Natężenie dźwięku w budynkach sakralnych / Sound intensity in sacred buildings

Abstrakt

Nowadays, people are not only exposed to the pollution of air, water or soil. Their health is also negatively affected by being at places with excessive sound intensity. High intensities of sound cause irritation, bad mood, headaches, and discomfort. People are looking for ‘quiet’, peaceful places where they could rest and recuperate. Examples of such places are sacred buildings, where the faithful go to pray, participate in vigils, and ‘listen to their souls’. Sacred sites usually have an appropriate structure, which ensures sound intensities of less than 30 dB, while in an apartment or apartment building silence reaches the value of 50 dB.

The aim of the research was to compare the sound intensity in the following sacred buildings: The Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrows in Limanowa and in the parish church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Dobranowice near Wieliczka. The selected sacred buildings vary significantly in size and number of people attending Mass and daily prayer. Sound intensities were recorded by means of a sound level meter during Mass and during the so-called silence, which constituted the background for the given building.

Despite the large difference in the cubic capacity of the selected sacred buildings, the sound intensities measured were similar, which may suggest a proper acoustic situation at the Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrows in Limanowa. During Mass, sound intensities in both sacred buildings reached values similar to human speech, which for are natural sounds for humans that do not cause negative experiences. During silence at the Basilica and at the Church, the faithful can pray peacefully and focus on talking to God.