Touching upon the Sacred: Seven Rila Lakes and the White Brotherhood in Bulgaria

Abstract

The article discusses the process of invention of the religious and the functions of the new sacred places in the contemporary culture. It draws on the case of the Seven Rila Lakes (Rila mountain, Bulgaria) which function as central sacred topos for the followers of the spiritual teacher Petar Dunov, or the community of the Universal White Brotherhood. It examines the pilgrimage to the Seven Lakes as important for the consolidation of the community event and its significance – as a reflection of the lack of sacredness in the postmodern contemporary culture.