1st Edition

Christian Pilgrimage, Landscape and Heritage Journeying to the Sacred

    220 Pages
    by Routledge

    220 Pages
    by Routledge

    This volume provides a theoretically and empirically-grounded study of the significance of landscape in the experience of Christian pilgrimage across different denominations and its intersection with cultural heritage and tourism. The book focuses on pilgrimages to Meteora (Greece), Subiaco (Italy) and the Isle of Man. These are each sites of scenic beauty that boast a rich heritage associated respectively to Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Ecumenical/ Protestant denominations. The study discusses different Christian theologies, practices and perspectives on the nature and the purpose of pilgrimage in these traditions. It draws on participant experiential accounts, archival research, and interviews with clergy, laity and local stakeholders. Special attention is paid to the themes of sacred space and practice, aesthetics, mobilities, embodiment and performance, emotional geographies, theology, cultural heritage, consumption and commodification, and the pilgrim-tourist continuum.

    1. Introduction: Pilgrimage, Landscape, Heritage Avril Maddrell and  Veronica della Dora  2. Theological Perspective on Christian Pilgrimage Heather Walton  Part I: Pilgrimage to the Orthodox East: Meteora  3. Ways of Seeing: The Making of a Holy Landscape of Rocks Veronica della Dora  4. Where the Tourist’s Gaze Fades: Performing Landscape and the Sacred in Meteora Veronica della Dora  Part II: Pilgrimage to the Latin West: Subiaco  5. The Topographies of Benedict’s Holy Cave Alessandro Scafi  6. Visiting the Monastery of the Sacro Speco in Subiaco Alessandro Scafi  Part III: Renewing Pilgrimage Practices in the Celtic West: The Isle of Man  7. Contextualising Sacred Sites, Pathways and Shared Heritage: Local History, Ecumenism and National Identity Avril Maddrell  8. Mobilising the Landscape and the Body in Search of the Spiritual: Journeying, Performance and Community Avril Maddrell  9. Conclusion: Pilgrimage, Landscape and Heritage: Intersecting Pathways Avril Maddrell and  Veronica della Dora

    Biography

    Veronica della Dora is Professor of Human Geography at Royal Holloway University of London, UK.

    Avril Maddrell is Associate Professor in Human Geography at the University of the West of England, UK and an Editor of the journal Gender, Place and Culture.

    Alessandro Scafi is Lecturer in Medieval and Renaissance Cultural History at the Warburg Institute, University of London, UK.

    Heather Walton is Senior Lecturer in Practical Theology and Co-Director of the Centre for Literature, Theology and the Arts at the University of Glasgow, UK.