Gezicht op de Oude Sint-Victorkerk in Batenburg before 1908

This photogravure by Benjamin Charlé captures the Oude Sint-Victorkerk in Batenburg. Dominating the composition, the church tower rises as a beacon of faith and communal identity, a symbol deeply rooted in the medieval landscape. The tower motif, an architectural assertion of spiritual and temporal power, echoes across centuries. Think of the ziggurats of ancient Mesopotamia, or the minarets that punctuate the Islamic skyline – all variations on humanity's impulse to reach skyward. The church tower in Charlé's image, though more modest, partakes in this universal architectural language. Towers carry the collective memory of defense, watchfulness, and spiritual aspiration, and can be seen as a Freudian symbol of masculine authority. This photograph is a testament to the enduring human need for symbols that ground us in time and place, while simultaneously connecting us to a lineage of shared cultural expression.