Behind the Image: Bridge of Sighs
“Bridge of Sighs” | Venice, Italy - October 2019
In 1812, Lord Byron wrote, “I stood in Venice, on the Bridge of Sighs; a palace and a prison on each hand.”
The Bridge of Sighs holds two legends. The first is a romantic one, “If you kiss your lover in a gondola beneath the bridge at sunset while the bells of St. Mark’s Campanile ring, your future will be blessed and sealed with eternal love.” A beautiful, timely legend. The second legend, however, is considerably darker.
In the late 16th century, the Bridge of Sighs connected Doge’s Palace (home of the Venetian justice system) to its prisons. A different kind of future was sealed for a prisoner when justice was served. After their sentence, prisoners would cross this bridge leaving the prestigious palace to serve time in a dark, dank, inescapable prison. Venetian legend says disheartened prisoners would deeply sigh as they gazed upon Venice and freedom for the last time.
When I first learned of these legends, to say I was dissatisfied would be putting it lightly. How could a symbol of hope, eternal romance, and joy also be a symbol for despair, heartache, and bondage? But it turns out that this bridge is a poignant symbol for the tensions we experience in life.
Love and Justice. It’s interesting to me that these are the very tensions we are faithfully trying to reconcile today. These tensions are difficult to wrestle with but they are reminders. That not all things are black and white. That very few are. It’s so important to remember to make space for the tensions that exist and know that it is in holding them both together that we bring the full picture into view. And only in fully seeing the darkness and the light do we have a better chance at ever reaching healing.
