Gezicht op de Notre-Dame-en-Vaux te Châlons-sur-Marne 1896

This photograph by Georges Durand captures the Notre-Dame-en-Vaux in Châlons-sur-Marne, presenting a symphony of vertical lines and pointed arches reaching towards the heavens. These Gothic spires, emblems of aspiration, are reminiscent of the reaching hands in ancient orant figures, gestures of supplication and connection to the divine. The rose window, a radiant mandala, echoes the celestial diagrams meant to capture cosmic harmony. But let us not see these forms as mere decoration. Consider the obelisk, a similar reaching form, which moved from ancient Egyptian sun worship to adorn European capitals. Here, it resurfaces in a Christian context, transformed yet still bearing the primal impulse to connect earth and sky. These architectural gestures carry a psychological weight, invoking a sense of awe, beckoning us to look upwards. The image resonates deeply with the subconscious echoes of collective memory.