Stairway to Heaven

In the on-going assignment to photograph the five historic churches of Santiago, I visited the Basilica of la Merced yesterday.  Founded by the Mercedarian order, it is a beautiful, elegant, simple structure.  Their cloister is an oasis of peace in the midst of a hectic Santiago.

The Mercedarian's founding is quite interesting.  Founded in the 13th Century, they are to be bearers of God's mercy.  They take a fourth vow, a willingness to die for another who is in danger of losing the faith.  During the Crusades, their ministry was to redeem the poor captive, bound by the Muslims.  Others were concerned to offer the ransom for the wealthy and powerful.  They offered themselves for those who did not have such means.  Today, they continue to seek release for those captive by more contemporary means.  Their web page in the U.S. is: http://orderofmercy.org/

Indeed, it is a means more powerful than what Led Zeppelin might have imagined.