The image of Mary cradling the body of the crucified Jesus known as Pietà (“pity” in Italian) is one of the most powerful motifs in sacred art. We all share the pain of a mother who mourns for her son—especially when he is an innocent victim of injustice. Mary’s lament brings maternal love and compassion into the drama of Christ’s death, dominated by men without mercy behaving badly.
Photographer Richard Silver began his unique practice of capturing church interiors in a vertical panoramic format in New York City in 2012. Over the last decade, he has expanded and perfected his technique of digitally stitching together five to eight distinct photographs into a single image. He has documented worship spaces this way in more than 90 countries over six continents. His new book, Vertical Churches of the World, which began as a crowdfunded project in 2021, features images from 52 of those countries.