“Urban landscape transformation”. Religious places that also function as secular squares: An ethnographic example from Greek urban space

Abstract

In this study, we deal with all aspects of the topic of church courtyards of Orthodox churches in urban Greece. As an ethnographic example of this phenomenon, we examine the courtyard of the church of St. Antonios, in the municipality of Peristeri, in Athens. We will focus in the multilevel functions that these spaces have. In addition to their ecclesiastical use, these also function as parks and squares, particularly in towns, where there is little open space and areas of greenery are very limited. As a consequence, church courtyards are frequently used both as parks and as multifunctional spaces that host a multitude of social, cultural and recreational activities. In addition to examining how the space is used, we also look at the feelings experienced by those visiting the area, that is, what they experience when they visit the courtyard and what they feel about the metamorphosis, as it were, that the area undergoes, as manifested by the various activities taking place there during the late afternoon and evening.