Gamers across the globe have always wondered what certain memorable moments, characters, and places would look like in real life as they've spent their time with many different titles. With fantastical worlds like the one found in Final Fantasy 7, that is especially true as players bring the game's world to life with things like Aerith and Tifa cosplays. One fan has encountered something fantastic, however, as they found an image of a church rather reminiscent of the one in Sector 5 in person.
While churches in video games aren't usually so fondly cherished, the one from Final Fantasy 7 remains iconic to many players and fans. The chapel Aerith takes care of is seen in Final Fantasy 7 and its recent HD Remake, and is where gamers first meet her after Cloud falls from the sky. Apart from Aerith attending to the flowers growing in the church, the location was abandoned, just like the church photographed.
The photo shows a rather small chapel with plenty of wear and tear, but the place seems to be in good shape despite how long it's been left alone. There is some debris on the floor from the ceiling being chipped away, but most notably in the center, adding to the resemblance as if Cloud or Zack Fair just crashed their way through. The debris being found in the center is also rather fitting, as against the walls, foliage found its way through the tile floor, making a wild garden within the church itself.
Even though the photo lacks Aerith's yellow lily-like flowers, fans have still been touched by the sight. Some in the comments stated that they could hear Aerith's theme in their head looking at the picture. Another Reddit user came in to help the commentators know exactly which church this is, identifying it as Chapelle de l'Ange au Violon in Conques-sur-Orbiel, found in Southern France.
The resemblance might not be entirely exact, but it still brought many memories to FF7 fans. The chapel brought more memories than just of Aerith, as well, with one fan saying the imagery makes them think of the Temple of Time from The Legend of Zelda.
With the location found, maybe fans could stop by if they choose to visit France sometime in the future. It may be nice if a Final Fantasy 7 photographer stopped by in the spring so others could possibly see the location be home to some flowers.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake is available now on PS4 and PS5.