When orthodoxy is not the most relevant: La Gomera's landscape and the orientation of its churches

Authors

  • Adrián Di Paolo
  • Alejandro Gangui
  • Juan Antonio Belmonte
  • María Antonia Perera Betancort

Keywords:

La Gomera, Churches, Archaeoastronomy, Orography

Abstract

We present a study of the relationship between astronomy and landscape centered on the orientation of Christian churches of the island of La Gomera, located in the Canary Archipelago (Spain). The fieldwork consisted of measuring the precise coordinates of 38 churches, which represents almost all of the island's religious constructions, which has an area of approximately 370 km². For each church, we measured the azimuth and the angular height of the horizon taken in the direction towards which the altar of each temple points. The data thus obtained were then corroborated with digital terrain models frequently used in archaeoastronomical studies. Finally, for the study of the sample, various analyzes were carried out: statistical, calendarical and orographic, trying to find clues that would allow us to understand the pattern of orientations found. From this analysis, we can infer that in some places on the island the canonical tradition of orienting Christian temples in the solar range was respected. [...]

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References

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Published

2020-05-15

How to Cite

Di Paolo, . A., Gangui, . A., Belmonte, . J. A., & Perera Betancort, . M. A. (2020). When orthodoxy is not the most relevant: La Gomera’s landscape and the orientation of its churches. Cosmovisiones / Cosmovisões, 1(1), 73–88. Retrieved from https://revistas.unlp.edu.ar/cosmovisiones/article/view/13474

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2020): Revista de la SIAC

Section

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