Gezicht op Bouin 1638

This print depicts a view of Bouin. The most striking element is the church at the town's center, with its spire reaching towards the heavens. Churches have long served as beacons, both physically within a landscape and spiritually for communities. Consider how the spire of the church here echoes the form of obelisks found in ancient Egypt, structures intended to connect the earth with the divine realm. This reaching for the sky has shifted over time from pagan to Christian contexts, but the underlying impulse remains—to bridge the gap between humanity and the celestial. These symbols engage viewers on a subconscious level, evoking our collective memories. The persistence of the church spire as a dominant symbol across cultures demonstrates the non-linear, cyclical progression of symbols, resurfacing and evolving to take on new meanings in different historical contexts.