Were I to be audacious enough to attempt to classify and qualify sacred space — and I am audacious — I would venture to posit the following terms and definitions. These are conceptions I have pondered and used for myself over many years. I initially conceived of these concepts back in 2013 when I was considering pursuing a PhD in architectural history, but opted to not accrue more student loan debt. These have largely lived in my head, but after my recent post on viewing sacred space through the eyes of Georges Bataille, I feel compelled to share the concepts under this new framework.
While this may initially appear systematic, it should be emphasized that this is neither systematic or final. I am fundamentally anti-systematic. Nor do I believe there is a system to the sacred. Systems are a human conception, a means for us to organize our experiences and understandings of those experiences, which the sublime ultimately surpasses. Certainly the numinous is sublime. We may generalize, but the sacred does not like to be categorized. Categories are little fences in which we put our ideas to inhabit, but the sacred is something that does not like fences and will quickly jump into another pen as soon as we put it in the pen we think it belongs to.
Thus, the following are generals and loose definitions as a departure point, instruments in approaching the varieties of sacred space and the manifestations for us to have more clarity in what is being experienced in the realm of the sacred.
Definitions:
Natural: those undomesticated aspects which remain original and primal as found in the wilderness outside of human society. Examples: mountains, prairies, animals, plants, the weather, seasons, oceans, forests, et al.
Profane: those elements and aspects of human life and society which have been established by taboos, laws, codes, social contracts, &c to set human society apart from the natural world. These include but are not limited to politics, economics, sexuality, personal relationships, business, drug use, et al.
Sacred: that which has been "set apart" from the profane (Eliade). Effectively, this is a means to transcend the profane, which may be viewed in two ways. Firstly, it is a "transgression" of taboos to experience primal nature as experienced prior to societal taboos (Bataille). Second, it is a secondary, substitutional means of experiencing primal nature via setting apart a time, space, persons, and objects for experiencing what Eliade calls "mythic history." This is a process of taking the sacred and setting rules around it to set it apart within the profane. This is usually what we call "religion," or more generally, it is civic-sanctioned sacred.
Divine / numinous: a non-physical objective to experience via the sacred. E.g. one seeks to commune with a saint at the location of their shrine, i.e. a sacred place associated with someone who is believed to be holy and therefore an intermediary with the divine.
Holy: a more general quality that meets certain criteria of religious prescriptions and rules, and are usually useful for accessing sacred experience / the divine.
Sacred Spaces / Places:
Sacred space: a location or area that is is believed to be sacred, i.e. that is not profane. These come into two varieties: primary and artificial sacred spaces.
Primary sacred space: a place that is inherently, a priori sacred. This is the original sacred world of prehistoric humans, which the profane was set apart from, long before human societies were formed. Primary sacred space has two varieties: natural and mythic sacred spaces.
Naturally sacred space: this is the natural world which human society has set itself apart from. This is effectively the raw wilderness, the totality of the natural world, and therefore would be viewed as inherently sacred or sacred a priori. It is already sacred, for who would are call nature anything other than sacred?
Mythic sacred space: this is the specifics in the natural world that have been designated or set apart from the rest of the natural world as particularly sacred. For instance, of all the vast wilderness in ancient Greece, Mount Ida was set apart as the birth place of Zeus and Mount Olympus set apart as the home of the gods. In many regards, mythic sacred spaces maintain their wildness, their raw naturalness, but are nonetheless naturally sacred places with a mythology set upon them and setting them apart from the rest of the wilderness. This is essentially what most religious rites are endeavoring to invoke, what Eliade calls "mythic history."
Artificial sacred space: this is sacred space that is established under profane conditions, i.e. societal taboos created this sacred space. This is a hybrid sort of sacred space, almost liminal, though "liminal" will have a different concept here (see "liminal sacred space"). It is through human interaction and taboos to set this space apart as sacred. There are two main types: historical and built sacred space.
