HIST 174: Sacred Places: Faith, History, and Geography |
Many cultures, past and present, contain sacred places and these vary in accordance to the societies and religions that produced them. Sacred Places arae grounds of inspiration or places of healing or other powers. They may be man made, buildings or monuments created to celebrate or inspire divinity, or naturally occurring, sites recognized by humanity as divinely inspired or blessed. Historically, sacred places often begin as unique or essential mountains, water, caves, rocks or trees, for humans have long associated the spiritual with the natural world. A powerful, man-made, sacred place is Swayambhunath Stupa, and ancient and holy temple in Kathmandu, Nepal. Another is a town of religious inspiration, Assisi, Italy, where a great teacher, Francis, was born.
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