The Construction of Sacred Landscapes and Maritime Identities in the Post-Medieval Cyclades Islands

The Case of Paros

Bibliographic Data

ID3367361
AuthorsAthanasios K Vionis (0000-0002-1658-4034, University of Cyprus, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume13
Issue2
Pages164
Publication date2022-02-14
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel13020164
OpenAlexW4213350273
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited55

The Cyclades islands in the South Aegean initially attracted the attention of prehistorians approaching islands as 'laboratories' for the study of cultural development, examining the notions of 'isolation' and 'connectivity', or, more recently, by introducing new terminologies, such as 'seascape' and 'islandscape'. The wealth of material remains of the post-medieval era in the Cyclades islands (e.g., ecclesiastical architecture, ceramics) and the textual record available (e.g., Ottoman tax registers, travellers' accounts) provide fascinating evidence regarding the construction of sacred landscapes, self-expression, community, and maritime identities throughout the period of Ottoman domination. The main aim of this article is to examine the historical contingencies and the distribution of a vast number of rural churches, primarily as evidence for religious expression, in order to capture island dynamics and the formation of religious and community identities, as imprinted onto the sacred landscapes of the island of Paros. By shifting our focus from the imperial Ottoman to the local Cycladic, we come to appreciate islanders as decisive agents of their maritime identities, creating rituals and sacred spaces, sometimes beyond the strict borders of institutional religion

Ancient history · Archaeology · CYCLADES · Geography · Seascape · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories · History · Religious Tourism and Spaces · Architecture

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