Italy / The One With Many Faces

The face of the Madonna hangs everywhere in Bari Vecchia – beneath archways, hung on buildings and within courtyards, marking the places where people once gathered to recite prayers. There are around 240 votive shrines to the Madonna in the historic center, many of which belong to the Cult of the Crucifixion. Others are the icons of secret brotherhoods and sisterhoods that come out during the religious festivities to carry her likeness through the streets of Bari, sometimes with their own faces covered.