Blessed Virgin Mary
Experimenting with light, shadow, virgins, and filters gave me this Mary image. I’m actually working a bit to get the lighting the way I want it to produce a more dramatic version of this image (coming soon, I hope).
A little over a decade ago, the story started of the apparition of the Virgin Mary appearing on a semi-regular basis just north of the small town of Springfield, KY. Thousands and thousands of people flocked to the area hoping for a miracle, a cure, or simply a religious sign. During this time, various people began building a shrine to Mary — consisting mostly of plastic or plaster religious figures. A few people even began building a little church there, but after a few years, the walls are still only about two feet tall (though there is a nice floor). I guess they gave up.
This sign, photographed just over a year ago, seems to provide visitors information on the Virgin Mary’s busy schedule. Unfortunately, during my last visit a couple of weeks ago, I found the sign missing. Perhaps it was stolen as an interesting souvenir or maybe the Virgin Mary simply changed her schedule.
The shrine has certainly seen better days. Interest has dropped significantly over the years and now people straggle in only a few at a time. It appears as if there have been a few high school beer parties there and some of the many figurines have been burned. It’s too bad people can’t leave some of these cool places intact.
Some of the other sites found at this shrine.