Kapinės kaip lankytini kraštovaizdžio objektai

LTStraipsnyje nagrinėjama kapinių kaip šventos vietos samprata, kapinių kraštovaizdžio ir architektūros ypatumai, paminklų rūšys. Didžiausias dėmesys skiriamas kapinių lankymo motyvams, kapinių turizmui. Kapinių lankymas analizuojamas pasitelkiant sociologinę analizę. Kapinės pristatomos kaip sociokultūrinės erdvės vietos, kurių lankymui įtakos turi įvairūs asmeniniai ir kolektyviniai, ideologiniai ir dvasiniai veiksniai. Straipsnyje pateikiamos autoriaus sudarytos paminklų, kapinių lankymo motyvų klasifikacijos. [Iš leidinio]Reikšminiai žodžiai: Kapinės; Kapinių kraštovaizdis; Kapinių geografija; Kapinių lankymas; Kapinių turizmas; Paminklai; Cemeteries; Landscape of cemeteries; Geography of cemeteries; Visiting of cemeteries; Cemetery tourism; Monuments.

ENAnalysis of the concept of cemetery shows that cemetery as a place has both sacred and profane features. Religious tradition assigns cemetery to a sacred or highly reputable sites. The earlier tradition to bury the dead in the churchyards, rituals of cemetery sanctification, rites of giving honour to the dead and personal prayers and meditation confirm the status of cemetery. Societies treat cemetery as a place where the dead bodies are buried. This function ensures the public interest. Important research topics in geography are cemetery distribution in the area and features of cemetery landscape and architecture. The Beginning of the 19th century coincides with the history of modern cemeteries in Lithuania, when the establishment of cemeteries at the outskirts of cities was started. A cemetery is usually located in a higher geographical location (on a mound). A fence surrounds it, a gate symbolically marks the intersection between the worlds of the living and the dead, and often has a unique architecture. Cemetery landscape consists of architectural monuments, planned structures and natural landscape (trees, hedges, decorative plants). Cemetery monuments have a variety of architectural solutions, different forms and materials. According to the forms, all monuments can be grouped into crosses, roofed crosses and crucifixes, statues, various forms of stone or concrete monuments. Basic materials for the production of tombstones are granite, marble, ordinary field stones, wood and metal. There is a lack of research on the motivation of cemetery visiting and frequency of cemetery visiting in Lithuania. There is a lack of both quantitative and qualitative research on these topics. Such studies could also use ethnographic and anthropological approach. This article analyses the visiting of cemeteries using sociological analysis.A cemetery is considered as a socio-cultural space, the visiting of which depends on a variety of personal and collective, ideological and spiritual factors. Cemetery tourism, pilgrimages and value journeys can be linked with the visiting of the graves of relatives, friends or famous people. It should be mentioned that the pilgrimage to pray at holy relics of the dead was popular during the middle ages. Motives of cemetery visits have associations with various socio-cultural, religious, personal attitudes and values. A cemetery becomes a part of everyday landscape, integrating the past and the present, and different generations of a society. Cemeteries are visited for a variety of reasons, but we can distinguish nine basic motives: 1) Funeral; 2) Memorial; 3) Historical (cultural); 4) Artistic, architectural; 5) Recreational; 6) Receiving favours; 7) Statement of respect; 8) Vandalism; 9) Job. Cemetery tourism is one of the forms of dark tourism, it is a developing form of tourism and usually combines several motives. Marketing tools and arrangements of infrastructure can boost cemetery tourism in Lithuania. However, it is important to maintain the notion of cemeteries as a sacred place or highly reputable site. [From the publication]

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