THE EVOLUTION OF SACRED LANDSCAPE

Abstract

This article examines the evolutionary processes of sacred landscapes. The basis for the investigation of such processes is the concept of global evolution. It combines the ideas of systemic and evolutionary approaches. The results of the research prove that all sacred landscape systems are dynamic in time and space, and their variability is determined by certain factors, while their integrity is ensured by the invariant nature of sacrality. The following research methods were used: structural and logical generalization, system analysis, historical and geographical method, cartographic method.

The key factors in the evolution of sacred landscape are time, and area functions, which determine the information content at each stage of its development.

The emergence, formation, and disappearance of sacred landscapes take place in time and space. These processes can be divided into stages and defined within certain time periods. This is especially true when we talk about the emergence of a landscape, the formation of ethnic bases, the creation and sacralization of religious objects, the functioning of sacred landscape, and the disappearance of sacred landscape, or losing its sacred functions.

Special attention in the article is paid to disappearance of sacred landscapes, since only a few scholars had addressed this topic before. The humanistic landscapes, including sacred landscapes, may disappear as a result of changing their function and importance within a culture. According to the principle of landscape systems evolution continuity, modern sacred landscapes are in the intermediate stage of their evolution.

The comparison of the sacred topography of the city in the twentieth century with modernity makes possible to preserve city historical and cultural heritage. In the article, the functioning of temples and cemeteries in Lutsk as of 1937 was analyzed. The study shows that there were 16 sacred sites on the city map, and 9 of them have lost their sacred function, including 5 cemeteries and 4 temples. The disappeared sacral landscapes in the structure of which were recorded cult objects today perform another functions.