Buddhist Cave Temple Figures in Maceio Chapel

Rows of seated stone figures fill the dark recesses of a cave temple carved directly into the rock face. Harsh fluorescent tubes mounted on the ceiling cast flat, clinical light that washes out the texture of the stone while leaving deep, warm shadows in the crevices between the statues. Stained glass panels high on the wall introduce patches of red and blue that fail to penetrate the gloom of the dry season night. The figures sit in identical meditation poses, their faces worn smooth by time. One shadow falls across the front row, separating the illuminated stone from the darkness behind.