MELON TRACKS
Worldwide Weird Travel with Ben Osto
Worldwide Weird Travel with Ben Osto
Holy Land USA, Waterbury, CT: Photos and Text by Ben Osto
Lawyer/evangelist/artist John Greco’s miniaturized re-creation of the Holy Land sits high on top of a hill in Waterbury, Connecticut. At the peak is an enormous cross that can be seen from miles away; over the years, it’s become Waterbury’s signature icon, similar to the Jesus statue above Rio de Janeiro. The electricity bill (which keeps Holy Land aglow through the night) has been pre-paid for the foreseeable future.
Years of erosion (due to the natural elements as well as the unnatural activities of local teenagers) have reduced Holy Land USA to a well-lit ruin. However, the dilapidation has added an intriguing post-apocalyptic aesthetic to this formerly pristine folk art creation.
Greco's work is reminiscent of Southern Baptist folk art representations of biblical stories. It looks like a cross between the Holy Land replicas of Brother Joseph's miniature Ave Maria Grotto in Alabama, and the full-scale interpretation of the Holy Land in Bedford, VA.
A short distance from the site is the nearly-destroyed Little People's Village, another spooky miniature city, though one with a more sinister and less Christian story behind it (to be featured in a future edition of Melon Tracks).
Years of erosion (due to the natural elements as well as the unnatural activities of local teenagers) have reduced Holy Land USA to a well-lit ruin. However, the dilapidation has added an intriguing post-apocalyptic aesthetic to this formerly pristine folk art creation.
Greco's work is reminiscent of Southern Baptist folk art representations of biblical stories. It looks like a cross between the Holy Land replicas of Brother Joseph's miniature Ave Maria Grotto in Alabama, and the full-scale interpretation of the Holy Land in Bedford, VA.
A short distance from the site is the nearly-destroyed Little People's Village, another spooky miniature city, though one with a more sinister and less Christian story behind it (to be featured in a future edition of Melon Tracks).
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