The Angel of the Waters

On the search for religious artifacts, I decided to start at the center of Central Park.  I was trying not to look too hard, hoping something eye-catching would appear to me.  My friend and I were happy to be strolling through Central Park on a nice Sunday afternoon with no agenda.  Walking along, we ended up stumbling onto a platform where a fountain, which I later learned is the Bethesda Fountain, sits in the center.  Despite its enormous size, I could not make out the figure on top prior to approaching closer.  I was also shocked I had never seen or heard of this fountain considering its location and beauty.  Now standing just at the edge of the water, I saw that the figure was an angel; how perfect!  Because of my lack of knowledge about where I was standing, I turned to the nearest person and asked what the fountain was called.  He informed me that we were on the Bethesda Terrace, looking at the Bethesda Fountain which contains a sculpture of the Angel of the Waters.

The essence of the statue is captured by the bible verse quoted at the statue's dedication, ”For an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted" (The Gospel of John 5:4),  which describes an angel blessing the Pool of Bethesda and giving it healing powers. 

I was enthralled by the beauty of the entire thing.  We stayed there for a bit longer and sat at the edge of the fountain.  I was thrilled to have found something so appropriate to the assignment, and was then excited to learn more about it.  When the day was over and I went home, I looked more into the history and making of where the fountain resides, surprised to find that this art I had never heard of was of such significance. 

In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux created their design of Central Park.  Central Park is “a specimen of God’s handiwork” that Olmsted said would "heal the hundreds of thousands of tired workers of their vital exhaustion, nervous irritation, and constitutional depressions.”  What Olmsted thought would affect all people of all beliefs, in God or not in God, was "a high appreciation of the city, its peoples, and a growth of brotherly feelings between diverse peoples."  When the Bethesda Fountain was completed in 1864, it added something special to the Park.  The fountain commemorates the Croton water system that first brought fresh water to New York City in 1842.  The Angel of the Waters holds a lily in her left hand, symbolizing the water's purity, important to a city that had suffered from a devastating cholera epidemic before the system was established.  The piece is the only sculpture commissioned during the original design for the Park.  Created by Emma Stebbins, it also marked the first time a woman received a public art commission in New York City.  I found that so interesting; not only does the statue hold historic religious value, but it also has significance in other realms.  Yes, the sculpture is an angel, intrinsically a religious icon, but she was placed systematically in the center of this incredible park not to remind us of God, but to bring us together.  

This was exactly what the creators of Central Park wanted.  They wanted this space to be a place of unity, an escape from the demands of reality, and a place where we can all meet to count our blessings whether it be in a religious way or not.  One does not have to have religious sentiment to appreciate the marvel of such a piece.  It was spectacular to look at, and what a sense of commonality with all the people gathered together...the way it was intended!