Outside the gates
Lourdes, outside the gates
It is nearly 30 years since I passed through Lourdes, in south west France, while hitch hiking in the summer after finishing college. I am not Catholic but was struck by the spirit and atmosphere inside the gates of the sanctuary. Outside the gates was another matter. Souvenir shops of the most crass kind lined both sides of the road leading down the hill to the sanctuary entrance. Outside the gates, the modern day money changers leached away any sense of holiness that might have lingered with you as you left the church grounds.
This is my submission to the VFXY Photos theme for the week: Religion. You can see all the submissions to the current VFXY theme at /photos.vfxy.com/themes/.
