As wildfires ravage Europe and the western United States, one specific image has taken the internet by storm. In France, photojournalist Patrick Bernard captured a crucifix on his iPhone that was left standing among the ashes of the fires that struck Saumos, a small commune in the Médoc region near Bordeaux. The photo posted to Instagram on Sunday July 26th, quickly went viral.
Bernard has spent four decades as a photojournalist, chronicling stories from the road with a self-imposed rule: every photo, every word, every piece of music he shares is created entirely on his iPhone. When he’s not traveling, he calls Bordeaux home.
“The Fire Passed Through Here, and Then Passed Through Again”
Locals call it simply “the Christ” — a mission cross that has stood in Saumos since the late 19th century, marking the site of the town’s annual Good Friday procession. André Prouvoyeur knows it well. He’s a forester whose land borders the cross, and a technical advisor with France’s Forest Fire Defense Service (DFCI).
He described the devastation to Catholic French media outlet, Famille Chrétienne:
“Here we are south of Saumos. The fire passed through here, and then passed through again.
This is the Calvary that people here locally call
