Religious Aesthetics: A Study on the Meaning and Role of Visual Representation in Religion

This study explores the role of religious aesthetics in providing a religious experience from the perspectives of both the history of religion and contemporary scholarship on the subject. The study utilizes a phenomenological approach which looks at religious aesthetics as a visual representation of a religion which holds deeper religious significance rather than just being a piece of art. The first part begins with a discussion on understanding how the concept of aesthetics emerged in relation to religion. This includes works of scholars such as Rudolf Otto, Walter Benjamin, Mircea Eliade, and others who introduced the concept of beauty in relation to the ‘holy’. This is followed by a discussion of contemporary views on aesthetics and religion. The second part of this thesis then moves to providing an analysis of how aesthetics in religion can be understood when applied to the religion of Islam and the mosque of Hagia Sophia. The third part focuses on practically applying the understanding of the previous chapters on analyzing the aesthetics of Al Ruwais mosque and Education City mosque located in Qatar. An analysis of the data obtained from the observations is conducted along with first-hand studies conducted via site visits. The thesis concludes that the role of religious aesthetics in providing an experience is deeply spiritual and meaningful and that this approach can be a useful tool for interfaith studies.