Story-ing memory in the Licheń Pilgrimage Centre (Poland)

Abstract

This article examines the topic of ‘heritage’ in the context of the skyrocketing development of a Catholic pilgrimage centre in Licheń (Poland). Using photographic documentation of local memorabilia, gathered during joint fieldwork done on the premises of the centre in September 2010, we posit that Licheń is an instance of lieu de mémoire (cf. Nora, 1996), prepared for pilgrims/tourists as a pedestrian walk (cf. Plate, 2006; Urry, 2002). Along these lines, we explore pervasive and instrumental references to the past in Licheń, as well as the superficial status of such references. We highlight the crucial relevance of this study to the body of work devoted to the sacrosanct and exclusive aspect of heritage as opposed to history (cf., for example, Lowenthal 1996). We find strong evidence for positing referring to heritage as a means of in-group mobilization of Polish nationality. In particular, we focus on strategies of avoiding conflict between heritage references and other values, such as novelty, modernity, luxury and so on, as well as on strategies of exposing the past without being subject to any limitations connected with the presence of relics of such a past. We also focus on the national dimension of the religious code in Licheń, that is, how typical units of identity such as ‘nation’ are re-negotiated and fortified in contemporary society.