Water and Sacred Architecture

This edited book examines architectural representations that tie water, as a physical and symbolic property, with the sacred. The discussion centres on two levels of this relationship: how water influenced the sacredness of buildings across history and different religions; and how sacred architecture expressed the spiritual meaning of water.

The volume deliberately offers original material on various unique contextual and design aspects of water and sacred architecture, rather than attempting to produce a historic chronological analysis of the topic or focusing on a specific geographical region. As such, this unique volume adds a new dimension to the study of sacred architecture.

The book’s chapters are compiled by a stellar group of scholars and practitioners from the US, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Africa. It addresses major aspects of water in religious buildings, such as rituals, pilgrimage, water as a cultural material and place-making, hydro systems, modern practices, environmental considerations, and the contribution of water to transforming the secular into the sacred. It also explores the future digital/cyber context of water and sacredness.

All chapters are based on original archival studies, historical documents, and field visits to the sites and buildings. These examinations show water as an expression of architectural design, its materiality, and its spiritual values. The book will be of interest to architects, historians, environmentalists, archaeologists, religious scholars, and preservationists.