Sacred Times and Spaces Of New Orleans and Jerusalem

    The books, “The Sacred and The Profane”, by Mircea Eliade provide readers with a comprehensive overview of the concepts of sacred and profane space and time. Also, “Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths” by Karen Armstrong helps exemplify these concepts in Jerusalem. Eliade explains how there is a clear distinction between profane and sacred spaces and times. Many biblical excerpts and verses have clear examples of sacred spaces. In Genesis 22:1-14, God sends Abraham to the “land of Moriah” where he was asked to sacrifice his son. The “land of Moriah” can be considered sacred not only because this area was chosen by God but a consecration occurred in this location when the ram was sacrificed for God. So once Abraham is told he does not have to sacrifice his only son he states, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided”. Another example discussed in class about sacred space was seen in Genesis 11:1-9 where the mortals had built a tower “with its top in the heavens”. God had descended to earth to see the city and its tower, seen by the mortals as a connection between themselves and God. Apart from the sacred space examples discussed in class, I wanted to provide some interesting examples of sacred spaces and times that I have seen throughout my life and how they may compare to Jerusalem.

    Having grown up and lived in New Orleans, a city steeped in Catholic traditions and heritage, Mardi Gras has always been an important time of each year. Mardi Gras closes the season before Lent, so it is a time for people to essentially “let loose” before they make their respective sacrifices and fasts. This profane event attracts thousands of people every year who yearn to “let loose” before Lent. There is an explicit threshold between the Pre-Lent season and the sacred time of Lent, leading up to Easter Sunday. Lent and Easter are the most clear examples of sacred time that I have experienced throughout my life. Most people are not pilgrimaging to New Orleans for sacred times but in Jerusalem, thousands of pilgrims are drawn to the city every year for different sacred events like the ‘holy fire’ ritual (The Times of Israel, 2012). In New Orleans, I have also experienced spaces that are split between profane and sacred spaces. The French Quarter is home to Bourbon Street, the inebriation capital of the city, but the sacred space of the St. Louis Cathedral sits only a few blocks away. I find it amazing how a sacred space can be so close in proximity to these unholy and profane spaces but yet so far away in spirituality and aura. Karen Armstrong asks the question, “How could a mere city, full of fallible human beings and teeming with the most unholy activities, be sacred?” (Armstrong XV). This quote refers to Jerusalem, but I think it's very fitting to New Orleans as well, Profane and sacred spaces are all around us and I am excited to continue to recognize where there are rifts in space and time.







Photo Source: https://www.averysweetblog.com/2020/08/st-louis-cathedral-french-quarter-new.html





Citations: https://www.timesofisrael.com/christian-pilgrims-gather-in-jerusalem-for-holy-fire-ritual/