From Sunrise to Sunset: Quantitative Study of Solar Orientation in Santa Maria Maior and Santíssima Trindade Pastoral Units

Abstract

research carried out in the scope of cultural and religious heritage master´s degree at Catholic University of Portugal, which is here compiled, reveals the dimension of built religious heritage in all over Miranda do Douro area, Portugal, through the identification of ninety Christian temples that have been, or continue to be, prayer places. The identification of these temples allowed both its georeferenciation and a data sheet development for each temple, which includes façades photographs, the saint patron indication and the apse orientation. The comparative study carried out between apse orientation and the corresponding period of the annual sunrise, allowed to create a set of reflections based on the sun´s Christian art symbolic, more specifically on the orientation of prayer. The research entitled " A Solis ortu usque ad Occasum – quantitative study of solar orientation in Santa Maria Maior and Santíssima Trindade pastoral units" is a work that integrates knowledge of both technical and humanistic areas, aiming the interception of these two knowledge fields.