new york city One Exhibition, Three Locations A Contemporary Pilgrimage

The | FREE Stephen A. Schwarzman Building Fi h Avenue and 42nd Street Manhattan nypl.org

The James Gallery | FREE The Graduate Center, CUNY 365 Fi h Avenue, First Floor Manhattan centerforthehumanities.org/james-gallery

The Morgan Library & Museum $20 Adults, $13 Seniors & Students 225 Madison Avenue Manhattan themorgan.org

Learn More: sharedsacredsites.net #sharedsacredsites

new york city One Exhibition, Three Locations A Contemporary Pilgrimage

The New York Public Library CUNY Graduate Center Morgan Library & Museum

March 27–June 30, 2018

© 2018 The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations All rights reserved Not intended for sale

24 1 About the Shared Sacred Sites Project About the Exhibition

Despite theological differences, Judaism, To complement the New York exhibition, This exhibition project started at the Museum Christianity, and Islam share many beliefs, rites, a Shared Sacred Sites catalogue is of European and Mediterranean Civilizations and symbols. These elements have formed a forthcoming. It will provide an overview of (Mucem) in Marseille in 2015. It has since traveled fertile ground for the sharing of sacred sites across the exhibitions, with noteworthy scholarly to the Bardo Museum in Tunis (2016), Thessaloniki the Mediterranean and Middle East. Instances discussion of shared spaces and rituals in order (2017), Paris (2017), and Marrakesh (2018). This of cooperation and coexistence among the three to present the more curious reader with added year, the exhibition is being hosted at three of monotheistic faiths, and the study of such depth, perspective, and resources. New York City’s renowned cultural institutions— sharing, provide key insights into the ways in The New York Public Library, the James Gallery which tolerance and understanding are cultivated. at the CUNY Graduate Center, and the Morgan We hope this project will demonstrate the Library & Museum—drawing from their collections potential for peaceful coexistence, tolerance, and beyond to illustrate the coexistence of the and understanding. three monotheistic faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Based on historical and anthropological research carried out over several years, this project provides Each location offers a unique perspective on the an alternative narrative to one-dimensional intersections between these three religions. The accounts of cultural, ethnic, and spiritual confl ict. New York Public Library provides a historical A primary illustration of effective coexistence view of several major shared holy fi gures and the is the extensive history of religious sites shared interpretations they inspire across faiths, while by members of different belief systems. Our items on display at CUNY’s James Gallery depict contemporary world contains numerous cases of contemporary instances of believers practicing : such varied devotional interactions that defy the their faiths in shared spaces. At the Morgan Karen Barkey infl exibility often attributed to religious groups. Library & Museum, a single but signifi cant work Dionigi Albera is on view—the 13th-century Morgan Picture Shared Sacred Sites is a collaborative project that Manoël Pénicaud Bible—which demonstrates how members of seeks to bring together scholars and curious  : the different faiths interacted through shared individuals to promote and inform the study of Suzana Greene biblical stories. shared sacred spaces and symbols. Contributors form a network of researchers and help make By examining these works together, we hope to : knowledge accessible through multimedia raise awareness of the potential for cooperation Erhard Reuwich platforms, including scholarly essays, newspaper among religious groups. Detail of view of from Peregrinatio in Terram Sanctam articles, photographs, audio, and videos. (Pilgrimage to the ) by Bernhard von Breydenbach, 1486 Visit us online to fi nd more information, related The New York Public Library, programs, and more: sharedsacredsites.net Rare Book Division #sharedsacredsites

