Gezicht op Montfort-l'Amaury 1657

This is a drawing of Montfort-l'Amaury, currently held at the Rijksmuseum, and created by an anonymous artist. Dominating the skyline is the church spire, a symbol deeply rooted in communal identity and spiritual aspiration. It reaches towards the heavens, a beacon mirroring similar structures across Europe. Consider the verticality of the spire. Its form echoes obelisks in ancient Egypt, structures that also served as symbolic connectors between earth and the divine. This reaching gesture can be seen throughout history, in the minarets of Islamic architecture or even the colossal statues of antiquity. The subconscious desire to transcend the material world is a recurring theme in human expression. The tower, in its many forms, is not merely an architectural feature but a profound expression of humanity's yearning for something beyond. Its cyclical reappearance in different cultural contexts speaks to the enduring power of symbols and their ability to convey complex emotional and spiritual states.