Koorhek in de Grote of Sint-Bavokerk te Haarlem before 1880

This image depicts the rood screen in the Grote Kerk in Haarlem, likely from the 17th century. Note the intricate interlace patterns adorning the upper panels of the screen; these echo motifs found in earlier Celtic art, symbolizing eternity and interconnectedness. Such patterns, once potent symbols of spiritual continuity, are now relegated to mere decoration. Yet, they resonate, whispering of ancient beliefs and the human longing for order and meaning. We see similar interlace in medieval illuminated manuscripts, each knot a silent echo across centuries. Consider the swastika, once a symbol of good fortune and well-being, now tainted by association with darkness. Similarly, these once-sacred knots have undergone a metamorphosis. They persist, yet their original power is veiled, a testament to the enduring, if altered, presence of the past within the present.