sanctuary
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sanctuary
A place that is considered holy and serves religious worship, for example a temple, church, or shrine.
Tausende Pilger besuchen jedes Jahr das Heiligtum in den Bergen.
Thousands of pilgrims visit the sanctuary in the mountains every year.
The word is made up of the adjective 'heilig' (holy) and the ending '-tum'. The ending '-tum' often forms nouns that describe a state, a domain, or a collection, as in 'Reichtum' (wealth) or 'Christentum' (Christianity).
Das alte Heiligtum wurde auf einem Berg errichtet.
The old sanctuary was built on a mountain.
You can usually recognize the figurative meaning by a possessive pronoun (my, his, her). It describes a purely personal and private place, while the literal meaning refers to a religious or public place.
Mein Garten ist mein kleines Heiligtum, dort entspanne ich mich.
My garden is my little sanctuary; I relax there.
In a religious context, 'Heiligtum' is often used with verbs such as 'ein Heiligtum besuchen' (to visit a sanctuary), 'zu einem Heiligtum pilgern' (to make a pilgrimage to a sanctuary), or 'ein Heiligtum errichten' (to build a sanctuary).
Viele Menschen pilgern jedes Jahr zu diesem Heiligtum.
Many people make a pilgrimage to this sanctuary every year.
altar
'der Altar' and 'das Heiligtum' can both have to do with a holy or especially venerated place. But an 'Altar' is a concrete structure or place, often like a table, where religious acts take place. A 'Heiligtum' is more general and usually larger: it can be a temple, a church, a shrine, or another holy place. In a figurative sense, 'Heiligtum' can also mean a very important private area. The words can be confusing because an altar can stand inside a sanctuary. Remember: the altar is a specific place or object; the sanctuary is the holy area as a whole.
Am Montag besuchen wir ein altes Heiligtum in den Bergen.
On Monday, we are visiting an old sanctuary in the mountains.
Der Altar war mit weißen Blumen geschmückt.
The altar was decorated with white flowers.