Space and the Sacred: Cathedrals and Cities

Abstract

Summary The article explores the historic and contemporary meaning of cathedrals as sacred spaces. It suggests that cathedrals should be understood as ‘spiritual texts’ and offers a theory of interpretation. The first part of the article also briefly discusses the original role of cathedrals in cities as expressions of an understanding of the world and of human existence. The second part of the article explores the theological problem of conceiving cathedrals as emblems of the sacred in the city and the practical problem of how to handle such emblematic places in our late-modern or postmodern culture.