Sanctuary (christianity)

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A sanctuary , also sanctuary ( Latin: sanctuarium ), is in the canon law of the Roman Catholic Church the name for a place of pilgrimage or a pilgrimage church as a destination for pilgrimages and pilgrimages .

The term sanctuary can also be found for the sanctuary of churches, for the storage location of a reliquary or the shrine itself .

Place of pilgrimage

In the Codex Iuris Canonici (CIC) of 1983 it says: "A sanctuary is understood to be a church or another holy place to which, for a special reason of piety, numerous believers make pilgrimages with the approval of the local ordinary."

A sanctuary has a high symbolic value in the church as a “sign of the saving presence of the Lord in history and a place of rest, where the people of God, who are on the way of this world to the future city (cf. Heb 13,14  EU ), Gaining strength to continue his pilgrimage ”. It is considered a prominent place of pastoral care and evangelism in order to " offer the faithful the means of salvation (media salutis) more abundantly " through the proclamation of the word of God , the exemplary celebration of the liturgy , the dispensing and reception of the sacraments , especially Holy Mass and the sacrament of penance , in sickness pilgrimages and the communal celebration of the anointing of the sick , as well as various forms of popular piety . In addition, pilgrims can be granted special privileges at sanctuaries, such as the granting of an indulgence . Further functions of a shrine are seen in its meaning as a “cultural center” with study courses and conferences, sacred performances, concerts, exhibitions and artistic activities, and also expressly as a “place of ecumenical engagement” with prayer meetings between Christians of different denominations .

Following a decision by Pope Francis in 2017, ecclesiastical responsibility for the sanctuaries was transferred from the Roman Congregation for Divine Worship and the Order of the Sacraments to the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization .

According to can. 1231f. CIC divided into:

Churches such as the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompei are considered diocesan shrines, even if they have the title of papal basilica . Also the name Santuario maggiore ("great sanctuary") for a pilgrim church such as Maria Ss. delle Grazie in Gerace is a title awarded by the respective local bishop.

Sometimes entire cities are traditionally referred to as “Holy City” due to the large number of holy places, such as Rome or Jerusalem. The latter is also considered a “holy city” for Jews and Muslims. In the case of Palestine, one also speaks of the “ Holy Land ”.

Marian shrine

A place of pilgrimage or a pilgrimage church where the mother of Jesus is venerated in a special way is referred to as a Marian shrine or pilgrimage site . In the center there is often an image of Mary venerated as a miraculous image , or it is a memorial to an apparition of Mary or a miracle attributed to the Mother of God .

Nationally known Marian shrines are Altötting and Kevelaer in Germany, Mariazell in Austria, Banneux in Belgium, Czestochowa in Poland, Saragossa in Spain, Guadalupe in Mexico, Lourdes in France and Fátima in Portugal. The largest Marian shrine in Rome is the Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore . One of the oldest Marian pilgrimage sites in Germany is Marienborn , where a hospital for pilgrims was founded in 1191.

The international sanctuaries recognized by the Pope include the Basilica of the Holy House in Loreto (Italy) and the Trinity Church at the Marian pilgrimage site of Fátima (Portugal).

“Original Shrine” in the Schoenstatt Movement

In the Schoenstatt Movement , the chapel on the site of the Pallottine branch in Vallendar-Schoenstatt is called the “Original Shrine” . The movement was founded in 1914 from the chapel with the picture of Mater Ter Admirabilis (“Mother who is three times wonderful”). It is the structural model for around 200 Schoenstatt chapels worldwide.

Church architecture and worship of relics

In older ecclesiastical texts and in art-historical parlance, the space around the main altar of a church was referred to as a sanctuary , as the holy of holies and relics were located there. In the Orthodox churches , the abaton is the holy of holies, that is, the curtained choir room that only priests are allowed to enter.

The relics kept in a church and the reliquary shrines in which they are kept and presented for veneration can also be regionally referred to as "sanctuaries". In the Aachen area - in Aachen , Kornelimünster , Maastricht and Mönchengladbach - "sanctuary trips" take place every seven years, pilgrimages to the medieval relics venerated there.

Trees (e.g. in Maria Eich ) or wells (e.g. Ulrichsbrunnen ) can also be the center of a sanctuary.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Sanctuarii nomine intelleguntur ecclesia vel alius locus sacer ad quos, ob peculiarem pietatis causam, fideles frequentes, approbante Ordinario loci, peregrinantur , Codex Iuris Canonici Lib. IV De Ecclesiae Munere Sanctificandi (Sanctification Service) De Pars. Locis III ) Cap. III De Sanctuarii (Sanctuaries) , can. 1230.
  2. ^ Congregation for Divine Worship and the Order of the Sacraments : Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy. (December 17, 2001, [1] ) No. 262f.
  3. ↑ CIC can. 1234.
  4. ^ Congregation for Divine Worship and the Order of the Sacraments: Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy. (December 17, 2001, [2] ) No. 269.
  5. ↑ CIC can. 1233.
  6. ^ Congregation for Divine Worship and the Order of the Sacraments: Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy. (December 17, 2001, [3] ) No. 276f.
  7. ↑ Motu proprio Sanctuarium in Ecclesia , with which the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization is given responsibility for the sanctuaries (February 11, 2017, [4] )
  8. ↑ Private list: International and National Shrines
  9. ↑ See bischöfl. Decree from 1960: Santuario di Maria Ss. delle Grazie - San Giovanni di Gerace .
  10. ↑ http://www.zeno.org/Meyers-1905/A/Sanktuar%C4%ADum?hl=sanktuarium