Historical sacred space: this is a sacred space that is a step beyond mythological sacred space, but rather than belonging to mythic history, it belongs to actual history. For example, the Tempietto by Bramante is historically sacred because it serves as a shrine to St. Peter, as it is built upon the site that is believed to be where St. Peter was crucified, and thus serves as a martyrium for the saint. The site is historically sacred because a taboo had occurred, namely the killing of Peter ("thou shall not kill"). His death transgressed into the sacred, i.e. martyrdom, and thus the site of this event becomes sacred. The shrine itself is a built sacred space upon a historical sacred space. The site itself is sacred a posteriori, it is made sacred after the fact of Peter's death. Thus, historical sacred space is sacred a posteriori. There was nothing particularly sacred about the site prior to the saint's death. Further, historical sacred spaces may be an enhancement of mythic sacred spaces. For instance, the fact that Roman emperors frequently built their palaces on the Palatine Hill is an enhancement of the belief that Romulus built his house on the Palatine Hill, thus being their later contribution and engagement with mythic history. The Tempietto is another such example. Sometimes it is a sacralization of profane space, such as the Campo de' Fiori where Giordano Bruno was executed. This was once a civic plaza in the middle of Rome, but because Bruno was executed here, it may maintain a civic function, but then takes on a sacred function in the commemoration of an important person.
Constructed sacred space: this is sacred space that has been arbitrarily set apart from the profane. This is usually a temple, church, or other various religious structures. However, these are set apart within the profane, or more accurately, the profane has set this space apart for sacred functions. It is the sacred predicated upon profane authorization. Thus, the taboos are established to be violated to engage with constructed sacred space. A piece of land is set aside to construct this sacred space, and throughout much of history, civic funds were used to build such structures. King Solomon orders the Temple to be built using funds from the Israelites. Cathedrals of Europe were built using civic funds. And in many ways, built sacred spaces maintain civic functions. For instance, British royalty traditionally have their coronation at Westminster Abbey. This is a civic function occurring in a religious structure. Many churches maintain a civic function in their community, such as being a base of operation for things like food drives, soup kitchens, support groups, et al. A curious example is when crosses and steeples on churches are used to conceal cellphone towers: hiding the profane within a sacred symbol. There are three main varieties of constructed sacred spaces: permanent, temporary, and ad hoc.
Permanent sacred spaces: these are sacred spaces that are built to serve as a sacred space in perpetuity, indefinitely. For as long as the profane exists and supports this built sacred space, it will remain sacred. The church in the center of town will remain a sacred space so long as the town survives. So in the case of ghost towns, the churches that were erected fall out of their usual built sacred establishment. They may retain some perception of having once been sacred, and thus may fall into the "liminal sacred space" category. The vast majority of built religious structures belong to this category.
Temporary sacred space: this is space that is erected in perpetuity so long as the profane surrounding it survives to support it, but it is not intended to always serve a sacred function. A great example is Masonic lodges. So long as there is someone there to unlock the door, most Masonic lodges are freely accessible for the public to view. Going into a lodge room is not a sacred occurrence. It is not sacred until the members gather to officially open Lodge and non-members are kept without. The space is only sacred when the Lodge is open. When the Lodge is closed, the space goes back to being a regular profane space.
Ad hoc sacred space: these are spaces that are totally profane or natural, but is temporarily set apart to become a sacred space for whatever sacred function is needed, and then abandoned or broken down after use. Magical rituals usually fall into this category, and the magic circle is a great example. Namely, the magician will use their attic or basement or wherever is convenient and private or even out in the wilderness, and then draw a magical circle in which they will set themselves apart (profane) and conjure spirits outside the circle. This space may continue to be where where the magician will return time and time again, or it may be a one-time event. The rituals themselves usually do not require it to be the same place indefinitely. It is merely selecting a place that is convenient and private from prying eyes, and it can really be done anywhere that meets those criteria. Another instance would be a yoga group that meets in a public park, seeing as yoga has many spiritual associations, and thus the space in the park temporarily becomes sacred for its convenience for the time the yoga group is practicing.
