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Hierotopy (from Template:Lang-grc, sacred + Template:Lang-grc, place, space) is the creation of sacred spaces viewed as a special form of human creativity and also a related academic field where specific examples of such creativity are studied /or: ... involved with specific examples of s uch creativity. The concept and the term were coined in 2001 by Russian art-historian and byzantinist Alexei Lidov.[1] Hierotopy accounts not only for artistic images and the symbolic world they form, but also for the entire collection of various media that serve to organize a sacred space. As an academic field, hierotopy spans traditional disciplines of art history, archeology, cultural anthropology, ethnology and religious studies, but does not exactly coincide neither of them and has its own subject and methodology. Hierotopy is not to be identified with the phenomenology of the sacred, which was studied in the works of Mircea Eliade, Rudolf Otto, Pavel Florensky - it is concerned with specific historically defined human activity to create media of communication to the higher world. Hierotopy may have an aspect of mysticism, but it is in first place a process of conscious creativity, the forming of the sacred space with the help of architecture, images, rituals, light, smells and other media.

Within the framework of hierotopic approach <or: "In hierotopy" ? - AS>, icons and other artefacts of sacred art are viewed not as isolated objects, but as components of hierotopic projects in their conceptual and artistic wholeness and development. A figure/character of the author, creator of the sacred space, recieve its due appreciation. He is viewed as an artist, whose work is similar to the creativity of today's film directors, which organize the work of various artists and put together their respective contributions[2]. For example, King Solomon with his Temple, Emperor Justinian, who masterminded the construction of Hagia Sophia, and Abbot Suger, instrumental in the conception of the first Gothic Cathedrals, can be considered as leaders of pivotal hierotopic projects. Not only churches and sanctuaries, but also landscapes[3] and architectural compounds (?)[4] and even cities[5] and countries[6] may be a result of hierotopic creativity. The topics of hierotopic studies are versatile and range from the role of light in church architecture[7], religious ceremonies and feasts [8] to folk customs [9], comparison of hierotopic models of various cultures[10][11]. The images of space in small forms of art and in literature also fall within the scope of hierotopic studies.

Four international symposia (2004, 2006, 2009, 2011) have been organized on hierotopical subjects.

Spatial icons

Spatial icon is one of the main concepts of hierotopy. These are images that appear /or: are invoked in the space of a temple or a sanctuary and form its sacred medium[12]. Hierotopic creativity is a sort of art, which can be described as creation of spatial icons. This concept applies/is applicable to the perception of the interior of a temple, including architecture, images, dramaturgy of light and liturgical ritual in their unity, and also to the studies of "sacred landscapes", such as the New Jerusalem Monastery near Moscow, and also to the studies of the rituals creating iconic medium, such as the Donkey Walk in Medieval Moscow [13]. Spatial icons are essentially dynamic and performative; the formal boundary between the image and the beholder does not exist. Hence, the beholder is involved in action and becomes to a certain measure a co-creator of a spatial icon[14].

Transfer of sacred spaces

The transfer of sacred spaces is an important form of hierotopic creativity. The original/primary sacred space typically/often appeared as a result of hierophany, that is was seen as sanctified/consecrated/made sacred via a divine visitation or omen. This primary/original sacred space was consciously reproduced in the course of hierotopic creativity and was present in a newly created sanctuary or temple as a spatial icon. For example, in the Biblical history the construction of the First Temple can be viewed as a reproduction of the sacred space of the Tabernacle. On the other hand, the First Temple itself can be seen as a prototype in the hierotopy of Christian churches. Multiple reproductions of "New Jerusalems" intended to establish a link to the space of the Holy Land, that is to the places where the Gospel story of the life of Jesus Christ, his crusifixion and his miraculous resurrection, unfolds, are known in the Christian tradition of both East and West[15]. The sacred space of the Holy Sepulcher is consciously reproduced in the sanctuary of any Christian church.

Image-paradigms

The perception of sacred spaces has been analyzed by Lidov in terms of image-paradigms[16][17]. According to his conception, an 'image-paradigm' is an image-vision created with the help of various means with the intention to invoke the same image in the mind of a viewer-participant of a spatial icon. An 'image-paradigm', essentialy not an illustrative picture, was a means of communication between the creators of sacred spaces and their beholders, a kernel meaning of the whole hierotopic project. The image of the Heavenly Jerusalem, which was present in any Byzantine church without being directly pictured, is one of the most significant image-paradigms in the Christian tradition [18].

