Revisiting the Sacred and Profane: An Architectural Tour of European Cathedrals

By Karen Sternheimer

Popular travel host Rick Steves loves to visit cathedrals on his show to admire their art and architecture. And he’s not alone; on a recent trip to Europe, I found myself informally touring several cathedrals and houses of worship in France and Germany. Beyond appreciating the dramatic columns, striking stained glass, and sculptures that were often part of these edifices, I found myself thinking about the sociological implications of such spaces, namely Durkheim’s dichotomy between the “sacred” and “profane.”

Sociologist Émile Durkheim wrote in his book The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life that a fundamental defining aspect of religion is that it is a belief system that renders some things sacred. The sacred are things that take place outside of the realm of everyday life, inspire awe and reverence, and are part of the practice of worship.

Sacred rituals, objects, and spaces are separated from what he termed the profane: everyday, mundane experiences and practices. My recent experience visiting some famous cathedrals in Europe got me thinking that these two concepts are not nearly so distinct anymore.

The image below was taken outside of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Strasbourg, France. It’s gothic structure dates to 1015 and was once the tallest cathedral in the world. This was probably the top tourist attraction there, based on the crowds lined up by midmorning.

Like many other places of worship that were also tourist sites, there were codes of conduct to remind visitors that this was a sacred space. All hats must be removed, and people are expected to dress modestly with their shoulders covered.

The beauty of this cathedral was abundant. We paid €7.50 each to climb the bell tower and look at the dramatic roofline up close. Even though I’m not Catholic, I could appreciate how the beauty of the cathedral made this a sacred space.

 

And yet, there was much about the tourist experience that blurred the boundaries between the sacred and profane. On the margins of the main sanctuary, there were several opportunities to buy candles as part of prayer (using contactless pay or cash):

And of course, no tourist experience would be complete without the opportunity to exit through a gift shop, where you could purchase rosary beads, keychains, candles, and wine:

There were also large photos of the cathedral lined up against the side of the sanctuary for sale, and a grate in the floor where people could donate money.

This was the biggest cathedral we toured on this trip, but others featured similar blurring between the sacred and profane. In Munich, we went to the stunning baroque Asam Church, with a smaller but lavish sanctuary:

It too featured opportunities to purchase sacred objects of worship and asked for donations for the crypt.

A few blocks away is the much bigger St. Michael’s Church. While many churches in Europe feature crypts below, this where former kings and other royals are buried, as in the image below. Bronze soldiers “guard” the tomb, swords out, ready to defend the king and their land.

It’s not uncommon for cathedrals to blend traditional Biblical worship with local royals and others in positions of power. This isn’t new—and most certainly was something that Durkheim was aware of in the nineteenth century. He didn’t limit his discussion of the sacred to religious worship; anything that creates a sense of awe, connection with community, which leads to a what he called collective effervescence. Nationalism and belief in a nation’s leader is one such example, as exhibited in the photo above.

While I couldn’t help but feel that the houses of worship put fundraising front and center—more so than religious worship or a spiritual focus—it is a pragmatic response to the decline in religious practice in Europe. As there are fewer parishioners to maintain these historic buildings, they are more dependent on tourists for survival. And while this reflects Durkheim’s notion of the profane, they are still exalted spaces due to their history and artistic and architectural value.

Interested in learning more about Durkheim’s thoughts on religion? Check out this video, or better yet, read The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life.

Photos courtesy of the author