Pilgrimage of the Body: A Study on the Generative Mechanism of Spatial Sacredness in the Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple

The sacredness of religious architecture stems from embodied spatial perception and interactive effects. This study examines the Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple in Shanxi Province and explores the generative mechanism of its sacred space through fieldwork, literature analysis, and textual semantic analysis. Findings reveal that the Sakyamuni Pagoda’s sacredness is not an inherent property but is constructed through bodily pilgrimage practices, following a path from sensory experience to cognitive assessment. On the one hand, the pagoda’s material spatial form, the spiritual symbolism of its mural religious images, and the embodied practices of presence collectively constitute a perceptual realm of sacredness. On the other hand, these experiences are deepened into enduring sacred memories and collective identity through cognitive assessment activities such as emotional responses and meaning interpretation. The study reveals the generative logic of sacredness—from perception to internalization—within the continuous interaction between “body and space”, providing theoretical reference for the spatial interpretation of religious architecture and heritage revitalization.