Bethesda Fountain
Bethesda Fountain
Angel of the Water
Blessing the Pool
Purity of the Water
Brings healing powers
This shot of the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, New York was taken last summer. It’s history is very interesting.
“Rising from Bethesda Terrace is Bethesda Fountain, with the famous Angel of the Waters statue atop. The statue references the Gospel of John, which describes an angel blessing the Pool of Bethesda and giving it healing powers. The fountain commemorates the Croton water system, which first brought fresh water to New York City in 1842. The angel carries a lily in her left hand — a symbol of the water’s purity, very important to a city that had previously suffered from a devastating cholera epidemic before the system was established. The piece is the only statue that was commissioned for the Park. Created by Emma Stebbins, it also marked the first time a woman received a public art commission in New York City. ”
Quoted from the official Central Park website http://www.centralparknyc.org/visit/things-to-see/south-end/bethesda-fountain.html
Villagephotography 
The blessing angel is very fitting.
The Old Croton Aqueduct was engineered to bring fresh water from the Croton R. to NYC over a distance equal to that of between Hamilton and Toronto. It’s really something that in the 1890’s NYC actually razed and relocated a number of pre-existing villages along the Croton R. just so that they couldn’t pollute the river. The Croton is still an important source of NYC’s fresh water to this day. It’s practically sacred water.
January 25, 2014 at 12:39 am