Stones, Trees and Springs

This chapter applies the Lived Ancient Religion (LAR) approach to examine rural spaces as contested zones where ecclesiastical authority sought to suppress unregulated rites. Moving away from the traditional view that saw these vota ad petras, arbores et fontes as survivals of pagan cults, it shows how Christian devotees continued to engage with their surroundings under an explicitly Christian framework. Rather than passive settings, such spaces functioned as active components of ritual life, shaping gestures, embodied practices and emotional experiences. This perspective highlights how interactions with the natural environment contributed to the making of Christian ritual landscape while complicating the church's efforts to consolidate territorial and doctrinal control.