Faria CAP, Remoaldo PC, de Fátima da Silva Vieira Martins M. Landscape and Senses in a Portuguese Municipality on the Way of St. James: Potential Impacts on the Well-Being of Pilgrims.
JOURNAL OF RELIGION AND HEALTH 2024;
63:133-158. [PMID:
35925457 PMCID:
PMC9362657 DOI:
10.1007/s10943-022-01617-2]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
The Portuguese Way of St. James is traveled by people seeking well-being, self-therapy, or answers to their personal and religious/spiritual issues. The evaluation of the landscape and its senses and how these may contribute to the well-being of pilgrims are subjects that have been little explored. This research was carried out to understand how the landscape can influence someone's well-being and the senses it awakens. The municipality of Barcelos was the one chosen as representative territory to apply a new method, which includes a participant observation together with the visual documentation of 310 photographs of its main elements and the analysis of a grid of 22 variables. The main result from this method points out the relevance of diversified landscapes with a remarkable variation in colors and sounds. Some gaps in this method were also identified, including the need for improvements by local authorities to contribute to maximized health outcomes.
Collapse