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From this perspective, almost all objects of Christian art were originally conceived as elements of hierotopic projects. King Solomon with his Temple, Emperor Justinian, who masterminded the construction of Hagia Sophia, and Abbot Suger, instrumental in the conception of the first Gothic Cathedrals, can be considered as leaders of pivotal hierotopic projects.[19] A few re-creations of the Holy Land in both Western Europe and the Byzantine East are also remarkable examples, the Russian New Jerusalem Monastery complex near Moscow being the largest (50 km2).

One crucial element of hierotopic studies concerns the place and function of icons in sacred spaces. In hierotopy, an icon is viewed as a component of the sacred space. According to the Byzantine conception, the icon was not merely a simple object or a flat image, but a veritable spatial vision emanating from the image into the environment in front of it. More than simply representing an event or a story from the Scriptures, icons were thought to bring the faithful into a live interaction with the space opened by the icon and the various media involved. The veneration of wonderworking icons sometimes took the form of complex performative installations clearly intended to open up a sacred space around the icon. This type of hierotopy is illustrated particularly well by the weekly performance that was developed in 12th century Byzantium around the icon of the Hodegetria of Constantinople.[20] Another remarkable example can be found in the Muscovite Palm Sunday ceremony of the 16th and 17th centuries, the donkey walk.[21] In these examples, the space, where the ceremony took place, was conceived as a true spatial icon, a dynamic re-enactment of biblical events or iconographic themes. The participants in these events were not passive spectators, but co-creators of the sacred space itself.

The perception of sacred spaces has been analyzed by Lidov in terms of image-paradigms.[22] According to his conception, image-paradigms are spatial images associated with sacred spaces. Image-paradigms are visions invoked in the minds of the faithful, which reflect the experience of a sacred space in its wholeness and are distinct from any illustrative picture. The reconstruction of particular image-paradigms forms a special field of studies. In particular, the image-paradigm of the New Jerusalem was the most perceptible, existing practically in every Byzantine church. The Heavenly Kingdom was not formally depicted, but appeared as a kind of vision created by various media which included not only architecture and iconography but also rituals: liturgical prayers, choral singing, organization of lighting and fragrance.[23]

A few international symposia (2004, 2006, 2009), conferences, workshops and round tables in Russia, the US, Europe, and Japan have been organized on hierotopical subjects.

