Long Beach Monastery (by Michael Martin)

The Virgin Mary ismade of a all white stone. Behind the Virgin Mary is a symmetrical clam shaped wave of holy light made of stone that is taller and wider than what she is. Mary is standing up with her hands put together in a praying position at the center of her chest. The holy figure is wearing a draped like robe with a rosary loosely hanging from her left forarm. At the back of the whole statue is a white wall that has a strip of red going across the top of the bricks. In front of the statue are a bunch of flowers that consist of yellow, red, orange, and a couple white and purple. The overall color scheme for the statue and the color around it is red and white. The ground that people are stepping on to get to the statue is made of red bricks.

 The Virgin Mary is a religious object to that those who see fit holy or as a devotion to god, church, and religion. The Virgin Mary stands in what look like a clam shell, but its suppose to represent the light signifying her holyness and importance. Mary stands there with her hands in a prayer position, blessing those who come to see her. The image has the meaning that if you come to see the statue that you will be blessed by her. The whole expeirence is visual and its a place of peace, meditation and prayer.The statue is there for prayer and for the attraction that it brings. When most people go to the monosary they go there to pray. Some people will sit there in silence and meditate to look for a deeper answers than just praying. The statue is also used as an attraction because it sits in the front of a house on a busy boulevard.

 The story behind the monastery is that nuns lived with it for forty years and prayed over it, so a lot of the people that know about the monastery go there for that purpose. People also bring fresh colorful flowers and fruits to the statue because of the idea that if you bring her an offering you will get blessed.