Sacred Places
For a place to be sacred we are really saying that it is considered to be a Holy place.
There are many places of sacredness all over the world and they apply to lots of different cultures and religions - each one valuing them for a variety and, often different, reasons. The term sacred actually comes from a Latin word and it is a place held in awe and that is considered to be special and unique. There is the presumption that something is sacred when a power, supernatural maybe or godlike, manifests itself into a place or even a person.
In most cases an object of sacredness is a natural object such as a tree, mountain, lake or cave for instance. An example of a sacred place is in Lourdes in France. Here in 1858 a 14 year old girl by the name of Bernadette had a series of 18 visions of the Virgin Mary. She apparently appeared in a niche in a little grotto called Massabielle outside of Lourdes. At the time of her 9th apparition of the Virgin Mary, Bernadette was apparently directed to a spring in the cave which had not previously existed. This was witnessed by hundreds of onlookers and was declared a miracle. The water of the spring is said to be healing and is visited by thousands of people every year - many of whom claim to have been miraculously healed from various illnesses. Scientists have examined the water however and it is proven to be perfectly normal containing lime, soda and magnesia among other 'normal' elements.
The site of Stonehenge is another sacred site and is situated in England on Salisbury Plain. It is an arrangement of stone, timber and earth that was revised and re-modelled over an period of approximately 2000 years, dating from around 3100 BC. The earliest part of the this 'structure' is a stone circle comprising a total of 56 stones. Stonehenge has been perceived as a monument to the sun and associated with sun worship. Every year people flock to celebrate the summer solstice at the site as the rays of the sun line up perfectly with the structure of the stones and the way that they have been placed. However, it has recently been suggested that the site is, in fact, a tribute to astronomical and lunar events. Though it is thought that the position of perfect alignment with the summer solstice cannot be accidental.