Paper short abstract:

The contribution deals with symbolic appropriations that transform a secular space into a sacred space. The ethnographic example is Prešeren Square in Ljubljana, which is defined by two elements: its central position in the city and the monument to the iconic Slovenian poet, France Prešeren.

Paper long abstract:

Prešeren Square in Ljubljana is an interesting ethnographic example that allows us to reflect on the relationship between secular and sacred spaces from the perspective of cultural statics and dynamics. We will observe the central square as a space of urban rituals with the departure point that rituals are always located; their framework is created by space, time, social actors, specific motifs, and practices. This space (as a physical, relatively static context), in addition to being a crossing point - which has, among other things, an esoteric interpretation as the square is located on so-called "dragon lines" or energy grids - is also defined by the monument to the iconic Slovenian poet France Prešeren (1800-1849).

The discussion takes as its departure point the thesis that we only notice monuments when they are erected or demolished (R. Musil), and juxtaposes it with the lively rituals that take place around the monument. Ritual practices from the time the monument was erected (1905) address a cultural process that is heterogeneous, hybrid, polyphonic, heteronomous, contested, official and alternative, monocultural and multicultural. All of this is an effect of the multiple uses and practices in the space: on the one hand, there are the relatively static elements connected to national history and identity (the importance of language, poetry, art, and culture), and, on the other hand, the square is the location of dynamic activities, profane and sacred, more or less related to ritualized dialogues with the fundamental symbolism of the space.