Kapel van Sint-Helena in de Heilig Grafkerk in Jeruzalem

This photograph of the Chapel of Saint Helena in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem was taken by Félix Bonfils in the late 19th century. As a commercial photographer, Bonfils catered to European desires for images of the Holy Land. The photograph presents the chapel as an exoticized space, full of ornate details and hanging lamps. The Church itself, a site of pilgrimage and veneration, represents a nexus of religious, political, and cultural forces. The image reveals how the photographer acts as a mediator between the East and West, and what visual tropes might be used to convey it. Scholars of photography, religious history, and postcolonial studies can help us understand the role of images like this in shaping Western perceptions of the Middle East. Considering these photographs in their historical context allows us to understand better the complex relationship between the West and the Middle East.