Religion and Landscape Mr Kuhn

Religion up until this point Religion greatly affects the five themes of geography Location Place Human/Environment Interactions Movement Regions Up until this point we have focused on the influence religion has had on movement, interactions, and regions throughout its history Today we will focus on the remaining two themes: Location and Place

Religion, architecture, and city layout Just as culture, resources, and heritage have a profound impact on the architecture of buildings, so does religion Moreover, the way in which a city is laid out can be heavily impacted by the dominant religion in the area While these trends have historically played a larger role, their impacts are still present today and in some places still actively practiced

Europe: Medieval Christian churches Historically, Christianity has been the predominate religion practiced in all Europe Traditional thought in Europe believed that the more money spent on the church, the closer that church and those who went their were to God For these reasons, most peasants gave the majority of their money to the Church and little on their own houses (known as Waddle and Daub Houses) Wattle and Daub House: Wooden Strips (known as Wattle) held together by a mixture of clay, hay, and dung (Daub) These religious traditions affect modern day Europe as while Waddle and Daub houses no longer exist, Medieval churches still mark the land of the area

ASIA: BUDDHISM AND THE ENVIRONMENT Central to the Buddhist religion is the preservation of nature and the environment While Buddhist temples are equally as impressive as European Churches, they are unique with their emphasis on nature in the surrounding area Buddhist temples often have natural forests around them in order for monks to meditate, or farms so the monks may feed themselves as they are not allowed to work The “Place” in Buddhist dominated areas is therefore affected by religion as these areas have more green space then areas practicing other religions

AFRICA: Missionaries and eUROPEAN influence Traditionally, Africans had lived nomadic lifestyles and built houses from mud with thatch roofs In the 19th and 20th centuries, Christian missionaries from Portugal, the Netherlands, and England came to the coasts of Africa and began to build western style buildings and communities A number of European style forts built around the church became prominent in the Africa representing western urban planning and architecture

South AMERICA: THE SPANISH CITY CENTER Created by Spain in the 16th century, the Law of the Indies outlined how each of Spain’s colonies was to be laid out In order for Spain to have an influence on their new holdings, they placed the Church in the middle of every major town to dominate the surrounding area Churches were built to impress and awe the colonial citizens and were often located closely to military bases This tradition was heavily practiced in a large number of South American towns and these towns remain the same to this day

Canada: CATHOLICS, QUEBEC, AND MALLAIRDVILLE While Canada’s architecture was not as heavily impacted as other places in the world, areas like Quebec were heavily influenced by the Catholic Church Large churches that rivalled those of Europe dominated the cities such as Quebec and Montreal (The Oratory is Canada’s largest church and had the second largest dome in the world next to St Peters Bascilla in Rome) In the early 20th century, the influence of the Catholic Church was brought to BC from Quebec as a number of familes from Quebec came to Mallairdville (a town in Coquitlam) to work on a mill This town has now become rich in French culture and is heavily based on Catholic architecture, customs, and beliefs

Today in the text Stained glass windows for those who cant read Mega Churches in Murica Mardis Gras The changing face of cemeteries