22 3 The New York Public Library

For more than 100 years, The New York Public Library has collected thousands of religious books and manuscripts in order to preserve and make accessible the rich history of world religions, including the three Abrahamic faiths. Drawn from divisions across the Library’s research collections, the objects on display represent centuries of creativity that tell the story of these religions and the varied interactions among followers of di erent belief systems. Several major  gures central to the Torah, the Bible, and the Qur’an have inspired interfaith encounters. While chronicles of the three monotheistic faiths are full of examples of intolerance and con ict, they also tell of coexistence and mutual understanding. Such acts are modeled on the hospitality of Abraham, the motherhood of Mary, and the heroic deeds of other holy  gures, including Moses, Elijah, St. George, and Khidr. Shared Sacred Sites highlights the importance of these  gures—and the shared worship they have inspired—by tracing them through texts and images Léon de Laborde drawn from the rich collections of the Library. Scene of Abraham and “View of the Convent of Sarah hosting angels from St. Catherine” from Voyage a manuscript of The Gospel de l’Arabie Petrée (Travels According to Luke in Arabia Petrea) Muscovy, 15th century Paris: Girard, 1830 Spencer Collection General Research Division This illuminated manuscript This engraving depicts the illustrates the hospitality that Byzantine Orthodox Monastery Abraham (left) and Sarah (right) of St. Catherine of Alexandria. showed three heavenly visitors Built in the 6th century, the at Mamre (Genesis 18:2–15). monastery stands at the foot of After the couple offered their , or the Jebel Mûsa guests a meal under an oak tree, (“Mountain of Moses” in Arabic) one of the angels announced to in the South Sinai Peninsula. The Sarah that she will have a son, monastery was an important place Isaac, despite her advanced age. of sojourn for Muslim pilgrims on The hospitality in the episode their way to and from Mecca, as is a model for behavior at many illustrated in this engraving by the holy places of Abrahamic faiths: caravan of North African pilgrims visitors, even from another arriving at the monastery. religion, are often welcome and hosted without discrimination or hostility. 5 Erhard Reuwich View of Jerusalem from Peregrinatio in Terram Sanctam (Pilgrimage to the Holy Land) by Bernhard von Breydenbach, 1486 The New York Public Library, Rare Book Division

This panoramic view of the Holy Land comes from a 15th- century text regarded as the first illustrated travel journal to be printed. The woodcut shows the region from Damascus to Alexandria, the pyramids along the and even Mecca, with a central focus on Jerusalem. This is one of the most beautiful maps of Jerusalem, stunning in its details and delightful in its prodigious reach beyond the city itself.

6 8 The Annunciation (detail) from Ketubbah with Abraham Zamakhshari Firdaus¯ı Tu¯s¯ı, Abu¯ al-Qasim The Sha¯hna¯mah, the Persian Book Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-N¯ıshaˉpu¯r¯ı Jesus is the Son of God for a manuscript Book of Hours and Jacob Al-Kashshaf an Haqa’iq an al- Hasan, author; Shar¯ıf Am¯ıd¯ı, of Kings, is a long epic poem Qazwin Christians and revered as a major Bourges, France, ca. 1505–10 Nizza Monferrato, Aug. 16, 1782 Tanzil (The Discoverer of the translator; Darvish ‘Abdi, scribe written by the poet Ferdowsi Jesus with food from heaven prophet (‘Isa) by Muslims. This Spencer Collection Dorot Jewish Division Truth about the Revelation), vol. 3 Image of Iskandar and the between ca. 977 and 1010. In from Qisas al-Anbiyaˉ (Tales of the Muslim miniature shows Jesus the Islamic tradition, Iskandar Syria or , 15th century Prophet Khidr from Tarjumah-i Prophets) in its center passing out food, (identified as Alexander the Great) Mary, Mother of Jesus, is a crucial A ketubbah (Jewish marriage Manuscripts and Archives Division Sha¯hna¯mah (Book of Kings) Iran, 11th century, copied ca. 1580 representing the Miracle of the is a saintly leader whose armies figure for both Christians and contract) includes references 10th century, copied in Spencer Collection Table recounted in the Qur’an, conquered both East and West. It Muslims. Mary is mentioned and iconography related to the Shown is commentary on the 1616–20 which echoes the Feeding of the is said that Iskandar set out with more often in the Qur’an than in names of the bride or groom. In 19th sura (chapter) of the Qur’an, Spencer Collection 5,000, or the Miracle of Loaves and Khidr to find the Water of Life. the entire New Testament. The this 18th-century ketubbah from dedicated to Maryam (Mary in Fishes, in the Gospels. The Qur’an The story is told that while Annunciation, in which the angel Piedmont, Italy, the groom’s Arabic). The portion of the Qur’an explains that in answering his Khidr reached the Water of Life, Gabriel reveals to the Virgin Mary name is represented by two under discussion is written on apostles’ demand, Jesus caused Iskandar got lost, since he was that she will have a child through pictures depicting his namesakes, the margins of the pages in red. a table set with food to descend interested in self-glorification divine intervention, is also Abraham and Jacob. On the left, These verses (19:19–21) tell of the from heaven (5:111–114). This was while Khidr served his God and present in the Islamic tradition. the vignette features the binding Annunciation by the angel to Mary. one of the proofs of his being a of Isaac (Genesis 22:1–14), in which therefore gained eternal life. true prophet. God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son. Shown on the right is the dream of Jacob.

