Venture into the Memorial Garden to enjoy the spring colour and appreciate a new piece of outdoor art. A carved pole depicting Hungarian Christian symbolism has been donated to the Memorial Garden of St. Philip’s by Derek and Linda Simpkins.
This pole was carved in the late 1990's by a Hungarian-Canadian artist, Laszlo Jozsa. At age 18, he escaped with his family from the Soviet occupation of Hungary, ultimately arriving in Vancouver as refugees.
Laszlo attended UBC, where he graduated from the Faculty of Forestry. He enjoyed a long career teaching and doing research at UBC, which included studies in wood preservation techniques.
This pole was carved from Alaska yellow cedar, Chamaecyparis nootkaensis, a native, high elevation conifer to British Columbia. After completing the carving of this pole, Laszlo subjected it to two treatments of highly pressurized wood preservative - thereby ensuring that it will last for generations to come. The greenish patina of the pole comes from the wood preservatives.
Symbolism:
- The pole is topped by the Morning Star or Star of Bethlehem ;
- Beneath is a Tulip flower, a symbol of new life and resurrection;
- Immediately below is an X, the first Greek letter of Christos or Christ;
- Below is another Tulip, above the three rings - representing the Holy Trinity;
- The base section shows an entire Tulip, representing everlasting life.
Ministries
Community