St. Andrews. College Church of St. Salvator 1843 - 1847

This calotype of St. Andrews College Church, captured by Hill and Adamson, presents us with more than just a building; it offers a gateway to understanding enduring symbols of faith and authority. Dominating the composition is the church’s steeple, a motif stretching back to antiquity. Think of the Tower of Babel, or even Egyptian obelisks – all striving to connect the earthly with the divine. This reaching towards the heavens taps into a deep, perhaps subconscious, human desire for transcendence. Throughout history, steeples and spires have been reimagined across cultures. Consider the minarets of Islamic mosques. While distinct in form, they share that same reaching gesture, that same symbolic aspiration. The steeple is not merely an architectural feature; it is a visual echo resonating through centuries, each iteration colored by the beliefs and anxieties of its time. It evokes a sense of aspiration, a reaching for something beyond our grasp.