Spatial dimensions of religious practice in multi-confessional Eastern Europe, circa 1760-1820

ENThe article exemplifies the field of an historical geography of religion, specifically focusing on the spatial aspect of inter-denominational relations. It analyses the impact of routes and distances on religious practice, arguing that space played a pivotal role in administering church services. Three case studies from different regions of Eastern Europe e Bukovina (today divided between Romania and Ukraine), Latgale (eastern Latvia) and Suwałki region (Polish-Lithuanian borderland) e focus on the exchange ability of religious services (baptisms, marriages and funerals) between various Christian denominations, as registered in metrical records. On this basis it is possible to state that in the multi-confessional environment with limited access to a priest of a certain denomination a common practice for the faithful, although officially banned, was to go to a priest of another confession. In this respect spatial realities affected religious practices more than official regulations. Keywords: religious practice; confessional relations; distances; religious services; baptisms; marriages; funerals.

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