Religious beliefs that currently exist in the world are quite closely related to each other. Of course, each of them provides its own model for understanding the world and interpreting certain phenomena. But in almost all religions there are regularities, for example: a god, a great teacher or a prophet, temples, shrines. As for the last element, the sanctuary, it is one of the key ones. Understanding this term will allow you to understand some facts and see a number of specific features that are found in almost all major religions of the world.
The sanctuary should be singled out from the entire array of similar elements. However, not everyone understands the very essence of this term. His definition carries a large amount of information that will become a reliable support in the process of studying any religious topics.
Sanctuary. Essence of the term
If you ask an ordinary person on the street what a sanctuary is, he will not be able to clearly answer the question. Yes, we all know, this term is somehow connected with god and other things. But not everyone understands its true purpose. A sanctuary is a ritual place dedicated to a deity in a particular religion. Such a place may carry a purely symbolic meaning or be the territory of rituals. Thus,the sanctuary is a kind of "intermediary" between a person and a deity.
As mentioned earlier, the sanctuary can be used for some rituals, such as offering gifts. Such actions are performed to appease and receive divine protection.
The difference between temple and sanctuary
At all times there have been some differences in the understanding of the sanctuary and the temple. The difference between these two places of worship is as follows:
- A temple is always bigger than a sanctuary.
- The existence of the temple indicates the presence of a fairly large denomination, consisting of many people.
- The sanctuary can be located anywhere, even in the house. It provides an opportunity to "talk" with God to a limited number of people.
- The temple is an architectural structure, and various materials and objects are used in the process of creating a sanctuary.
There is a theory that a sanctuary is a kind of temple, formed as a result of the evolution of any local belief in an entire religion. This assumption has a lot of evidence. For example, there were no Christian temples before this religion was not recognized by the world. Consequently, her followers built special places of worship for their ritual cults. Thus, the sanctuary is nothing but the collective concept of any place for offering or communion with the god.
Modern shrines
If we consider the sanctuary as a generalized concept, then such structuresexist all over the world. Every religion has its own view of this sacred place. Over time, the approach to the construction of such places has changed a lot, as people's views on religion in general have also changed.
If earlier a pagan sanctuary consisted of stone, a figurine of a deity and other minor attributes, then modern buildings are beautifully decorated.
Examples of shrines in other religions
In Japan, such places are located in picturesque parks or gardens. Most often they are called temples.
For Muslim peoples, the main place of worship is the Kaaba.
In M alta, archaeologists discovered a metal sanctuary located underground.
Jews use synagogues. Such buildings are very similar to Christian churches, with the exception of some architectural features.
So, we have considered the main types and essence of the concept of "sanctuary". This building is being built not only for the purpose of communicating with higher powers, but also for the spiritual appeasement of man. Places like this serve to be alone with yourself and God.
