Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.34075/cs.61.3.5
Sacred Space as Memory and Moral Corrective of History
Mirela Šušić
orcid.org/0000-0002-0767-4484
; University of Zadar, Department of Croatian Studies, Zadar, Croatia
Abstract
The paper examines sacred space in Ivan Aralica’s novel Knjiga gorkog prijekora (The Book of Bitter Reproach) with the aim of determining its role in shaping reliquary memory, communal identity, and the ethical evaluation of history. It applies an interpretative and analytical reading grounded in cultural memory theory, literary-theoretical conceptions of space, and literary-historical interpretations of the new historical novel. The analysis shows that Zadar’s churches, the cult of St Simeon, and the motif of the votive gift are not merely historical scenery but places where political history is judged by conscience, guilt, penance, and hope. The sacred dimension connects Zadar’s local identity with a Christian understanding of memory and relativizes the self-sufficiency of earthly power. The paper concludes that, through sacred space, Aralica’s novel transforms history into an obligation.
Keywords
Ivan Aralica; sacred space; St Simeon; memory; conscience
Hrčak ID:
352344
URI
Publication date:
21.10.2026.
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