Gebedsruimte in de Hof van Getsemane in Jeruzalem, tegenwoordig onder de Kerk van Alle Naties 1867 - 1885

This photograph, taken by Félix Bonfils, captures the prayer space in the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem. Bonfils employs a symmetrical composition, anchoring the viewer's gaze to the center where the altar stands. The contrast between the rough, cave-like walls and the structured, geometric altar is quite striking. The photograph destabilizes the conventional understanding of sacred spaces. Bonfils uses the materiality of the cave—its irregular textures and dim lighting—to question the relationship between nature and the divine. The photograph employs a semiotic system in which light and shadow, order and chaos, signify the complex interplay between the earthly and the spiritual. Ultimately, it's the dialectic of form versus formlessness that encapsulates the image. This contrast functions not just aesthetically but engages with broader theological and philosophical questions about humanity's place in the cosmos.