Sacred Places – Destinations of Journeys and Pilgrimages Cover Image

Sakraalsed paigad – rännakute ja palverändude sihtkohad
Sacred Places – Destinations of Journeys and Pilgrimages

Author(s): Liisa Vesik, Mare Kõiva, Andres Kuperjanov
Subject(s): Customs / Folklore
Published by: Eesti Kirjandusmuuseum
Keywords: monastery; new religious movements; pilgrimage; prophetism; sacred places; Thracian belief; Vanga; White Brotherhood

Summary/Abstract: Most pilgrimage destinations in Bulgaria are related to sanctuaries of the Bulgarian Orthodoxy, or Islamic sanctuaries (visited by people of different denominations, and some evolved into bi-religious sites); Jewish sanctuaries are involved in international routes visiting the graves of rabbis. Newer spiritual movements include prophetess Baba Vanga’s church and monastery, reconstruction of the ancient Thracian belief, and the Great White Brotherhood founded by Peter Dunov in the early 20th century; the last is notable for holding natural monuments sacred. Contemporary pilgrimage routes and trends in visiting sacred sites have brought forth various issues and trends. Personal initiatives in the reinvention of sacral places and pilgrimages, the phenomenon of bi-religious sanctuaries, as well as economic and cultural bonds of pilgrimage destinations would be some of them.

  • Issue Year: 2015
  • Issue No: 60
  • Page Range: 49-70
  • Page Count: 22