Conrad Schick | |
|---|---|
 Drawing of Schick | |
| Born | 1822 |
| Died | 1901 (79 years old) |
| Burial place | Mount Zion Cemetery |
| Monuments | Conrad Schick Library |
| Occupations | Architect,Archaeologist,Missionary |
| Known for | Tabor House |
Conrad Schick (1822–1901) was a German architect, archaeologist andProtestant missionary who settled inJerusalem in the mid-nineteenth century.[1] For many decades, he was head of the "House of Industry" at theChrist Church, which was the institute for vocational training of theLondon Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews.[1]
In 1869 he was appointed as aHofbaumeister byCharles I of Württemberg for his work in Jerusalem.[2]
Conrad Schick was born inBitz,Kingdom of Württemberg,Germany. At the age of 24, after completing his studies inBasel, he settled inPalestine in October 1846.[3] TheSt. Chrischona Pilgrim Mission atBettingen sent him out as missionary.[4]
When Schick died in Jerusalem in 1901, he was mourned by Jews, Muslims and Christians alike. He was buried in theProtestant cemetery on Mount Zion.[1]
The house that Schick built for his family,Tabor House, orBeit Tavor in Hebrew, on Jerusalem'sStreet of the Prophets, is still standing.[5] The name of the house is based on a verse fromPsalms (89:12): "The north and the south, Thou has created them; Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in Thy name." The façade is decorated with carvings of palm leaves and the Greek letters Alpha and Omega, symbolizing the beginning and the end.[6] The house was bought in 1951 by Swedish Protestants and now houses theSwedish Theological Institute for religious instruction andLand of Israel studies.[6]
Schick was chosen to designMea Shearim, one of the first neighbourhoods in Jerusalem built outside the walls of theOld City.[7]
In 1887, Schick designed theUnity of the Brethren lepers'hospitalJesus Hilfe, since 1885 led by his son-in-law Dr. Adalbert Einsler (1848–1919), a landmark building (later the Hansen Government Hospital for Lepers, now an art and culture center) that can still be seen today near theJerusalem Theater inTalbiya.[8]
Other buildings designed by Schick are St Paul's Anglican Chapel in Jerusalem[9] (now St Paul's Church, seeAnglican Diocese of Jerusalem) and the GermanDeaconesses Hospital (until the 2020s the eastern wing of the meanwhile closedBikur Holim Hospital), both on Street of the Prophets.[10]
Schick is also remembered for his fifty years of archaeological investigations of Jerusalem and its surroundings. He worked for many years for thePalestine Exploration Fund, publishing frequently in the Fund's journal.[11] In 1872, Schick was permitted to conduct research on theTemple Mount, which was generally off limits to non-Muslims. Consequently, he built models of the Temple Mount (see below).[12]
Schick was involved in the discovery and initial study of theSiloam Inscription describing how theSiloam Tunnel was finished, probably in the days of KingHezekiah ofJudah.[13]
In 1874 Schick was the first scholar to publish a description of theGarden Tomb, and in 1901 he rejected GeneralCharles Gordon's theory of it being the tomb ofJesus.[13]
Schick constructed a notable series of models of the Muslim buildings of the Haram al-Sharif on theTemple Mount, and some somewhat outdatedreplicas of the Jewish Temple based on the information available in his time.
Two wooden models of the Temple Mount he built were exhibited in the Turkish pavilion at theVienna World Exposition of 1873. Haim Goren ofTel-Hai Academic College says that one of the models, measuring 4 by 3 meters, did not find a buyer after the end of the World Fair. It was housed at the Chrischona mission near Basel, Switzerland for 138 years. It was recently purchased byChrist Church in the Old City of Jerusalem.[8][14]KingCharles I of Württemberg bought the other and subsequently raised Schick to the rank of Royal Württembergian Hofbaurat (Privy Construction Councillor) for his excellent work.[12][15]
His replica of the biblicalTabernacle was visited in Jerusalem by several crowned heads of state, toured the United Kingdom, and was exhibited at the 1873 Vienna World Fair.[15]
Schick built a replica of the Temple Mount andDome of the Rock for the Ottoman Sultan. His final model, in four sections, each representing the Temple Mount as it appeared in a particular era, was exhibited at the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904.[15]
Two models of theTemple Mount created by Schick are located in the basement of thePaulus-Haus museum onNablus Road, just outside theOld City of Jerusalem near theDamascus Gate. One model shows the Temple Mount as it was in the 1870s, based on his research. The other is a somewhat fanciful model of the Jewish Temple.
TheConrad Schick Library atChrist Church, in theOld City ofJerusalem, is named for him.[16] So is the alley leading to the entrance ofThe Garden Tomb.
Baumeister Conrad Schick ist vom König von Württemberg zum Baurath ernannt worden. Der hier seiner Talente, aber auch seiner Bescheidenheit wegen allgemein beliebte Mann hat schon vor einigen Jahren die große goldene Medaille für Kunst und Wissenschaft von seinem Fürsten erhalten.
