216 The Carpathian Mountains, a realm of Sacred Natural Sites Sebastian Ca˘ta˘noiu The Carpathian context 190 000 sq km, while the area of the broader Carpathian region is 470 000 The Carpathian Mountains form an arc sq km. roughly 1 500 km long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the The Carpathians are considered to be a longest, largest and most twisted- reservoir with the highest biodiversity in shaped mountain range in Europe. Europe, including around 60 000 wild From the Danube Gap, near Bratislava, species. The wooded areas include the Slovakia, they swing in a wide cres- largest pristine forests on the continent, cent-shaped arc, surrounding Tran- while some primeval beech forests in scarpathia and Transylvania, to Ors¸ova, the Carpathians were designated as a Romania, at the section of the Danube UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fau- valley called the Iron Gate. With an the na includes the most significant popula- average elevation of around 850 m and tion of large carnivores in Europe its highest peak, Gerlach, in Slovakia, (bears, wolves, lynx), in addition to bi- rising at 2 655 m above sea level the sons, deer, boars, chamois, marmots elevation of the Carpathians is much and numerous bird species. The rich lower than this of the Alps. The total variety of the endemic plants and ani- surface area of the mountain chain is mals, characteristic of the Carpathian < Nature and spirituality in Pieniny National Park, Poland 217 A map of the Carpathian Ecoregion ecosystems, form a relevant part of the other ethnic groups. A distinctive fea- European biodiversity. Beside the large ture of the Carpathian region is that in forest patches, areas of other land use each country minority groups from types, such as grasslands, cultivated neighbouring countries live. This ethni- fields and pastures are small; the relat- cally diverse and multicultural region is ed agro-biodiversity, though, is very further enriched by Russians, Jews, significant due to a long-established Germans, Greeks, Armenians and agricultural tradition, its most prominent Roma. However, specific minorities, elements being seasonal pasturing in such as the Rusyns, Lemkos, Bojkos, mountain meadows and the cultivation Hutsuls, Górals, Szeklers, Csángos, of local plants and trees varieties. and Mot¸i consider themselves different from the Carpathian nations (Nikitin et There are seven countries in the Car- al., 2009; Eberhardt, 2003). The moun- pathian region, and the total popula- tain ranges have divided and isolated tion of around 20 million people is di- these populations from each other for vided among seven nations: the Hun- centuries, and as a result they have garians, Ukrainians, Slovaks, Czechs, developed and kept their own beliefs, Poles, Romanians, Serbs and several dialects and ethnic identities. 218 Throughout history, the Carpathian re- reason to rank Lepenski Vir as one of gion has been a ‘border area’ for the the most outstanding spiritual sites in large empires, such as the Ottoman, the European and world prehistory. Habsburg, or Russian/Soviet. Solidarity Around 1000 BC, the Geto-Dacian civi- rather than joining of forces was in the lisation had spread through the entire political agenda and strategies of the Carpathian Mountains region. The smaller nations in this ‘border area’; main deity of the Geto-Dacians was moreover, the great powers sustained Zamolxe, its name deriving from the hostility among these nations. The state words ‘zelmo’ that means skin and ‘olx- borders changed many times, and in is’ that means bear. According to my- some areas even the ethnic composi- thology, after his birth he was blanket- tion of the population changed substan- ed in a bearskin and spent long parts tially. For all these reasons, the border of his life living in an underground areas remained deliberately underde- cave, appearing and teaching people veloped and were not industrialised; occasionally. This is why each ancient during the communist era even the col- sacred place in the Carpathians is as- lectivisation was not carried out in some sociated with caves or tunnels. The mountainous areas, so the direct im- centre of this civilisation, located now pact of modernity, with all its implica- in Gra˘dis¸tea Muncelului Cioclovina Na- tions, is quite low, even today. ture Park, Romania, is a colossal com- plex of hundreds of temples, sanctuar- ies and fortresses spread over an area Ancient sacred natural sites of around 3000 square kilometres. All Lepenski Vir, situated in the Carpathian the mountains around this complex are Mountains near Danube in Djerdap terraced and walled. The Dacian build- National Park, Serbia, is considered ings and complexes are positioned fol- the oldest urban settlement in Europe. lowing precise geometrical patterns, It was a permanent settlement estab- occult symbols, and maps of the sky. lished at a time when elsewhere in Eu- The greatest achievement and mystery rope only temporary