A project of The VII Foundation, Monumental is an exhibition that fosters discussions on faith, national identity, power politics, social cohesion, colonization, division and political violence through the symbolism of two of the world’s most important and iconic religious buildings: The Dome of the Rock, in Jerusalem, and Notre-Dame de Paris.

The VII Foundation’s contributing photographers Tomas van Houtryve and Ziyah Gafić had unprecedented access to these iconic religious structures between 2019 and 2023. The Dome of the Rock was completed in 691 and is the world’s oldest surviving example of Islamic architecture. Today, it is a political lightning rod between Israel, the Palestinians, and the Muslim world. Since its completion in 1260, Notre-Dame has been the stage for grand political statements and expressions of divine human authority. The cathedral has a presence in French cultural and political life that reaches far beyond faith and exceeds that of any other architectural structure in the country.

Gary Knight