2005 Installation & Consecration of Singapore Mosaic
(Basilica of the Annunciation)
2005 Installation & Consecration of the mosaic of our Lady and her Singapore children at the Basilica of the Annunciation, Nazareth, Israel.
The Basilica of the Annunciation at Nazareth is built at the site of the home of the Holy Family. This magnificent Basilica was designed by the Italian architect Muzio, of great renown , and was built on the outer lines of an original crusader Basilica , first by Tancred in the 11th century. Later the Byzantines built a church there over an ancient church which had the inscriptions ” EX MARIA (Greek for ” Hail Mary” . Here Jesus spent his childhood and grew up as a carpenter. In 1730, the Franciscans were allowed to build a church there by the sultan of Egypt. To this day the custodians of this church have been the Franciscans.
In this building, both inside and outside are mosaic tiles donated from over 100 countries of the world.
Adelene Tan, a Catholic parishioner from St. Peter and St. Paul was commissioned to paint the painting. She was told it should have our Lady, the immaculate conception, and Singapore children around her. She donated the painting to the Singapore Order of Malta, and the copyright belongs to the Singapore Order.
In January 2005, after a returning from a Christmas pilgrimage to the Holy Land , Dr. Gabriel Oon , had noticed that there were no murals from Singapore. Our Chaplain, His Grace Archbishop Nicholas Chia, sent a letter to Fr. Butros Ricardo, Custodian of the Basilica in early 2005 to request a mural painting from Singapore to be put up there.
A digital photo was then sent to Fr. Ricardo Butros, and who in turn sent it to the Vatican Tilers in Rome, called Domus Dei. The painting was consecrated in Singapore at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd by Reverend Fr. Colin Tan S.J. at a special Mass on the eve of the pilgrims departing for the Holy Land .
The mural tiled painting was shipped over from Rome to Nazareth by friends of the Singapore Order of Malta and arrived five days before the installation on the 15 December 2005. The total cost of this was SD$10,500 (about USD $5,200) and was borne entirely by the Singapore Order of Malta
