Development of Municipalities in the Nitra Diocese in the Context of Religious Tourism / Rozvoj obcí v Nitrianskej diecéze v kontexte religiózneho turizmu

Religiosity is historically firmly rooted in Slovakia. It also has a historical foundation in the Nitra Diocese, which confirms the establishment of the Nitra Diocese in 880 by Pope John VIII. at the request of Prince Svätopluk. The aim of the article is to analyze the impact of religious tourism on the development of two selected rural municipalities in the Nitra diocese - Pozba and Močenok. From a methodological point of view, the basis was the excerpt of print and electronic information sources of various kinds, results of pilgrimage places questionnaires and their comparative analysis. Critical access to information was supported by communication with the Episcopal Office in Nitra, interviews with parish administrators, mayors and residents. The field survey was associated with the documentation of sacral spaces. The result of the work is the identification of forms, resp. manifestations of the functioning of the secular and ecclesial community in both municipalities. While the municipality of Pozba represents a traditional center of pilgrim tourism, the municipality of Močenok has transformed from this position into a center of Christian theater, which is also perceived at the national level. Both municipalities support the activities of ecclesiastical communities and localities of pilgrimage sites are perceived as inseparable parts of municipalities. In both municipalities, which are also part of European cultural routes, religious tourism significantly contributes to the visibility of the municipality and conditions its development, especially in connection with the construction of infrastructure.