SACRAL LANDSCAPE: CONTENTS AND FUNCTIONS

Mischenko O.

Abstract:

The relevance of the research of scientific approaches to the content of the notion of sacred landscape, its structure and functions are substantiated. The article considers the sacral landscape as a holistic, stable system characterized by spatial and temporal organization, which ensures the process of uniting the nation, preserves authentic culture, opposes the destruction of spiritual foundations, has a great social, economic and political significance. We established the interdisciplinary nature of the investigation, which covers a wide range of issues related to various scientific disciplines: geography, social theory, culture, philosophical anthropology.

The analysis of scientific publications concerning the interpretation of the concept of sacred and its etymology has been studied. The difference between the concepts of sacred and religious is substantiated. The content of the concept of sacredness, which gives people, actions, territory and other objects of such quality that separates them from the ordinary things and places them in the position of exceptional value and significance and on this basis requires an exceptional attitude, is determined.

The modern approaches to the interpretation of the notion of the sacral landscape are investigated. It has been established that a large proportion of the sacred space belongs to religious objects. The main instruments of the “sacralization” of the landscape are identified – symbolization, myth and event that gives it an extremely valuable (holy) meaning. The experience of using the integrated approach in the interpretation of the notion of sacral landscape is substantiated. The definition of where the sacred landscape is considered as a natural, natural-anthropogenic, anthropogenic system, which is associated with certain life symbols, myths, significant events, religious feelings, is extremely valuable for a person or group of people and needs a special respect and protection.

The results of the investigation indicate that the sacred landscape can be considered as a system that has a spatial-hierarchical structure, where we can distinguish individual, local, regional, national and global levels. The examples of sacred landscapes of different levels are given.

The analysis of scientific publications about the functions of sacred geographical objects is carried out. It was established that such researches were based on the influence of sacred geographical objects on visitors, which testifies the integrity of interconnections in the complex system “man-landscape”.

The leading approaches to classification of landscape functions are investigated. The classification of functions of the sacred landscape is developed, classes and subclasses of such functions are singled out. The political, social, economic and ecological functions of the sacred landscape, that have an environment formative role are characterized. The functions presented in the article have a theoretical value, since in practice there are close interrelationships between them, that is, they integrate and complement each other.

Keywords: 
sacral, religious, sacred landscape, the spatial hierarchy of sacral landscape, classification of functions of the sacred landscape.

Language:
Ukrainian

DOI: http://doi.org/10.17721/1728-2721.2018.70.15

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Suggested citation:

Mischenko O. (2018) Sacral landscape: contents and functions. Visnyk Kyivskogo nacionalnogo universytetu imeni Tarasa Shevchenka GEOGRAFIYA [Bulletin of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Geography], 1 (70), 83-88 (in Ukranian, abstr. in English).