Bomb Threat or Hoax at Lourdes

Basilica of Lourdes, Hautes-Pyrénées, France

source: Wikimedia Commons

Assumption day, a very popular time for pilgrims to visit the shrine at Lourdes, was marred by the threat of bombs at the sanctuary. About 30,000 pilgrims were forced to evacuate the shrine and mill about for several hours until the police determined there were no bombs. BBC News Europe has a good report.

The major Christian pilgrimage sites have not had actual acts of terrorism or massive casualties caused by terrorists and bombs, but as with all places where large numbers of people congregate, national authorities fret constantly about the possibility. Security was a major concern during the recent celebrations at Santiago de Compostela, and some pilgrims complained of the massive presence of police, the Guardia Civil and the military over the St. James Day weekend in July. French authorities have been on high alert during the summer pilgrimage season at Lourdes and quickly responded with evacuation orders when the bomb threat, apparently a hoax, was received. The horrors which have accompanied pilgrimages to the Shia Islamic holy city of Karbala in Iraq are not far from the minds of security planners. In a very real way the terrorists have won a major battle, scaring all and sundry even when the threat is not real.

Yet More on Pilgrimage in Peru

Cusco, Peru
20 January 2010

A couple of posts back I wrote about a pilgrimage to a high elevation glacier in the Andes  of Peru to gather snow. Quite by coincidence, a book I brought with me to read while visiting various sites in and near Cusco, including Manchu Picchu, contains a personal story of participation in the arduous and difficult to understand (for those of us mostly familiar with European traditions) pilgrimage.

The book is Hugh Tomson, 2006. A Sacred Landscape: The Search for Ancient Peru. Woodstock and New York: The Overlook Press. ISBN 13-978-1-59020-058-2, and the description of the pilgrimage is a chapter A Parliament of Bears: Qoyllurit´i, pp. 232-271.

Qoyllurití (your guess at pronunciation is as good as mine) is celebrated every year after Trinity Sunday in June and entails a climb, at rates far faster than high altitude medicine would recommend, to a glacier over 6,000 m high about 100 km from Cusco. Thousands participate every year in rituals that combine Roman Catholic elements, and the pilgrimage is sanctioned by the church, with ones clearly very much older. If I should teach another course on pilgrimage, I most certainly will include discussion of this one. Meanwhile I recommend the Tomson book both for the chapter and more generally for its overview of archaeological and anthropological finds in Peru.

ALRI Session II: Sacred Sites and Spaces

Tahoma (Mt. Rainier) said to be sacred for many pre-Columbian residents of the Puget Sound Area. EOP 1998

Chapel Hill, NC

The second session of 717 Pilgrimage and Human Society looks at the kinds of places attracting pilgrims, sacred sites and spaces. As we shall see, the term "sacred" is a difficult one to define, but there are some common categories into which most pilgrimage destinations can be classified, and this session looks at those categories with illustrative examples.

Session II: Sacred Sites and Spaces

Outline

I. Introductory comments.

A. "All sites of pilgrimage have this in common: they are believed to be places where miracles once happened, still happen, and may happen again." Victor Turner. 1978. Image and Pilgrimage.

B. Almost every inhabited place on earth (and many uninhabited ones as well) is sacred to someone.

C. Sacred Sites and spaces are necessary but not sufficient reasons for pilgrimage.

D. Not all sacred sites attract pilgrims.

II. Sacred spaces not attracting pilgrims.

A. Tabu places.

B. Places restricted to elites only.

C. Other places venerated but not visited.

III. Categories of sacred sites and spaces.

A. The dramatic and awesome in nature.

B. Sites of great socio-cultural importance.

C. Arbitrary sites.

IV. Sacred spaces in nature

A. Some types.

1. Dangerous places.

2. Awesome and dramatic places.

3. Evocative Places

B. Ecological considerations.

1. Protect resources.

2. Protect from enemies - barriers.

V. Culturally defined spaces.

A. Places linked to heroic persons, real or legendary.

1. Life cycle events (birth, initiation, marriage, death).

2. Career events.

3. Post-death apparitions.

4. Relics (see also below).

B. Places linked to cultural events.

1. Creation myths.

2. Wars and battles (especially major victories or defeats).

3. Icons and relics.

VI. Conflict and sacred spaces.

A. Different religions venerating the same place in different ways.

B. Sects within a religious tradition venerating a place in different ways.

C. Sacred toi some, undeveloped resource to others.

D. Sacred to some, offensive to others.

VII. All pilgrimages require sacred sites but not all sacred sites generate pilgrimages.

"Sacred" Spaces: Comments after 2 April Session

Several people were bothered by the absence of a definition for the term "sacred." After a little digging, I found the definition offered by Wikipedia to be a useful one:

