.IOnce every five years on December 8, on the island of La Gomera, locals gather to carry a life-size statue of their patron saint over steep, volcanic hills. The two month procession La Bajada de la Virgen de Los Reyes, the descent of the Virgin of the Kings, starts per boat on neighbouring island La Palma, then continues across La Gomera, and finally arrives in the capital San Sebastián de La Gomera.

Along the way, the Virgin stops at the houses of the sick, bringing relief and comfort to those who can not walk along.

The outpour of emotion, the music and trance-like dancing, and the blending of the holy statue into the ancient landscape were easier to capture in the heart than on film, yet sometimes that one shot manages to offer a glimpse.

2002/12 analogue photography