Oostzijde van de Sint-Vincentiuskerk te Velp 1911

This photograph of the east side of Saint Vincentius Church in Velp was created by an anonymous photographer working for Monumentenzorg, a Dutch heritage organization. The image is of a Catholic Church, a site deeply interwoven with community identity and religious practice, yet framed here as an object of state documentation. The choice to focus on the east side might symbolize the dawn, or new beginnings, central to Christian theology. However, the muted tones and somewhat detached perspective also suggest a sense of distance, a separation between the viewer and the spiritual essence of the church. We might consider the silent narratives embedded within the bricks and mortar, the generations of lives shaped by this institution, alongside the complex role of Monumentenzorg in shaping the narrative of Dutch cultural heritage.