Sacred Heritage in Lithuania: Geographical Analysis of Shrines
摘要
Sacred heritage includes different religious objects of various religions. The sanctity of a place and the cultural heritage of space are often intertwined, so it is important to understand the integral sacred space. This chapter aims to present the network of shrines in Lithuania. The chapter analyses the development of the network of shrines and the significance of shrines as a sacral heritage. The analysis focuses on the number of churches, monasteries, and other religious sites. The network of shrines consists of more than 1500 objects. Roman Catholic churches have exclusive architectural forms and central locations in rural areas or cities. The chapter presents the dynamics of the number of shrines (Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, and Old Believers) in the present territory of Lithuania. The chapter also presents the main historical reasons for the change in the number of churches and other shrines. The author discusses the main structural elements of sacred heritage and the distribution of artistic and symbolic settings in Lithuania.