Interieur van de staafkerk van Heddal, Noorwegen 1876 - 1918

Severin Worm-Petersen captured this interior view of the stave church of Heddal in Norway. The photograph presents the church's altar, flanked by lit candles, and above, cruciform windows punctuate the walls. The cross, of course, is a dominant motif in the image. But it is not simply the cross of Christian iconography. It has passed through other times and places; it is a symbol that predates Christianity. One finds it in ancient Norse traditions, a sun wheel representing the cyclical nature of life. Here, this symbol is not static; it pulsates with the tension between pagan and Christian worldviews. These symbols are not relics of the past but emotional maps guiding us through layers of collective memory. The persistence of these symbols speaks to the human need for meaning and connection to the past.