Abstract
Calvaries, replicas of Jerusalem's Christian sites, are remarkable examples of a relation between spiritual needs and landscapes designed to fulfil them. The historical examples demonstrate the successful creation of a human space within a natural landscape and are also models of harmonious environments that have survived the centuries almost unchanged. This article examines the many factors contributing to this phenomenon and identifies as fundamental the maintenance of function and meaning. It concludes that meaning is as necessary for the design as for the unchanged existence, and that, therefore, preservation of meaning is the central aspect of preservation.
