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Art at the
Nazareth Hospital |
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The iris
The founder of the hospital, Dr. Kaloost Vartan, rode his mule
around the Galilee region treating sick people and enjoying
nature. As he traveled, he encountered a dainty blue iris
which he could not find catalogued. In 1883 he sent bulbs of
this flower to the Royal Botanical Society in London. The
Society confirmed that it had never been catalogued and gave
it the name of Iris Vartanii (or Vartan Iris)! This rare
flower grows in the hills of the Galilee and, unlike its
spring cousins, blooms in December. The Vartan Iris is
celebrated today in mosaic form on the pillars of the Nazareth
Hospital auditorium and in the stained glass in the chapel.
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The auditorium windows
In the early 1990's, when building plans were made for the
auditorium, planners invited French artist Marc Chagall to
design some art for it. He recommended his friend, Hans
Baumhauer, who designed two stained glass windows and mosaics
on two pillars. The inspiration for them comes from Matthew
6:26-30: "Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor
reap not gather into barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds
them... Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they
neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you even Solomon in all his
glory was not clothed like one of these."
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The Good Samaritan
Hans Baumhauer, a friend of the artist Marc Chagall, designed
this large mosaic at the main hospital entrance. It tells,
visually, Jesus' story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37),
in which a hated enemy provides life-saving care to a wounded
man. This is a fitting image for a Christian hospital, where
all people receive medical care, regardless of their religion,
ethnic background or financial abilities.
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The canteen mural
This large black and white mural graces the wall of the
Hospital canteen. It was designed and executed by Hans-Alex
Meyer, a young Swiss doctor who worked at the Hospital in
early 1960s. The mural recalls several miracle scenes from the
Gospel: the miraculous catch of fish, the many sick people who
sought the healing of Jesus, and the well-loved miracle story
of the boy with his five loaves and two fishes. All the
characters in this mural are facing the sun, the source of
light. The mural invites all who see it to turn in faith to
Jesus, the Son, and reminds them that simple actions of
faithfulness can result in great miracles.
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The carpenter’s bench
When the hospital chapel was built in 1964, much discussion
took place as to what was appropriate for the communion table.
Someone suggested that a carpenter’s bench would be
appropriate, as a reminder of Jesus, the carpenter of
Nazareth. The communion table is an actual carpenter's bench,
and its "working" side faces the congregation to remind them
that today they are the hands of Jesus in the world. A
carpenter needs tools and a blueprint. For Christians the
Bible is the blueprint; and it rests on the lectern, which is
a carpenter’s toolbox.
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