shelters of no- of this ancient civilisation is the capital, madic hunters were in use. Lepenski Sarmisegetuza, called also the ‘City Vir was a Mesolithic site of significant Calendar’. ‘Sanctuarul Mare Rotund’ religious importance. The fishlike hu- (Big Round Sanctuary) has an identi- cal structure with Stonehenge, where- manoid figural sculptures discovered as another sanctuary, called ‘Soarele are related to primeval religion, and de Andezit’ (The Andesito Sun), re- represent one of the oldest stone sembles strongly the famous Maya cal- sculptures in Europe. The remains of endar. (Daicoviciu, 1991). numerous sacral buildings dating from 6500 BC to 5500 BC have been found. The Romanian Carpathians are famous Artefacts covered with pictograms dat- for their cultic anthropomorphic rocks, ed around 5000 BC, constitute another the most famous being the ‘Sphynx’ 219 (which has the same height as the Caraiman Peak and a vast system of Egyptian one), the ‘Babele’ (The Old caves, some of them not yet explored. Women) in Bucegi Nature Park, and The top of Caraiman, due to its numer- ‘The Twelve Apostles’ in Ca˘limani Na- ous anthropomorphic rocks positioned tional Park. For ancient Romanians, the in a specific way, is considered to be sky, ‘cerul’ in Romanian, was called an immense stellar temple, compared ’Caelus Manus’, ‘Kerus Manus’, or ‘Duo- with Glastonbury (Geticus, 2003). The nus Cerus’ that means the Lord Sky. The Bucegi Mountain is considered to be actual name of some Romanian moun- an intersection of Earth energy lines, tains such as ‘Ca˘li-man’ and ‘Carai-man’ an area of very strange magnetic ab- represent not only the mountain, but normality. It has been discovered that also Divinity (Geticus, 2003). In Roma- a specific site near the Ialomicioara nia, there are three Caraiman Mountains Cave had positive effects on human and four Calimani Mountains, all of them bodies, resetting physical and chemi- considered sacred. cal bodily functions to normal state The Bucegi Mountain, located in the and restoring energy levels. In the Bucegi Nature Park, Romania, is be- popular Romanian tradition this site is lieved to be one of the possible loca- called the ‘Gura de Rai’ (the Mouth of tions of the Dacian holy mountain Heaven), and is considered to be sa- Kogainon, in which Zalmoxe resided in cred, a gate between different worlds, a cave. In that mountain, there are a road to Heaven. Because of the com- some amazing and mysterious places bination of these unique features and like the Omu Peak, known as ‘Zamolxe its natural beauties, Bucegi Nature throne’, which includes the name ‘om’ Park is currently the most visited park that is also the sacred syllable of Hin- in Romania, receiving around one mil- duism and Buddhism as well as the lion visitors per year. Mosul, Calimani National Park, Romania. The Romanian word Mosul means the Old Man, but it is also a popular name for the Divinity. 220 In Ceahla˘u National Park, Romania, the stream religions established their own Ceahla˘u Mountain, called the ’Romani- shrines and places of worship in their an Olympus’ is considered since times vicinities. It is the Ceahla˘u Mountain, immemorial a holy mountain. It is visi- which, due to its ancient age and the ble from the Black Sea coast, 500 km actual monastic life, is considered the away. A strange phenomenon occurs second holiest mountain of Christian regularly: in the first week of August, at Orthodoxy, after Mt Athos. Another ex- sunrise, the shadow of two of its peaks ample is the Sinaia Monastery, also forms, for one hour and half, a spectac- called ‘the cathedral’ of the Bucegi ular hologram of a pyramid. At the Mountains, which was built on the main same period of time, above the Toaca road to the Bucegi Plateau, where the Peak, which has a perfect square py- ancient sacred site was located. The ramidal shape, for some minutes, an in- entrance to the famous Lalomicioara tense light pillar goes up towards the cave, the place from where Zamolxe sky. Some researchers believe that supposedly has disappeared, is nowa- Ceahla˘u Mountain is traversed by one days guarded by an Orthodox Monas- of the energetic axes of the Earth tery. Another outstanding sacred (www.2012en.wordpress.com). The place is Dobogóko˝, which is frequently ’Dobogóko˝’ (The Pulsating Stone), Pilis visited by high-level priests, Buddhist area, Duna-Ipoly National Park, Hunga- monks, and healers from around the ry, is considered to be the Earth’s heart world. Even the Chinese Shaolin order chakra. It is in the same place that At- has created its Eastern European mon- tila the Hun chose to place the centre astery close to this sacred site. of his great empire. When the Dalai The highly spiritual sites up in the Lama visited Hungary he declared: mountains, the processions, the calen- ‘The approach and behaviour of Tibet, dars, and even the physical locations similarly to other holy knowledge, sees of the early churches were clearly the and experiences the eternity as unity.