THE CARACTER OF SACRED STRUCUTRE IN BUDAPEST AFTER DEMOCRATIC TURN

Abstract

The spiritual atmosphere of the democratic changes created those new chances in the
sacred space of Budapest which allowed the coming of new beliefs and confessions as well
as the broader social responsibility of historic churches. Beside liberalising applicable laws
such social processes set out which resulted in a more liberal religious practice and use of
sacred space. The production of sacred space in terms by Lefebvre could also happen which
meant an obvious qualitative and quantitative growth within the sacred space of the
capitol. Historical churches built new social spaces by their old places too, as well as new
beliefs and convictions were looking for their chances to settle in town. With a delay
compared to the West the coming of globalisation as parallel process favoured the spread
of new religious movements and communities. My researches show that communities
connected to American evangelical awakening movements as well as Hindu, Buddhist
communities emerged in town where these reside mainly in block-like, multifunctional
centres. These are primarily decentralised, far from the middle of the city, more likely in the
suburbs or in the outer parts of the central districts. The Society for Krishna Consciousness
speaks utterly about a centre when referring to their very own social spaces. The
concentration of human resources by these communities also results in the more efficient
reaction and harmonisation of their communal activities. This means competitive
advantages for them. The secular and post-secular processes of the recent years have been
affecting Hungary’s denominational communities too. Religious communities have been
undergoing significant fluctuations: following the democratic changes crisis phenomena
could be observed primarily in the case of historic denominations. It is seen well from the
above examples that research of places as point-like ranges, the analysis of sacred space is
necessary but not enough to a better understanding of that space. More over qualitative
evaluation is required to uncover the spatial characteristics of denominations. Beyond
virtual spatial exploration aided by armchair ethnography content analysis, semi
structured interviews are appropriate way to research the urban sacred space.