Many religions attach spiritual significance to particular places: the place of the birth or death of founders or saints; the place of their "calling" or spiritual awakening; a place with a connection (visual or verbal) to the Divine; locations where miracles were performed or witnessed; locations where a deity is said to have lived or been accommodated; or any other site that is seen to have special spiritual significance. Donors from the ranks of the higher nobility, ecclesiastical dignitaries, border officers and prominent citizens participated in the construction and reconstruction of sacred buildings, their furnishings and artefacts. In many cases the architecture of these sanctuaries has significant symbolic form.