"Holiness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy (perceived by religious individuals as associated with the divine) or sacred (considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspiring awe or reverence among believers in a given set of spiritual ideas). In other contexts, objects are often considered 'holy' or 'sacred' if used for spiritual purposes, such as the worship or service of gods. These terms can also be used in a non-spiritual or semi-spiritual context ("sacred truths" in a constitution). It is often ascribed to people ("a holy man" of religious occupation, "holy prophet" who is venerated by his followers), objects ("sacred artifact" that is worshipped), times ("holy days" of spiritual introspection, such as during winter holidays), or places ("sacred ground", "holy place")."

Interestingly the Catholic Encyclopedia does not offer a definition and uses "sacred" solely as an adjective ("Sacred" heart, "Sacred Office of Propaganda" etc.). Needless to say, the definition offered by Wikipedia is not as precise as those of a purely scientific bent might prefer, and there is a great deal of wiggle room in its usage.

Mircea Eliade was the scholar most closely linked to the study and analysis of sacred spaces and places, although that was far from the only aspect of religion he studied and wrote about.  As is ever more frequently the case, the Wikipedia entry on Eliade is a useful starting point, for his writings, now a little out-of-date, are not easy reading for any but specialists.

As an interesting aside, there is a website called Sacred Space run by Irish Jesuits where the webmasters " invite you to make a 'Sacred Space' in your day, and spend ten minutes, praying here and now, as you sit at your computer, with the help of on-screen guidance and scripture chosen specially every day" a usage of the term  having only a remote connection to the usage in this class!

Session II Sacred Spaces and Places 2 April 2009

Better late than never. Sorry that I did not post this outline yesterday as promised, but here area a few comments along with the outline for the session on 2 April with the topic Sacred Spaces and Sacred Places.

The photo is of Mt. Rainier in Washington State, a volcanic peak, the highest one in the Cascades, said to have been sacred to pre-Contact peoples who lived in sight of it. There is no evidence that any of those peoples ever ascended to the 14,410 (4,392 m) feet peak, said to be one of the most dangerous in the United States. Its danger is both to those who attempt to climb to its summit, several of whom die almost every year, and to those who live in its shadow for it could erupt at any time and cause immense damage and loss of life. Rainier is an example of an dramatic landscape feature and also of a dangerous place, both important types of sacred spaces and places.


Sacred Spaces and Sacred Places 2 April 2009

I. Some general comments:
A. Almost every inhabited place on earth, and many uninhabited ones as well, is sacred to someone!
B. Sacred spaces and places are necessary but not sufficient conditions for pilgrimage.
C. Some sacred spaces do not attract pilgrims.
1. Tabu places
2. Places restricted to small numbers of elite groups.
3. Other places that may be venerated but not visited.
D. Some categories of sacred spaces and places.
1. Natural features like Mt. Rainier.
2. Historically and culturally defined features, places where great people, real or legendary, lived; or great events occurred; or where significant objects may be found.
3. More-or-less arbitrary places.

II. Sacred Spaces defined by natural environments.
A. The dramatic in nature, awesome places.
1. Readily visible high places.
2. Violent environments.
B. Dangerous places.
C. Evocative places.

III. Ecological aspects of sacred spaces.
A. Resource sources.
1. Water.
2. Food supplies.
B. Behavioral constraints.
1. Linked to resources.
2. Linked to human contacts.

IV. Cultural Spaces and Places.
A. Places linked to people, real or legendary.
1. Life-cycle events (birth, marriage, death).
2. Career events.
3. Post-death appearances.
B. Events.
1. War.
2. Events central to foundation stories and myths.
C. Sites of relics
D. Arbitrary choices, no clear reason.
V. All pilgrimages are to sacred spaces and places, but all such sites do not generate pilgrimages.