9 10 11 The Morgan Library & Museum

The Morgan Library & Museum’s celebrated 13th-century Morgan Picture Bible is one of the masterpieces of Gothic art. Its 84 miniatures depict some 300 scenes from the Christian Old Testament, beginning with Creation and ending with the story of King David. It is one of the greatest visualizations of Old Testament events. While many of the stories of the Hebrew Scriptures were well known, they were further popularized and became part of the shared cultural narrative of the Abrahamic religions as they were embraced by the Christian Bible and the Qur’an. The Morgan Picture Bible was originally designed without text. But as the book was circulated across civilizations, explanatory captions in , Persian, and Judeo- Persian were added, creating a manuscript that is not only beautiful but a testament to exchanges between cultures.

Leaves from the Morgan Picture Bible, with later inscriptions in Latin, Persian, and Judeo- Persian. Illuminated for King Louis IX of France France, Paris, ca. 1250 MS M.638, fol. 3r Purchased by J.P. Morgan, Jr., 1916

The manuscript was originally ordered the addition of Persian conceived in Paris around 1250 captions. In the 18th century, as a series of selected Old the manuscript belonged to a Testament scenes. After the death Jewish owner, who added the of Louis IX of France, the book Judeo-Persian inscriptions. travelled to Italy where Latin The leaf shown to the left depicts inscriptions were added at some the Drunkenness of Noah, the point in the 14th century. Bernard Building of the Tower of Babel, Maciejowski (1548–1608), bishop Abraham and the Sacrifice of of Krakow (Poland), subsequently Isaac, and the Capture of Lot acquired the manuscript and and his Family. The leaf shown presented it as a gift in 1604 to to the right depicts scenes from Shah Abbas the Great (1571–1629), the life of Moses. in Isfahan (Iran), who in turn

12 13 The James Gallery CUNY

The James Gallery at the CUNY Graduate Center focuses on contemporary cases of shared holy places in the Mediterranean. O en people of di erent religions converge in the same sanctuary because they are animated by a common quest for supernatural help, and seek the protection of a particular saint with a reputation for e cacy. Mutual in uences and superimpositions form a fertile ground for the sharing of sacred sites, even if they may also generate the partition of such places between denominations.

Based on anthropological research, the exhibition presents photography, video, contemporary art, and ethnographic material coming from  eldwork. The show is organized as a Mediterranean tour of shrines such as the Cave of Elijah in Haifa, the House of Mary in Ephesus, the Synagogue of the Ghriba in Djerba, and the Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. George in Büyükada, Istanbul. In the last section, the exhibition focuses on particular individuals who, in their lifetimes, were able to build bridges and allow for rich exchanges between religions.

A mosque and a synagogue share Both men and women pray the sacred space above the cave of inside Elijah’s Cave, Haifa Machpelah, where the Patriarchs © Guy Raivitz, 2017 rest with their wives, Hebron, West Bank © Andrea Merli, 2012

14 15 Aysȩ Özalp Lino Mannocci Icon of Our Lady Who Brings Annunciation Monotype from Down the Walls on the Wall of Separation, Isfahan, , 2014 Annunciation Series © Manoël Pénicaud, 2014 Ink on parchment 2017 Private collection Private collection In 2010, the Catholic sisters of the Convent of the Emmanuel asked Following the painting tradition “I find the story of the British artist Ian Knowles to paint of the school of Isfahan (Iran), Annunciation, the mystery of the this icon on the Wall of Separation the Turkish artist Ays¸e Özalp incarnation, the possibility of between Israel and the West Bank. reproduced an ancient Persian embedding matter with aesthetic The figure of Mary is, therefore, miniature on an old Ottoman or spiritual value, an irresistible mobilized in a political sense. sheet of parchment. metaphor for the activity of painting. Working on parchment with monotypes, it seems to me, helps to evoke the complex relationship between body and soul, matter and spirit, that exists in all monotheistic religions.” —Lino Mannocci

