This chapter traces the historical progressions in the transitional character of sacred and profane spaces within the built environment, reflecting on theory and a range of practical examples to produce a conceptual approach to understanding the context for contemporary practice. Assessing prehistoric religious developments (Eliade, in History of religious ideas. Volume 1: From the stone age to the Eleusinian Mysteries, 1978), the chapter critically considers the origins and purposes of sacred and profane spaces, tracking historical changes and influences, from sacred landscapes to pilgrimage routes, and sacred and secular buildings, and highlighting geographic, cultural, ethnic, and religious differences. To bring this analysis into the present day, the Cultural Inclusivity and Equity Risk Assessment (CIERA©, Albert, B. & Dowson, R., in Event Planning and Management, Kogan Page, 2023.) tool is introduced, enabling the assessment of cultural risks and hegemonic forces. Many religious sites and sacred spaces have integrated contemporary forms of cultural expression, particularly events, resulting from and contributing to venuefication and the eventization of faith (Dowson, R. & Lamond, I., in Power, Construction and Meaning in Festivals. Routledge; Dowson & Olsen, 2023). From disused, decommissioned and deconsecrated spaces to temporary sacralization of profane spaces, events present new dilemmas as the impacts of cultural capital are experienced. Four examples are introduced to explore the influences of sacred and secular spaces: Jerusalem, the islands of Malta and Gozo, Istanbul, and local parish churches in England.