This video, “A Workshop on Sacred Spaces and Movements in the Liturgy,” was originally a workshop for the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Toronto, Canada, in 2018. It explores the profound connection between sacred spaces and the movements that animate liturgical worship. The workshop runs for 28 minutes and delves into how sacred architecture and ritual gestures create a dialogue between the physical and the divine.
The presence of the sacred extends beyond mere architectural beauty or ritualistic repetition. As the presentation reveals, sacred spaces often manifest in subtle and unexpected ways. Architects, designers, and congregations continuously seek to capture a sense of the sacred within their buildings, a pursuit that transcends utility and enters a mystical, poetic dimension, as architect Bernard Desmoulin explains. Religious buildings, unlike secular ones, are tasked with delivering comfort and shelter while also facilitating a transcendent experience.
Drawing on the insights of renowned scholar Mircea Eliade, the workshop examines the distinction between the sacred and the profane, illustrating how objects—be they stones, trees, or buildings—can reveal the sacred through the act of hierophany. These spaces serve as axis mundi, points of connection between the human and the divine, where individuals are invited to pause, reflect, and engage in prayer.
Through both natural and human-made artifacts, sacred spaces invite us to speak to God, offering a unique vocabulary that resonates deeply with those who gather to worship. The workshop concludes with an exploration of the fluid interaction between sacred spaces and liturgical movements, emphasizing how each gesture becomes an embodied prayer, and every space a living expression of divine mystery.
Perspectives 