In addition to the historic churches, temples and mosques that dot the Boston skyline, sacred spaces are hidden around the edges of the city, just out of view. These chapels, meditation spaces and prayer rooms serve a spiritual mission within otherwise secular institutions. Some were designed by well-known architects while others were created informally by people desiring a small retreat. They may be familiar and accessible or truly hidden from public view, but they all invite passers-by to pause, sit for a moment, and reflect.
Sociologist Wendy Cadge, architectural historian Alice Friedman, and photographer Randall Armor have documented more than 60 sacred spaces in and around greater Boston. Sites include municipal buildings, shopping malls, military installations, schools and universities, health care organizations, prisons, mental health centers, cemeteries, senior living communities and rehabilitation centers. We are currently touring multiple exhibitions of these photographs and anticipate a book in the coming years.
This remarkable project provides a glimpse into the life and history of the city from a sacred edge and an appreciation for what these spaces offer, both literally and symbolically, to residents and visitors alike.
This project emerged, in part, from Professor Cadge’s collaborations with Professor Friedman and the late Karla Johnson, AIA, Principal, Johnson Roberts Associates. Their shared projects include Sacred Space in a Secular Nation of Believers, an exploratory seminar at the Radcliffe Institute; Multi-Faith Spaces, an online collection of case studies, design resources, and readings; and Spiritual Spaces, a database of religious buildings on college campuses. Karla designed the Interfaith Center at Tufts University and taught, through her buildings and her life, the importance of pause. We pursue this project in her memory.
The project recently completed a pilot collaboration with WBUR and Walking Cinema that produced three radio pieces and immersive ways to view two of the sites, all with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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