 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.

Keywords

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

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 13550 KiB  
Article
Mosque Architecture in Cyprus—Visible and Invisible Aspects of Form and Space, 19th to 21st Centuries
by Marko Kiessel and Asu Tozan
Religions 2021, 12(12), 1055; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12121055 - 29 Nov 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3290
Abstract
A comprehensive analysis of Cypriot mosque architecture between the 19th and 21st centuries, from the Ottoman and British colonial periods to the present, does not exist. The phase after 1974, after the division of the island into a Turkish Cypriot, predominantly Muslim north [...] Read more.
A comprehensive analysis of Cypriot mosque architecture between the 19th and 21st centuries, from the Ottoman and British colonial periods to the present, does not exist. The phase after 1974, after the division of the island into a Turkish Cypriot, predominantly Muslim north and a Greek Cypriot, mainly Christian south, is especially insufficiently studied. This paper aims to interpret Cypriot mosque architecture and its meaning(s) through a comparative analysis, considering cultural, religious, and political developments. Based on an architectural survey and studies about Muslim Cypriot culture, this study investigates formal and spatial characteristics, focusing on the presence/absence of domed plan typologies and of minarets which, as visual symbolic markers, might express shifting cultural-religious notions and/or identities. Inconspicuous mosques without domes and minarets dominate until 1974. However, with the inter-communal tensions in the 1960s, the minaret possibly became a sign of Turkish identity, besides being a cultural-religious marker. This becomes more obvious after 1974 and is stressed by the (re)introduction of the dome. Since the late 1990s, an ostentatious and unprecedented neo-Ottoman architecture emphasizes visible and invisible meanings, and the Turkish presence in Cyprus stronger than before. The new architectural language visually underlines the influences from Turkey that North Cyprus has been experiencing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sacred Buildings: Visible and Invisible Aspects of Religious Architecture)
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12 pages, 5085 KiB  
Article
Sacral Architecture in Poland after 1945 with Particular Reference to the Archdiocese of Częstochowa
by Aleksandra Repelewicz
Religions 2021, 12(11), 952; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12110952 - 01 Nov 2021
Viewed by 1893
Abstract
The study attempts to analyze the post-war sacral architecture in Poland based on the example of churches built after 1945 in the area of the present archdiocese of Częstochowa. It presents the history of sacral architecture, with particular emphasis on the years 1945–1989. [...] Read more.
The study attempts to analyze the post-war sacral architecture in Poland based on the example of churches built after 1945 in the area of the present archdiocese of Częstochowa. It presents the history of sacral architecture, with particular emphasis on the years 1945–1989. It further discusses issues concerning the style of churches and problems related to structures with very large areas and cubature. Problems related to churches erected as “catechetical centers” and smaller filial churches are also mentioned. The presented issues concerning the chosen archdiocese may constitute a representative example of sacral architecture in Poland. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sacred Buildings: Visible and Invisible Aspects of Religious Architecture)
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19 pages, 8786 KiB  
Article
Rethinking the Role and Architectural Value of the St. Andrew Kim Dae-Geon Memorial Church in the Mirinae Shrine in Korea
by Myengsoo Seo
Religions 2021, 12(11), 919; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12110919 - 22 Oct 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2049
Abstract
This paper reconsiders the role and value of the St. Andrew Kim Dae-Geon Memorial Church and his grave site in the Mirinae Shrine, currently recognized as a special place of pilgrimage for Catholics in Korea. The Mirinae area is the place where the [...] Read more.
This paper reconsiders the role and value of the St. Andrew Kim Dae-Geon Memorial Church and his grave site in the Mirinae Shrine, currently recognized as a special place of pilgrimage for Catholics in Korea. The Mirinae area is the place where the remains of Father Kim Dae-Geon were relocated after his martyrdom in 1846. To commemorate this, the St. Andrew Kim Dae-Geon Memorial Church was built in 1928 by his grave, and his relics and image are enshrined within. This research examines the value of the church and his grave site from three perspectives: first, the historical value related to Father Kim Dae-Geon; second, the architectural value of the Memorial Church; and third, value from the sense of place (or genius loci) of the church and environs. The role and architectural value of the building and site were examined through a literature review, an archival investigation, and a visit to the site. This research is about interpretation of the church and Father Kim Dae-Geon’s grave site in the Mirinae Shrine—not only the building itself, but also its sense of place, beyond the historical research focusing on the person. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sacred Buildings: Visible and Invisible Aspects of Religious Architecture)
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