I created this image from a photo of steps leading up from the crypt where the body of St Barnabas was found in 477 AD. The crypt is now a small mausoleum close to the St Barnabas Monastery and Icon Museum, not far from the ancient site of Salamis in North Cyprus. The history of St Barnabas and the associated buildings can be found at this link:
Information on St Barnabas, nr Salamis, North Cyprus.
Personally I prefer the mausoleum as it is very peaceful, very simple and very elegant. I found the monastery to be a bit kitschy as I’m really not into icons, but that’s my personal reaction.
I actually fiddled with the photo of the steps a couple of days ago but didn’t feel satisfied with the resultant image. This morning I woke up feeling a whole heap better than I have this past fortnight since our dog, Ziggy, died unexpectedly, and got an image of water in my mind. So I created a canvas on PicMonkey, shaded it green, and added on an image of water from the “textures” section, as well as an image from the “edifice” section, also available under “Textures”. Then I had the idea of super-imposing the image I’d created of the steps at the St Barnabas Mausoleum and voila! the above image which evokes the long history of this crypt.
It reminded me of how you slog on in difficult times, summoning the courage – however exhausted you feel – to put one foot in front of the other. As this image portrays, as you start raising yourself from the depths, ahead you can see light and know that you are never truly alone – others are there supporting you, cheering you on, sometimes in the visible world, sometimes in the unseen world. And that reminded me of the song “You’ll Never Walk Alone” by Gerry and the Pacemakers.
