Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
Murqus Nassar (1872 - 1937) was a Palestinian architect. It is considered one of the symbols of architecture in Palestine since the beginning of the twentieth century. His name was associated with many palaces, monasteries and public buildings in Bethlehem, Jerusalem and other Palestinian cities. His works combined local architecture with modernity influenced by Western architecture at the time.
Professional Biography
Nassar studied at the Franciscan Fathers' School in Bethlehem, then traveled abroad to obtain a degree in architecture at the age of 28, to return to Bethlehem and be the first architect there officially. It is believed that he obtained his diploma either from Paris or Istanbul.
Business
Closed Paradise Monastery, Artas.
The Convent of the Sisters of Paradise in the village of Artas near Bethlehem is considered the first work of Mark Nassar, which he worked in alongside his brother in 1901, and a large number of stoners, sculptors and workers from different towns in Palestine worked in it, and the work lasted for three years.
Mark Nassar rose to prominence with the return of the wealthy from Bethlehem from the diaspora at the beginning of the twentieth century, so he built prominent palaces for them. The Casanova Hotel building next to the Church of the Nativity is considered one of his most important works, as it was built using rose-red stone, and was used to receive Christian pilgrims. Nassar also built the Armenian Catholic Church building in the Old City of Jerusalem. The Ottoman Empire commissioned him to build the road between Jerusalem and Jaffa, and between Jerusalem and Hebron.
The Mark Nassar Palace in Bethlehem was restored in 2013, which he built himself, with the participation of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Center and the Palestinian Folk Architecture Center.
Honoring
Pope Pius X awarded the Order of St. Sylvultus, at the rank of Commander, to the architect Mark Nassar, in recognition of his service in engineering and building monasteries in Palestine.
The Bethlehem municipality named one of the restored old stairways in the city after Mark Nassar.
source
Achievements and Awards
- Years in active
: From
To