SECOND LIFE (Netherlands, 2004-2007)
The churches are emptying, but in other realms belief is experiencing a revival. For instance, the pilgrimage to the saint’s relics in Maastricht draws tens of thousands a year, and the blessing of motorcycles in the Flower Market in Geleen is packed with visitors. At the same time, many church buildings are being given a new purpose, in which their religious decor is left intact. Catholicism is working on a second life, Chris Keulen observes. He photographed the symbiosis between traditional Catholicism and the modern zeitgeist, and asked himself, is the church really on the way back, or is it only its folklore that is still appealing?
