Kurjalan Maria

High in an unforgiving Alpine gorge, a lone stone chapel clings to a windswept ledge, its gothic spire a stark white needle against dark cliffs. Legends tell of a mysterious marble image of the Virgin Mary, found among the pine roots and raised to the summit as a beacon for wanderers. The surrounding wastes—crumbling glaciers, howling winds and barren valleys—contrast sharply with the quiet devotion that fuels the sanctuary.

The narrative follows the chapel’s young guardian, a solemn youth tasked with tending the fire, ringing the bell, and greeting the ragged procession of pilgrims who climb the treacherous path. Each visitor carries burdens of grief and hope, seeking solace beneath the trembling candles that illuminate the holy figure. As the seasons shift, the caretaker must balance the harshness of the mountain with the fragile comfort his charge provides, hinting at deeper mysteries that lie beneath the stone walls.