Twaalfde en dertiende kruiswegstatie (Calvarie) bij het Grieks altaar in de Heilig-Grafkerk in Jeruzalem c. 1867 - 1895

This photograph by Maison Bonfils captures the twelfth and thirteenth Stations of the Cross within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The Bonfils family, of French and Lebanese descent, were prolific photographers in the late 19th century, when taking photos in the middle east was extremely difficult. They documented landscapes, architecture, and people of the region, catering to a growing European interest in the “Orient”. This image presents the Greek altar, a site believed to be where Jesus was stripped of his garments and crucified. Consider how the photograph itself becomes a station, a moment of contemplation and viewing for those unable to travel to Jerusalem. The Bonfils’ work contributed to a visual archive that shaped Western perceptions of the Holy Land, blending religious reverence with colonial-era documentation. The photograph serves both as a record and a reflection on faith, power, and representation in a changing world.