BBC Studios
17 August 2019 • WAR CRY • TELEVISION 3 The people of Djenné work together to replaster the mud mosque
Wonder-full places
Documentary investigates how sacred spaces influence people’s faith, writes Sarah Olowofoyeku
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NEW series on BBC One is looking at landmarks which have inspired or been inspired by faith. Sacred Wonders takes viewers from America to Asia, exploring manmade buildings, natural landmarks and sacred ceremonies. Over three episodes, the documentary visits sites where people gather to perform great acts of devotion or test the limits of their humanity in order to show commitment to their faith. The first episode featured a man who works to maintain buildings in the ancient temple city of Angkor, Cambodia. He believes that one of the temples is home to his ancestral spirits and that they will be unhappy and leave if the temple falls into ruin.
In the second episode, broadcast last Wednesday (14 August), the 30,000 people of the mud-built city Djenné in Mali were preparing to work for hours under the blazing sun to replaster their mosque, the largest mud building on Earth. The building has stood since the 13th century, but because of the intensity of the heat that beats down on it every day, the mud cracks, so the mosque needs replastering annually to ensure that it does not get washed away in the rainy season. Scoping the four corners of the world, one of Sacred Wonders’ aims is to find out why these places or moments provoke so much passion in people. In New York, Patty Welch, pastor at the largest Anglican cathedral in the world, planned the proceedings for the Feast of St Francis. About 4,000 gathered for the service at the Cathedral of St John the Divine. Each year, the patron saint of animals is celebrated with a service of blessing for more than 300 creatures great (including a camel) and small (some ducklings). Patty co-ordinates the animal procession at the Feast of St Francis service
Patty says the animal service ‘is about connecting with these amazing creatures’ and being ‘grateful for them and what they give to us’. While some buildings are thought to be inherently holy, Patty believes that sacredness can stem from the acts of worship that take place within them. ‘We come together in these moments,’ she says, ‘and they’re sacred.’
A sense of awe can be cultivated through amazing buildings Many Christians find that a sense of wonder and awe and an urge to worship can be cultivated through amazing buildings or places. They believe that God is the one who ultimately created them all. But while some of the places they recognise as sacred are vast, it does not mean that they feel God is distant. The early Christian Paul once explained to a group of people in Athens, who were fascinated by philosophy, that God made the world so that it would point people to him. He told them that God is not limited to manmade temples and indeed ‘is not far from any one of us’ (Acts 17:27 New International Version). God longed to have a relationship with us so much that he even sent his son, Jesus, into the world so that we could recognise his great love. It’s a love that we can come to know, any time, any place.