Religious beliefs that currently exist in the world are quite closely related to each other. Of course, each of them provides its own model of understanding the world and the interpretation of certain phenomena. But in almost all religions there are patterns, for example: god, great teacher or prophet, temples, sanctuaries. As for the last element, the sanctuary, it is one of the key. 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.
Of the entire array of similar elements, a sanctuary should be distinguished. However, not everyone understands the very essence of this term. Its definition carries a large amount of information, which will become a reliable support in the process of studying any religious topics.
Sanctuary. The 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 can carry a purely symbolic meaning or be the territory of the rites. Thus, the sanctuary is a kind of "mediator" between man and the deity.
As mentioned earlier, the sanctuary can be used for some rituals, such as offering gifts. Similar actions are performed to appease and receive divine protection.
The difference between temple and sanctuary
At all times, there have been some divergences in understanding the sanctuary and the temple. The difference between these two places of worship is as follows:
“The temple is always bigger than the 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 "communicate" with God to a limited number of people.
- The temple is an architectural structure, and in the process of creating the sanctuary, various materials and objects are used.
There is a theory that the sanctuary is a kind of temple that was formed as a result of the evolution of any local belief in a whole religion. This assumption has a lot of evidence. For example, Christian temples did not exist before this religion was recognized by the world. Consequently, her followers built special places of worship for their ritual cults. Thus, the sanctuary is nothing more than a collective concept of any place for offering or fellowship with God.
Modern Shrines
If we consider the sanctuary as a generalized concept, then such structures exist around the world. Every religion has its own kind of sacred place. Over time, the approach to the construction of such places has changed a lot, since people's views on religion in general have also changed.
If earlier the pagan sanctuary consisted of stone, statuettes of deities and other minor attributes, then modern buildings are beautifully decorated.
Examples of sanctuaries 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 Malta, archaeologists have discovered a metal sanctuary, located underground.
Jews use synagogues. Such buildings are very similar to Christian temples, with the exception of some architectural features.
So, we examined the main types and essence of the concept of "sanctuary." This building is being erected not only for communication with higher powers, but also for spiritual peace of a person. Such places serve for solitude with oneself and God.