Liminal sacred space: this is a space that may possess some sacred qualities but is neither of the things above, and therefore is marginally sacred. In occult practices, crossroads are sacred conjunction points and therefore sacred, but in a liminal sense, being both and neither of any two or more things. Cemeteries are a great example, as they are where people live, but those people are no longer living; it is where the dead live. The sacred rituals conducted in interring the dead is one predicated on Bataille's notion of the corpse taboo and that the corpse must be put away. Thus cemeteries take on a sacred quality, but ultimately are liminal as a place of habitation for dead people. Liminal sacred space may be a deconsecrated church, in which an atmosphere of sacrality is still perceived, but it no longer serves any sacred function. Since built sacred spaces have a profane function, or at least are civically authorized sacred spaces, ghost towns take on a similar liminal sacred quality. Ghost towns were once places bustling with activity and many inhabitants, and then today some ruins remain and it's still and quiet. These places are viewed as "haunted" and therefore take on liminal sacred qualities as being set apart from the profane. There is a subcategory of liminal sacred space, and that is restored sacred space.
Restored sacred space: this is a space that was once sacred and then fell out of being sacred for some duration of time and then later is restored to a new sacred space. One such example might be a synagogue that became de-utilized as such and then is later bought by a Christian congregation and repurposed as a church. This is more nuanced, as it is no longer liminal though it no longer serves its initial sacred function, but it is restored to a new sacred function. Stonehenge is a good example, as it had a sacred function when it was built, but for a long time became a bunch of curiously placed stones, and now these days neopagans have begun to use it again for solstice and equinox celebrations. It is not the original sacred function, but it has been restored to a new one. Restored sacred spaces were at one time liminal, but become sacred once more.
The above is very generalized. It does not take into account nuances. For instance, National Parks in the US are these curious natural sacred places, since they have a taboo imposed upon them. The taboo is that the wilderness needs to be preserved and should not be harmed or developed into profane things. However, by placing this taboo upon the wilderness and calling it a "National Park" it becomes profane. But of course, we don't perceive it that way. We may pass the sign that says "You are now entering a National Park" but we don't experience that while standing in a forest glade or on a mountain top, no matter what artificial boundary is put upon it on a map. And at the same time, the taboo still exists. We're not going to cut down a tree or shoot a deer. This is very nuanced to natural sacred space.
Another example is the Ark Experience in Kentucky. It fits the definition of both a permanent built sacred space as well as a mythic sacred space, as it is trying to recreate "mythic history" that can be experienced. Certainly the Ark Experience is sacred space, but which? Or how much is it one or the other?
And spaces may get layered and complicated, like a palimpsest. Caves are natural sacred space, and then prehistoric humans went into them to conduct rites and paint on the walls. This is a constructed enhancement of natural sacred space. But these cave paintings were so long ago that we have no memory and observable understanding of what these paintings were for, so the cave paintings become a mythic sacred space to us today, layered over a natural sacred space.
The US Capitol Building is another example. Is Americanism a religion? Is there not a painting in the Capitol called the Apotheosis of George Washington? Is Thomas Jefferson not enshrined in a Pantheon, and Lincoln enshrined in a Temple and Washington enshrined in an obelisk? Americanism is disputable as a religion, and certainly it throws the above definitions for a loop. Are these civic memorials or are they sacred shrines? Is the Capitol Building a temple on a hill?
When it comes to built sacred spaces, these are predicated upon "religion" (usually), as they are civically authorized to be set apart from the profane. But this opens up the huge problem of what is religion? In the US, civically a religion is vaguely defined by the IRS, and the IRS admits that the definition is deliberately vague. So a televangelist for-profit center preaching to give them money because God said so... is this religion? Is the stage where he preaches sacred? This would be debatable so far as anyone believes him, and many do, but also many do not. This is where Bataille's definition of the profane being set apart from the sacred by setting up taboos, and to transgress those taboos is to enter the sacred. The televangelist's stage is a sacred space, because civically it is defined as such by law and tax codes, i.e. profane taboos are established to set this civic-authorized sacred space to exist. And just as the televangelist uses the convoluted and complex tax codes and laws and definitions to continue what they do, so too is the extent to which we can classify and qualify their studio as sacred space.
And I could go on, but this suffices initially for approaching the qualities and types of sacred spaces and the experiences they would provide.
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