BEIRUT (LEBANON) – Maya Husseini’s story is saddening. Her work, which took at least two decades, to replace the stained glass windows damaged by the Lebanese civil war was reduced to rubble in the Beirut explosion.
Husseini, 60, who has worked on historic landmarks including many of Beirut’s churches, said, “I can say that in this blast, 20 years of my professional life was on the ground.”
“Part of me has gone.”
The buildings that were damaged included the Sursock Museum, a modern and contemporary art museum that was reopened in 2015, the stained glass of which had been restored by Husseini with great effort.
Its windows, captured the attention of all at night when they were illuminated. Sadly, it was blown out by the blast.
Husseini recounts how at least 10 of the projects she has worked on since the 1975-90 civil war have been ruined . “Every day I am getting phone calls,” she said.
Husseini equipped herself with the craft in France, under the encouragement of her father, a church engineer who used to order stained glass from overseas.
One of her famous projects in which she takes great pride was the 19th century St Louis Capuchin Cathedral in the Bab Idriss district of Beirut’s historic city centre. It makes her nostalgic as it is the same place where she and her friends used to go to drink lemonade as kids.
The windows of the war-ravaged church, were restored by Husseini over two years in a project completed around four years ago.
She said, “I had tried, as much as possible, to feel the history of this church. At that point I broke down, it was as if I was injured, certainly not physically, but emotionally.”
Husseini talked on a positive note. “Even if 20 years of my work has gone – and perhaps I won’t last in this work for another 20 years … we will rebuild.”
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.
