Modernity and the Construction of Sacred Space

This volume focuses on the connection between modern design and architectural practices and the construction of "sacred spaces." Not only language and ritual but space, place, and architecture play a significant role in constructing "special" or "religious" spaces. However, this concept of a constructed "sacred space" remains undertheorized in religious studies and the history of art and architecture in general. This volume therefore revisits the question of a "modern sacred space" from an interdisciplinary perspective, focusing on religion, space, and architecture during the emergence of the modern period and up until contemporary times. Revisiting the ways in which modern architects and artists have endeavored to create sacred spaces and buildings for the modern world will address the underlying questions of how religious ideasespecially those related to esotericism and to alternative religiositieshave transformed the way sacred spaces are conceptualized today.

Aaron French and Katharina Waldner, University of Erfurt.