Monumentumok
Monuments

Small Sacral (And “Sacral”) Relics in the Carpathian Basin. Form, Terminology, Function

Author(s): József Liszka
Subject(s): Ethnohistory, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
Published by: Fórum Kisebbségkutató Intézet
Keywords: small sacral relics;saints; faith of statues; cross; crucifix; Lourdes cave; calvary; column with sacral motives; definition; categorisation;terminology;
Summary/Abstract: The scientific study (documentation, analysis, interpretation) of small outdoor sacral relics (pictures placed on trees, columns with sacral pictures, roadside crucifixes, statues of saints, etc.) has a history of only a few decades, both in the Hungarian linguistic area and among neighbouring peoples. The first third of this publication is devoted to a terminological and typological classification of the extremely diverse material, followed by a thematic presentation of the material from the viewpoint of ethnology of religion and cultural history. The next section discusses the motives, historical and geographical aspects of the erection of small sacral relics. The strength of the volume is the bibliography, which exceeds 100 pages and can be regarded as a selected bibliography of the subject in terms of the Carpathian Basin, in addition to the (specialized) literature cited in the book. The publication is rounded off with almost half a thousand photographs—some of which are in colour—, drawings and maps, and the geographical, personal name and subject indexes make it easy to use.

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