A PILGRIMAGE COMMUNICATION PERSPECTIVE ON THE SACRED WAYS OF ST. MARY MAGDALENE

The purpose of this paper is to examine the meaning and prospects of pilgrimage communication on the example of the sacred paths of St Mary Magdalene. To recreate the saintʼs pilgrimage routes from the physical path to virtual travel, and to find out the significance of Mary Magdaleneʼs figure in art through virtual pilgrimage. In the authorʼs opinion, pilgrimage as a social and communicative institution has a communicative perspective in the dichotomy of «self-Other», so it inspired the author to work and move along sacred paths in this direction. The communicative method focused on intercultural communication between pilgrims during their journeys to the relics of the saint, and intercultural communication is also traced in the planning of such sacred journeys through the media and the Internet. The tourismological method allowed us to consider and analyse the established 222 km long route in 10 stages, which shows pilgrims the spiritual significance and necessity of such routes in relation to other saints. The cultural method made it possible to analyse the figure of St Mary Magdalene through such a powerful cultural tool as art, immersing us in biblical stories through paintings and conveying the emotions of the saint through the atmosphere and images that transported us to the time of the birth of Christianity thanks to painting. Using the religious studies method, the authors examined the significance of St Mary Magdalene for pilgrims after her death, namely the pilgrimage routes to the saintʼs relics through elaborate sacred routes.