Landmark Phenomenology of Sacred Architecture as Cultural Heritage

Multisensory experience is an important part of the perception of sacred architecture. It is important to understand that the content of sacred architecture as cultural heritage, in the complex way of understanding, is not only its historical, artistic or cultural value, but also its symbolic value. One of its symbolic aspects is the multisensory experience it creates. This assertion is based on the theoretical framework of the phenomenology of architecture, an aspect of architectural theory that explores the experience of the built. Every experience of architecture is multisensory, and in the case of sacred space this aspect particularly influences the experience of the believer and of the visitor of cultural heritage because architecture relates, mediates and projects meanings anchored in a complex experience of space. Different phenomena such as light, sound, smell and touch directly affect the experience of sacred architecture. They create specific atmospheres that are intrinsic to the experience of the sacred, such as the atmosphere of the transcendent, the atmosphere of eternity, the atmosphere of belonging to the community and the atmosphere of an out-of-the-ordinary character of space. This approach changes the viewpoint on sacred architecture as cultural heritage and highlights numerous aspects of a building that should be considered in the process of the protection of cultural heritage.