From church perseverance in authoritarian states to today´s religious inspired tourism

Abstract

A chronological analysis of Christian pilgrimages over the course of around 2,000 years of existence suggests that there have been swings in their level of popularity: strong whenever the ruling classes (whether religious or civil) protect popular sanctuaries and declining whenever policies constraint the practice of pilgrimages. This paper starts with the characterization of two authoritarian regimes, a fascist one in a western European country, Portugal (1928Portugal ( -1974, and a communist one in a central European country, Slovakia (1948 -1989, at that time part of Czechoslovakia. The aim of this research was to explore the status quo during the period of government by the two authoritarian regimes, analyse the approach taken by each regime in regards to religious manifestations and how, with the eventual transition to democracy, it served to determine the dynamics surrounding each country´s main pilgrimage shrine, respectively Fatima (Portugal) and Levoča (Slovakia). The research findings show that in Portugal there was no interruption on the increasing popularity and development of Fatima, from the authoritarian to democratic regimes. Meanwhile, in Slovakia only after democracy was reinstated, was it allowed for people to manifest freely their religious beliefs that led to a revival of pilgrimages and visits to Levoča. The findings provide an understanding of the role of the state under authoritarian regimes and the policies implemented that prompted the importance and potential of the two shrines as religious tourism destinations.

The Pandemic As a Challenge for the Diversification of Tourism

“…The fact that the oldest Christian church in Central Europe was located in Nitra and the Nitra Diocese was established in 880, is one of the most important underlying historical facts. However, these important Church landmarks were not used extensively by tourists in the period 1948-89, as the totalitarian regime in former Czechoslovakia identified the Church as its main ideological enemy and had aspirations to eliminate it (Ambrósio et al, 2019). As a countermeasure, the regime preferred to establish an agricultural tradition, which is symbolized by the establishment of an agricultural university in Nitra (1952), followed by the establishment of the fair company AGROKOMPLEX (with a strong focus on agriculture), which became the foundation for the development of fair tourism.…”

Religious affiliation in Czechia and Slovakia: Comparison and regional differentiation

“…The socialist era of 1948 -1989 had a detrimental effect on the religiosity of Slovakia, similar to that of Czechia. The totalitarian system perceived the church as its primary ideological opponent and sought to eliminate its influence in every way possible (Ambrósio et al 2019). Besides shutting down monasteries, arresting and imprisoning clerics, the activities of the Greek Catholic Church were terminated (1950 -1968) and its followers were forced to convert into Orthodoxy.…”

Religious Tourism on the Example of Nation Pilgrim Places in Slovakia (Patronages of the Virgin Mary)

“…Thus, there is a clear need to define other terms such as travel and pilgrim tourism. Several authors have devoted themselves to the definition of pilgrimage (Ambrósio et al, 2019;Ambrósio et al, 2020;Krogmann et al, 2017;Krogmann et al, 2020;Matlovičová et al, 2015;Mróz et al, 2019). We can classify pilgrimage tourism as a new form of tourism, because people are currently looking for another form of rest and relaxation, because they need to calm down.…”

“…The tradition of pilgrimage was severely limited during the totalitarian regime, which saw the church as its great ideological enemy (in more detail e.g. Ambrósio et al, 2019, Krogmann et al, 2020. The restoration of pilgrimage on a traditional scale took place only after the political and social changes in 1989.…”