Cultural and religious dimensions of the sacred and profane ambivalence

the Vilnius case

Basia Nikiforova

pp. 153-164

in: Vilnius variations, Studies in East European Thought 69 (2), 2017.

Abstract

The cultural and religious diversity of Vilnius is a space where "sanctity" has a variety of forms of its manifestation. This idea is suggested by the unique architectural landscape of the place. The sacred as the spiritual is concealed and requires specification, as it is embodied in the material through symbols and myths (M. Eliade, R. Otto, G. van der Leeuw). Ambivalence is the fundamental feature of the sacred (R. Caillois and G. Bataille). The notion of Homo Sacer (G. Agamben) is the key to "profanation of non-profanum". The cultural landscape of Vilnius is presented by such cases as the history of the Great Synagogue, Saint Casimir's church and other sacred locations in their historical variations and Akropolis case as Sacrum Commercium. The article offers three types of Sacrum border transformation and reveals new indications of the "Sacrum" and "profanum" ambivalence and the mobility of its border.