Spiritual Perception Resulted From Religious Environments of Mediaeval Churches in the West

As the Christians’ religious and meditation environments, mediaeval churches in the West have a specific magnificence and grandeur, always being considered as prominent urban landmarks With the used elements in them, the internal spaces of churches have exclusive characteristics, transforming them into holy places for the prayers of Christians during various centuries. The research hypothesis indicates that the architectural elements used in designing a religious place are successful, when they are advancing towards the religious and believing resources related to the building, and when the political factors, luxury and trappings are the dominating aspects of the building, it cannot create spiritual and religious space for the praying people entering to the place. The aim of this study is to analyze and investigate the spiritual and mystic effects of architectural elements and religious ceremonies of Christians in the Western churches with regards to the field observations, environmental perceptions, and expanding the subject with studying the related topics. Method of collecting the information to develop this study was field information from the Western churches during a scientific/research trip to France and Italy, and analysis of the findings, library studies, and collecting information via questionnaires given to the people that have closely observed European churches. The result of this article indicate the views of Eastern people, who have been in the Western churches for the first time, expressing their environmental perceptions and spiritual feelings about a Christian religious place.