References

  1. ^ A. Lidov. Hierotopy. The creation of sacred spaces as a form of creativity and subject of cultural history. In : Hierotopy. The creation of sacred spaces in Byzantium and Medieval Russia. Ed. by A.Lidov. Moscow, Indrik, 2006
  2. ^ A. Lidov. The Creator of Sacred Space as a Phenomenon of Byzantine Culture. L’artista a Bisanzio e nel mondo cristiano-orientale. A cura di Michele Bacci. Pisa, 2003, p.135-176.
  3. ^ Shigebumi Tsuji. Creating an Iconic Space. The transformation of narrative landscape. In: Hierotopy. Spatial icons. Performative in Byzantium and Medieval Russia, Moscow, 2011.
  4. ^ G. Zelenskaya. New Jerusalem near Moscow. Design aspects and new discoveries. In: New Jerusalems. Hierotopy and iconography of sacred spaces, Moscow, 2009, с. 745-773
  5. ^ E. Kirichenko. The temple and the city. The unity of meaning and structure in the Russian sacred space. In: Hierotopy. Comparative studies of sacred spaces, Moscow, 2009, с. 292-322
  6. ^ V. Petrukhin. Hierotopy of the Russian land and early chronicles. In: Hierotopy. Creation of sacred spaces in Byzantiom and Medieval Russia, Moscow, 2006
  7. ^ A. Godovanets. Icon of light in the space of Hagia Sophia Spatial icons. Performativity in Byzantium and Medieval Russia. Ed. A. Lidov, published by Indrik, Moscow, 2011, pp. 119-142
  8. ^ L. Beliaiev. The Hierotopy of the Orthodox Feast: on the National Traditions in the Making of Sacred Spaces. In: Hierotopy. Comparative studies of sacred spaces. Ed. A. Lidov, published by “Indrik”, Moscow, 2008, pp. 259-269
  9. ^ A. Moroz. “Sacred” and “Horrible” Places. Creation of Sacred Spaces in Traditional Culture. In: Hierotopy. Comparative studies of sacred spaces, Ed. A. Lidov, published by “Indrik”, Moscow, 2008, pp. 270-291
  10. ^ N. Isar. Vision and Performance. A Hierotopic Approach to Contemporary Art. In: Hierotopy. Comparative studies of sacred spaces, Ed. A. Lidov, published by “Indrik”, Moscow, 2008, pp. 341-375
  11. ^ M. Chegodaev. The Hierotopy of the Ancient Egyptian Sarcophagus. In: Hierotopy. Comparative studies of sacred spaces, Ed. A. Lidov, published by “Indrik”, Moscow, 2008, pp. 18-37
  12. ^ Alexei Lidov. Hierotopy. Spatial icons and Image-Paradigms in Byzantine Culture. Published in Moscow by “Design. Information. Cartography”, 2009. с. 11-38.
  13. ^ M. S. Flier. The Image of the Tsar in the Muscovite Palm Sunday Ritual. In: Spatial icons. Performativity in Byzantium and Medieval Russia. Ed. by A. Lidov, published by Indrik, Moscow, 2011, pp.533-562
  14. ^ A. Lidov. The Byzantine World and Performative Spaces. In: Spatial icons. Performativity in Byzantium and Medieval Russia. Ed. by A. Lidov, published by Indrik, Moscow, 2011, pp. 5-16. Also see other articles in this book.
  15. ^ A. Lidov. New Jerusalems. Transfering of the Holy Land as Generative Matrix of Christian Culture. New Jerusalems. Hierotopy and iconography of sacred spaces. Ed. by A. Lidov, published by “Indrik”, Moscow, 2009, pp. 5-7.
  16. ^ Image-paradigms as a category of visual culture. Hierotopic approach to the art history.Russian Journal of Art History(Iskusstvoznanie) 2011, 3-4, pp.109-122
  17. ^ A. Lidov. 'Image-Paradigms' as a Notion of Mediterranean Visual Culture: a Hierotopic Approach to Art History. In: Crossing Cultures. Papers of the International Congress of Art History. CIHA-2008. Melbourne, 2009, pp.177-183
  18. ^ A. Lidov. Hierotopy. Spatial icons and Image-Paradigms in Byzantine Culture. Published by “Design. Information. Cartography” in Moscow, 2009. Ch. 10. Image-Paradigms as a New Notion of Visual Culture. ppp. 293-305.
  19. ^ A. Lidov. The Creator of Sacred Space as a Phenomenon of Byzantine Culture in: L’Artista a Bisanzio e nel mondo cristiano-orientale. Edited by Michele Bacci. Pisa, 2007
  20. ^ A. Lidov. The Flying Hodegetria. The Miraculous Icon as Bearer of Sacred Space. In: The Miraculous Image in the Late Middle Ages and Renaisssance. Edited by E. Thuno, G. Wolf. Rome, 2004
  21. ^ M. Flier. The Iconology of Royal Ritual in Sixteenth-Century Moscovy in: Byzantine Studies. Essays on the Slavic World and the Eleventh Century. New York, 1992
  22. ^ A. Lidov. 'Image-Paradigms' as a Notion of Mediterranean Visual Culture: a Hierotopic Approach to Art History. In: Crossing Cultures. Papers of the International Congress of Art History. CIHA-2008. Melbourne, 2009, pp.177-183
  23. ^ A. Lidov. Hierotopy. Spatial Icons and Image-Paradigms in Byzantine Culture. Moscow, Feoria, 2009, 352 pp.

Further reading

  • Hierotopy. Christian Sacred Spaces. Cambridge Dictionary of Christianity. Cambridge, 2010 (see bibliography in [1])
  • Nicoletta Isar. Vision and Performance: A Hierotopic Approach to Contemporary Art in: Hierotopy. Comparative Studies of Sacred Spaces, Indrik, Moscow, 2009.
  • S. Curcić. Cave and Church. An Eastern Christian hierotopical synthesis. in: Hierotopy. Creation of Sacred Spaces in Byzantium and Medieval Russia, Moscow, 2006
  • Hierotopy : The Creation of sacred spaces in Byzantium and medieval Russia. Edited by A. Lidov. Moscow, Indrik, 2006 [2]
  • New Jerusalems: Hierotopy and iconography of sacred spaces. Edited by A. Lidov. Moscow, Indrik, 2009 [3]
  • A. Lidov. Hierotopy. Spatial Icons and Image-Paradigms in Byzantine Culture. Moscow, Feoria, 2009, 352 pp.
  • Bissera V. Pentcheva. The Sensual Icon. Space, Ritual, and the Senses in Byzantium. Pennstate Press, 2009. abstractsample chapter
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