16 17 Jewish and Muslim women Star of David and Mihrab in the Bas-relief of the church of praying side by side in the Ghriba Yeni Cami Mosque,Thessaloniki, the Aiguebelle abbey, France Synagogue, Tunisia Greece © Manoël Pénicaud, 2016 © Manoël Pénicaud, 2016 © Manoël Pénicaud, 2014 In many areas of the Ottoman This singular bas-relief was These two women pray barefoot empire, as well as in northern carved by a Catholic Cistercian in front of the eastern wall of the Greece, a number of Jews publicly friar on the facade of the abbey of synagogue toward the direction of converted to Islam in the 17th Aiguebelle’s church. This message Jerusalem. The scrolls of the Torah century, following the messianic of interreligious coexistence is also are preserved behind the wooden figure of Sabbatai Zevi (1626– a tribute to the seven monks of panels, which are adorned with 1676). Some of these converts, Tibhirine (Algeria) who tragically votive offerings. called dönmeh, secretly kept their disappeared in May 1996. These beliefs. In Thessaloniki, a famous friars had nevertheless lived mosque was expressly built for in harmony with their Muslim them in the 19th century. The neighbors and hosts. They were interior of the mosque includes beatified in January 2018. many Stars of David, as an implicit reminder of their Jewish ancestry.

18 19 Suggested Reading

Albera, Dionigi. “‘Why Are You Mixing What Meri, Josef. The Cult of Saints among Muslims and Support for The New York Public Library’s Cannot be Mixed?’ Shared Devotions in the Jews in Medieval Syria. Oxford: Oxford University Exhibitions Program has been provided Monotheisms.” History and Anthropology 19 no. 1 Press, 2002. by Celeste Bartos, Sue and Edgar (March 2008): 37–59. Wachenheim III, Mahnaz Ispahani Bartos Meri, Josef, ed. Jewish-Muslim Relations in Past and and Adam Bartos Exhibitions Fund, and Albera, Dionigi, and Maria Couroucli, eds. Present: A Kaleidoscopic View. Leiden, the : Jonathan Altman. Sharing Sacred Spaces in the Mediterranean: Christians, Brill Academic Publishers, 2017. Muslims, and Jews at Shrines and Sanctuaries. Additional support for Shared Sacred Sites Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2012. Pénicaud, Manoël. “Muslim Pilgrims at the House at NYPL is provided by The Achelis and of Mary in Ephesus: Considerations on ‘Open Bodman Foundation and the Bertha and Barkan, Elazer, and Karen Barkey, eds. Choreog- Sanctuaries’ in the Mediterranean.” The Idea of Isaac Liberman Foundation, Inc. in raphies of Shared Sacred Sites: Religion, Politics, and the Mediterranean, ed. Mario Mignone, 166–83. memory of Ruth and Seymour Klein. Conflict Resolution. New York: Stony Brook, NY: Forum Italicum, 2017. Support for the Shared Sacred Sites project Press, 2014. is provided by Carnegie Corporation –––. “The Seven Sleepers Pilgrimage in Brittany: of New York, the Doris Duke Charitable Barkey, Karen. Empire of Difference: The Ottomans Ambiguity of a Christian-Muslim Heterotopia.” Foundation for Islamic Art’s Building in Comparative Perspective. New York: Cambridge Pilgrimages and Ambiguity: Sharing the Sacred, eds. Bridges Program, the Stavros Niarchos University Press, 2008. Angela Hobart and Thierry Zarcone, 183–99. Foundation, and Nicholas J. and Anna K. London: Sean Kingston Publishing, 2017. Bouras Foundation. Bowman, Glenn, ed. Sharing the Sacra: The Politics and Pragmatics of Intercommunal Relations Around Stadler, Nurit. “Appropriating Jerusalem Through Holy Places. New York: Berghahn Books, 2012. Sacred Spaces: Disputed Land and Female Rituals at the Tombs of Mary and Rachel.” Anthropological Breger, Marshall J., Yitzhak Reiter, and Leonard Quarterly 88, no. 3 (Summer 2015): 725–58. Hammer. Sacred Space in Israel and : Religion and Politics. New York: Routledge, 2012. Voelkle, William M. “Provenance and Place: The Morgan Picture Bible.” Between the Picture Luz, Nimrod, and Nurit Stadler. “The Veneration and the Word, ed. Colum Hourihane, 12–23. of Womb Tombs: Body-Based Rituals and Politics University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State at Mary’s Tomb and Maqam Abu al-Hijja (Israel/ University Press; Princeton, NJ: Index of Palestine).” Journal of Anthropological Research 70, Christian Art, Princeton University, 2005. no. 2 (2014): 183–205.

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