Inspired by the Classics: Creating a Sanctuary

"Perched on its summit was a palace, built round a fine, spacious courtyard, and containing loggias, halls and sleeping apartments, which were not only excellently proportioned but richly embellished with paintings depicting scenes of gaiety. Delectable gardens and meadows lay all around, and there were wells of cool, refreshing water. The cellars were stocked with precious wines, more suited to the palates of connoisseurs than to sedate and respectable ladies. And on their arrival the company discovered, to their no small pleasure, that the place had been cleaned from top to bottom, the beds in the rooms were made up, the whole house was adorned with seasonable flowers of every description, and the floors had been carpeted with rushes."

The Decameron, (Introduction: First Day) ~ Boccaccio 

The passage above describes the sanctuary that a group of young people living in Florence fled to during the horrific and devastating time of the Black Death. It is a sanctuary in a true sense of the word, a place of refuge or escape. The word itself - sanctuary - has classical connotations. Many of the Ancient Greek and Roman authors speak of the sanctuary at Delphi or the sanctuaries of religious deities. Initially, it referred to a holy or 'sanctified' place of worship. In the middle of the sixteenth century the term took on a non-ecclesiastical meaning, and simply referred to a place of refuge or protection (etymonline.com).

Although, many of us are unable to escape to a peaceful country retreat when we need a break from the stress and pressures of everyday life, there are some key elements in this passage that can be re-created at home. A well-stocked home with hearty food and pleasant drink. A bedroom with freshly washed sheets and fresh flowers to adorn it. A clean space, free from dust or grime. Floors swept. Windows wiped down. Paintings on walls, either done by yourself or prints that you have found online and had framed for decoration. If the past year has taught us anything, a place within our home where we can find a moment of calm, or seek refuge from the pressures of everyday life is not such a bad thing. Ideally, a sanctuary is somewhere we can go to help restore and rebalance the best version of ourselves, whether that be indoors or outdoors, day or night, noisy or loud.

Let us now turn to some other 'sanctuaries' evident in the Classics to guide us in developing our own little place of calm. 

A place to write, draw or create

"A room of my own, a room with my very own furniture and a view of the river, added up to a piece of heaven. I could turn on a lamp and write what I assumed was poetry while a silver moon walked the sky over the river." 

Harvest of Yesterdays: My Years Before Stillmeadow ~ Gladys Taber

Surrounded By Your Favourite Things

"In the early evening time, Dr Kemp was sitting in his study in the belvedere on the hill overlooking Burdock. It was a pleasant little room, with three windows - north, west and south - and bookshelves covered with books and scientific publications, and a broad writing-table, and under the north window, a microscope, glass slips, minute instruments, some cultures and scattered bottles of reagents."

The Invisible Man ~ H.G. Wells

"The diagrams the violin case, and the pipe rack - even the Persian slipper which contained the tobacco - all met my eye as I glanced around me."

The Return of Sherlock Holmes ~ Arthur Conan Doyle

Choosing Well-Loved Items That Won't Break the Bank

"...they were wise enough to be contented with the house as it was; and each of them was busy arranging their particular concerns and endeavouring by placing around them their books and other possessions, to form themselves a home. Marianne's pianoforte was unpacked and properly disposed of; and Elinor's drawings were affixed to the walls of their sitting-room."

Sense and Sensibility ~ Jane Austen

"The fresh, starched white curtains moved softly in the wind at the open window. The scrubbed board walls and the floor were a soft yellow-grey. A bouquet of grass flowers and windflowers that Carrie had picked and put in the blue bowl on the table seemed to bring springtime in. In the corner the varnished brown whatnot stood stylish and handsome...It was a beautiful room."

Little Town on The Prairie ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

Whether your sanctuary is a place where you go to study religion, pray or meditate or simply to take refuge from the stress and strain of everyday life, it's not such a bad idea to create a little sanctuary in your own home or garden. 

A Region of Bliss

In Louisa May Alcott's classic, Little Women, the notion of sanctuary or refuge is closely guarded. 

    "...Meg found her sister eating apples and crying over the "Heir of Redcliffe," wrapped up in a comforter on an old three-legged sofa by the sunny window. This was Jo's favourite refuge; and here she loved to retire with half a dozen russets and a nice book, to enjoy the quiet and the society of a pet rat who lived near by, and didn't mind her a particle."

Without the addition of a pet rat, I couldn't imagine a nicer sanctuary to retire to. Jo also finds sanctuary in the rather unlikely setting of her Aunt March's house - or rather, Uncle March's library.

    "The dim, dusty room, with the busts staring down from the tall book-cases, the cosy chairs, the globes and, best of all, the wilderness of books, in which she could wander where she liked, made the library a region on bliss to her."

I love Alcott's turn of phrase here - 'a region of bliss.' A sanctuary doesn't have to be a place of creation, but to find refuge in a place that encourages us to be our authentic selves is the delight of a true sanctuary. 

So, think about the space that is available to you. Is there a little unused corner of a room somewhere that could be turned into your sanctuary? Mine is under a window that looks out into the backyard with my favourite reading chairs and plenty of books around. There are also shelves and tables ready to place cups of tea on and a touch lamp to provide just the right level of light. It's not too cluttered and there's always a blanket or heater on standby so I don't get cold. If I feel like a scented candle, then those are nearby too. Everything I need is at my arm's reach. No getting up looking for things.

I can look up and see outside, the green trees of summer or the glorious reds and oranges of autumn. There are plants nearby reminding me to take strength and sustenance from nature. This is important to me. I can read or I can simply sit. Sometimes I meditate, or I open my secretary desk and write or paint.

How would your sanctuary look? Do you already have one? What are the essential elements for you in a sanctuary? I'd love to hear about them in the comments below.