Przebieg granicy kulturowej między chrześcijaństwem zachodnim (łacińskim) i wschodnim (prawosławnym) w Europie i sposoby jej wyznaczania

Abstract

The cultural boundary between Western (Latin) and Eastern (Orthodox) Christianity is widely regarded as the main line (zone) of civilizational division in Europe. The aim of the article is to present a theoretical approach to the issue of cultural boundaries in spatial terms and to discuss a research procedure for delineating the boundary between Western and Eastern traditions based on the occurrence rate of sacred sites. The article draws attention to the problems associated with the delineation of cultural boundaries and their graphical representation on maps. It discusses the importance of a religious factor in the formation of cultural areas and presents selected views on the course of cultural boundaries in Europe, providing examples of their visualisation. Furthermore, the article discusses potential applications of cartographic methods and GIS tools in the study of cultural phenomena, using the example of the location of Roman Catholic and Orthodox temples in the border area of Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. Contemporary geo-information technologies provide a broad range of possibilities for conducting comprehensive spatial analyses that consider the distribution intensity of places associated with different traditions, e.g. sacred sites. These tools can support studies aimed at delineating the range of cultures while also facilitating the identification of the zonal nature of cultural boundaries.