Liturgical Spaces: An African Vision of Sacred Space

Abstract

This article goes beyond the liturgical norms governing liturgical spaces in the Roman Catholic Church to interpret a “surplus,” continuing what is already being done well liturgically, but evoking what remains to be done architecturally in Africa. To do so, it denounces the dual Jonah complex and the evil of “coloniality.” It articulates questions that need to be considered and focuses on anthropological aspects, without losing sight of the fact that the essence of any liturgical space is the encounter with God. It also provides examples of liturgical spaces to illustrate its points, mainly African churches, but also others. Ultimately, the question of liturgical spaces is at once human, ecclesiological, cultural, and spiritual.