Elkhorn City, Kentucky, Sunday, June 7. A churchgoer's hand during special singing at the Poor Bottom Freewill Baptist Church.

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Travel

Two Days in Appalachia

Every person in Appalachia has a relationship with God, intentionally or otherwise. You could say the same thing about these pictures taken by Magnum photographer Bruce Gilden.

by Bruce Gilden

July 8, 2015, 4:00am

This article appears in The Photo Issue 2015

Photos by Bruce Gilden / Magnum Photos

Appalachia is beautiful. The mountains and the forests make it so. But the region's topography has a strange effect on those who call its habitable valleys, crevices, and crannies home. Most of the towns exist, to some extent, in isolation. Sure, roads and technology connect them to the outside world, but when you're inside, they can feel like landlocked islands. The result is that God is everywhere. That is to say, you encounter religiosity everywhere, not just because of the population's devotion but because that devotion has nowhere to go. It's born into the world, only to bounce off the mountains and echo right back to Main Street. The pot has nowhere to overflow, so every person in Appalachia has a relationship with God, intentionally or otherwise. You could say the same thing about these pictures.