Nuns of the Battlefield
Nuns of the Battlefield | |
---|---|
Artist | Jerome Connor |
Year | 1924 |
Type | Bronze |
Dimensions | 182.88 cm × 274.32 cm (72.00 in × 108.00 in) |
Location | Washington, D.C., United States |
Owner | National Park Service |
Nuns of the Battlefield | |
Civil War Monuments in Washington, DC. | |
NRHP reference No. | 78000257[1] |
Added to NRHP | September 20, 1978 [2] |
Nuns of the Battlefield is a public artwork made in 1924 by
Description
The face of the sculpture has a large bronze
The lower right side of the relief is signed: JEROME CONNOR 1924
The lower left side of the relief is inscribed:
- BUREAU BROS.
- BRONZE FOUNDERS PHILA
- ENN
On the granite above the relief is inscribed:
- THEY COMFORTED THE DYING, NURSED THE WOUNDED, CARRIED HOPE TO
- THE IMPRISONED, GAVE IN HIS NAME A DRINK OF WATER TO THE THIRSTY.
On the granite below the relief:
- TO THE MEMORY AND IN HONOR OF
- THE VARIOUS ORDERS OF SISTERS
- WHO GAVE THEIR SERVICES AS NURSES ON BATTLEFIELDS
- AND IN HOSPITALS DURING THE CIVIL WAR.
On the rear of the slab near the base is inscribed:
- ERECTED BY THE LADIES AUXILIARY TO THE ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF AMERICA. A.D. 1924
- BY AUTHORITY OF THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES.[3]
Artist
Born in Ireland in 1874, Jerome Connor moved at the age of 14 with his family to
In 1899, he moved into the
In 1925, he moved back to Ireland and opened his own studio in Dublin, but found few patrons and his work slowed. He died on August 21, 1943, of heart failure.[5] There is a plaque in his honour on Infirmary Road, overlooking Dublin's Phoenix Park, with the words of his friend the poet Patrick Kavanagh:
- He sits in a corner of my memory
- With his short pipe, holding it by the bowl,
- And his sharp eye and his knotty fingers
- And his laughing soul
- Shining through the gaps of his crusty wall.[citation needed]
History
The idea for the monument originated with Ellen Jolly, president of the women's auxiliary branch of the Ancient Order of Hibernians who grew up hearing stories of battlefield tales told by nuns. Proposing the sculpture just after the turn of the century, her request was denied by the War Department until proof of service was provided. For ten years Jolly worked to gather evidence and presented it to Congress in 1918.[4]
The sculpture was authorized by Congress on March 29, 1918, with the agreement that the government would not fund it. A committee, led by Jolly, on behalf of the Ancient Order of the Hibernians, raised $50,000 for the project.[3][4]
Jerome Connor was chosen since he focused on Irish Catholic themes, being one himself.[4]
Acquisition
A construction delay was caused due to the final location of the sculpture.
Finally, Jerome Connor ended up suing the Ancient Order of the Hibernians for nonpayment.[3]
The monument was dedicated on September 20, 1924, as part of a weekend long meeting of over 5,000 Catholics from all over the country. One nun, Sister Magdeline of the Sisters of Mercy, who served in the Civil War attended the event and was received with a "thunderous applause."
Information
The nuns represented on the relief are from the
See also
- List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 2
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington, D.C.
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Civil War Monuments in Washington, DC". National Park Service. September 20, 1978. Archived from the original on February 20, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Save Outdoor Sculpture! (1993). "Nuns of the Battlefield, (sculpture)". SOS!. Smithsonian. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f Jacob, Kathryn Allmong. Testament to Union: Civil War monuments in Washington, Part 3. JHU Press, 1998, p. 125-126.
- ^ "Jerome Connor 1874–1943 Sculptor". Jerome Connor. Annascual. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
- ^ John W. Tuohy. "Nuns of the Battlefield". When Washington Was Irish. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
- ^ Craig Swain (2008). "Nuns of the Battlefield". Northwest in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic). The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
Further reading
- J. Goode, Washington Sculpture, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008. ISBN 0-8018-8810-7, A cultural history of outdoor sculpture in the Nation's capital.