IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v14y2025i5p1011-d1650552.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sacred Networks and Spiritual Resilience: Sustainable Management of Studenica Monastery’s Cultural Landscape

Author

Listed:
  • Nevena Debljović Ristić

    (University of Belgrade-Faculty of Architecture, Department of History and Theory of Architecture and Art, Bulevar kralja Aleksandra 73/II, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia)

  • Irena Kuletin Ćulafić

    (University of Belgrade-Faculty of Architecture, Department of History and Theory of Architecture and Art, Bulevar kralja Aleksandra 73/II, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia)

Abstract

This study explores spiritual resilience as a mechanism for sustaining cultural landscapes, focusing on the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Studenica Monastery (Serbia). By analysing the monastery’s sacred network, which includes monasteries, hermitages, and churches, the study demonstrates how material heritage (architecture, art), intangible practices (monastic life, liturgy, traditional crafts), and the natural environment (UNESCO MaB Golija–Studenica Biosphere Reserve) form a cohesive system of resilience. The concept of spiritual resilience is examined as a dynamic process that links sacred architectural structures and enduring religious practices with authentic land use preserved over centuries. We have utilised a methodological framework combining historical mapping, GIS viewshed analysis in spatial planning, and multidisciplinary data synthesis (historical, architectural, artistic, ecological, ethnographic) with resilience indicators aligned with the UNESCO’s Cultural Landscape approach. The findings reveal that Studenica’s sacred network operates as a coupled socio-ecological system. Spiritual practices, including annual processions and land stewardship rituals, have been identified as key factors in enhancing biodiversity conservation while mitigating land-use conflicts. Historical mapping has been used to highlight the overlap between sacred sites and protected ecological zones, reflecting traditional stewardship practices. By reframing heritage as an adaptive process where spirituality serves as a conduit between tradition and innovation, the study proposes replicable strategies for UNESCO sites worldwide. The concept of sacred landscapes as resilience hubs is furthered by alignment with SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

Suggested Citation

  • Nevena Debljović Ristić & Irena Kuletin Ćulafić, 2025. "Sacred Networks and Spiritual Resilience: Sustainable Management of Studenica Monastery’s Cultural Landscape," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-39, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:5:p:1011-:d:1650552
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/5/1011/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/5/1011/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Beatrice Mosso & Andrea Nino & Stefano Salata, 2025. "How to Plan Climate-Adaptive Cities: An Experimental Approach to Address Ecosystem Service Loss in Ordinary Planning Processes," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-28, March.
    2. Carlo Rega & Alessandro Bonifazi, 2020. "The Rise of Resilience in Spatial Planning: A Journey through Disciplinary Boundaries and Contested Practices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-18, September.
    3. Elisabeth Schauppenlehner-Kloyber & Marianne Penker, 2016. "Between Participation and Collective Action—From Occasional Liaisons towards Long-Term Co-Management for Urban Resilience," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(7), pages 1-18, July.
    4. Zuzana Vinczeová & Attila Tóth, 2025. "Urban Green Spaces and Collective Housing: Spatial Patterns and Ecosystem Services for Sustainable Residential Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-18, March.
    5. Nevena Debljović Ristić & Nenad Šekularac & Dušan Mijović & Jelena Ivanović Šekularac, 2019. "Studenica Marble: Significance, Use, Conservation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-27, July.
    6. Huaizhen Peng & Huachao Lou & Yifan Liu & Qingying He & Maomao Zhang & Ying Yang, 2025. "Spatial and Temporal Evolution Assessment of Landscape Ecological Resilience Based on Adaptive Cycling in Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan Urban Agglomeration, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-29, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jiao Zhang & Qian Wang & Yiping Xia & Katsunori Furuya, 2022. "Knowledge Map of Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development: A Visual Analysis Using CiteSpace," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-24, February.
    2. Yongming Wang & Umar Iqbal & Yingmei Gong, 2021. "The Performance of Resilient Supply Chain Sustainability in Covid-19 by Sourcing Technological Integration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-17, May.
    3. Mary Fastiggi & Sara Meerow & Thaddeus R Miller, 2021. "Governing urban resilience: Organisational structures and coordination strategies in 20 North American city governments," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 58(6), pages 1262-1285, May.
    4. Ting Zhang & Xiulian Wang & Xinai Li & Xuan Zhu & Long Li & Longqian Chen, 2025. "Spatio-Temporal Differentiation and Influencing Factors of Urban Ecological Resilience in Xuzhou City," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-21, May.
    5. Chien, Herlin & Saito, Osamu, 2021. "Evaluating social–ecological fit in urban stream management: The role of governing institutions in sustainable urban ecosystem service provision," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    6. Valerie Preston & John Shields & Marshia Akbar, 2022. "Migration and Resilience in Urban Canada: Why Social Resilience, Why Now?," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 1421-1441, September.
    7. Abdollah Mobaraki & Mojdeh Nikoofam & Behnam Mobaraki, 2025. "The Nexus of Morphology and Sustainable Urban Form Parameters as a Common Basis for Evaluating Sustainability in Urban Forms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-20, April.
    8. Maraña, Patricia & Labaka, Leire & Sarriegi, Jose Mari, 2020. "We need them all: development of a public private people partnership to support a city resilience building process," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    9. Maria Alina Rădulescu & Wim Leendertse & Jos Arts, 2020. "Conditions for Co-Creation in Infrastructure Projects: Experiences from the Overdiepse Polder Project (The Netherlands)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-21, September.
    10. Giulia Granai & Carmen Borrelli & Roberta Moruzzo & Massimo Rovai & Francesco Riccioli & Chiara Mariti & Carlo Bibbiani & Francesco Di Iacovo, 2022. "Between Participatory Approaches and Politics, Promoting Social Innovation in Smart Cities: Building a Hum–Animal Smart City in Lucca," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-15, June.
    11. Jorge Inzulza Contardo & Pablo Moran Figueroa, 2021. "Who Has Benefited? A Socio-Ecological Chronology of Urban Resilience in the Early Reconstruction of Talca after the 27-F Earthquake, Chile 2010–2012," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-17, March.
    12. Niko Schäpke & Ines Omann & Julia M. Wittmayer & Frank Van Steenbergen & Mirijam Mock, 2017. "Linking Transitions to Sustainability: A Study of the Societal Effects of Transition Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-36, May.
    13. Marilena Papageorgiou, 2025. "Spatial Planning for Tourism Destinations Resilient to Climate Change," Tourism and Hospitality, MDPI, vol. 6(1), pages 1-17, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:5:p:1011-:d:1650552. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.