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Beyond Belief

Religion & Ethics

Series exploring the place and nature of faith in today's world

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Beyond Belief: Sacred Directions

27/11/2017

Sacred Directions

BBC Radio 4 - Beyond Belief, Sacred Directions

Why does 'east' play such an important part in much Christian architecture?

Why does 'east' play such an important part in much Christian architecture? And what is the significance of the other cardinal points in religions across the world?

When you stand in front of the altar in an Anglican or Catholic church, you are almost certainly facing East. The graveyard is very unlikely to be at the north side and if your church is called St Michael's, it will very likely be situated on the North side of your town or city. Cardinal points play an important role in sacred architecture. Is this simply a matter of history and culture or is there something deeper going on? To discuss sacred direction, Ernie Rea is joined by Martin Palmer, Secretary General of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation; Jon Cannon, Architectural Historian and Author of Sacred Spaces; and Vikram Lall, award winning Indian architect, educator and author.

Producer: Helen Lee.

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