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Sacred Place


It is not the presence of a recognizable shrine or direct religious association that lends Ta' Cenc its air of sanctity; it depends rather upon the confluence of set of conditions that have the effect of lifting the human mind and spirit beyond the limits of quotidian concerns. Nor can the unmistakable sense of sacredness pervading the plateau at Ta' Cenc be attributed exclusively to the rather ephemeral archaeological remains. More important is the fact that the few concrete traces of religiosity are unenclosed and set apart from virtually all subsequent development or modification. The stones of the dolmen, megalithic alignments, gallery grave and temple remains may be difficult to distinguish from the scatter of rock produced by natural forces, but these objects seem to belong to and express a condition present in the site. Standing up from the table of rock, acquire a relation with the horizon, with the elements sky, sun, sea and wind, and with a landscape in no way softened by nature or humanity. In precisely the abstraction and severity of these conditions lies a distinct spirituality captured by the builders of the megalithic monuments and still evident today.

Parker and Rubenstein have identified the Borg ta' L-Imramma Temples as part of a cruciform pattern of sacred sites on Gozo, which may even be connected with sites in Sicily. While these relationships are not visible to the modern visitor, the temple site does convey a sense of centrality and a microcosmic quality. The site swells gently at the centre of the plateau and offers a complete panoramic view. The nearest horizon at the edge of the plateau echoes the curved forms of the temple spaces and the curve of the earth itself. Thus the archaeological value of the site is amplified by its extraordinary unspoiled context. The visitor, therefore, has the opportunity not only to experience the site in much the same condition it was when the temple was built, but also to appreciate its sacredness at a more universal level as a concentrated microcosm of the human condition.

 

Place of Remoteness | Ancient Inhabitation | Ecological Rarity



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