Sanktuarium jako miejsce święte. Perspektywa antropologiczna
The sanctuary as a sacred place. An anthropological perspective

Summary/Abstract: The text treats – in the perspective of Mircea Eliade’s phenomenology of religion – the sanc¬tuary as a condensed presence of the sacred. The “morphology of the sacred”, proposed by the American historian of religion, captures in a broad, universal perspective the manifestations of what is sacred in various religions and religious traditions. The key in this respect is the opposition between the life-giving, “salvation” – giving sacred and the profane, which the religious scholar distinguishes. His analyses, although to a limited extent, also refer to Catholic sanctuaries (holy places, pilgrimage centers), including Marian ones. And Skrzatusz is such a place. The second part reflects on the nature and function of sanctuaries in Catholic doctrine. It was especially about the proprium, which distinguishes them from other holy places, e.g. chapels and parish churches. As the Church during the pontificate of John Paul II clearly states, it is a spontaneous (although covered by the Church’s care) and universal (mass) pilgrimage movement. At its origins he points to the sensus fidelium, or supernatural sense of faith, through which the Holy Spirit himself draws believers to a holy place and allows it to be recognized as exceptional and privileged. The third part asks the question about the future of sanctuaries and the pilgrimage movement in the context of the rather rapid dechristianization and de-churching of young Poles. The author draws attention to the deficits of popular (mass) piety, noticed long ago, and the role of the so-called social media, which since the beginning of the 21st century have literally “taken over” power over the minds and souls of young people. Fortunately, the Skrzatusz sanctuary, becoming a center of permanent formation, meets these threats head on.

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