Outdoor Sculpture Collection

The Hofstra Labyrinth, 2000
Granite
40 feet diameter
Hofstra University Museum of Art, University Purchase, HU2000.3

The Hofstra Labyrinth located in the courtyard of CV Starr Hall, was constructed between 1999-2000 at the same time that CV Starr Hall was built.  The Hofstra Labyrinth is a circular replica of the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in France.  Hofstra’s Labyrinth is 40 feet in diameter, and is constructed from slabs of granite bricks that are each 2 ¼ inches thick.

The Chartres Labyrinth dates back to 1200 and is an 11th degree labyrinth.  A labyrinth does not go past the 11th degree because of the 12th degree disciple who betrayed Jesus.  The original design was most likely designed by a priest.  The Chartres Labyrinth was originally for people who could not make the pilgrimage to the holy land.  By walking and completing the labyrinth, it was looked upon as a spiritual substitute for making the pilgrimage. Labyrinths are seen as symbols of spiritual and intellectual enlightenment.  To walk the labyrinth properly, and stay in the lines it helps to clear the mind of all stresses as it takes a level of concentration and focus.

As you walk the labyrinth you find yourself absorbed in the task and you begin to filter out the external world, as you work your way out of the labyrinth it symbolizes walking back into the world with a better understanding of your own internal identity.   Unlike mazes, labyrinths have only one way in and one way out. They have no dead ends like a maze, instead they continue until you reach the center.  When a person actually makes it to the center rosette pattern within the labyrinth, it is considered a passage that is only halfway complete. To finish the experience completely, a person must walk the labyrinth back out. Only then will the journey be complete. 

A surprise bonus awaits you at the center of the Hofstra Labyrinth – it echoes. It is thought that the echo is caused by the wind bouncing back and forth between the three surrounding buildings. Hofstra’s Labyrinth has also become a memorial, with its location originally called “The Court of Courage.” The labyrinth is surrounded by three sitting walls. On one wall a plaque commemorates the signers of the Declaration of Independence with a sculpture called Colonial Man by the artist Rhoda Sherbell. A second wall, commissioned by alumni Roberta and Bernard Marcus, is dedicated to the heroes of the 1943 Polish Uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto. The wall plaque encourages us to remember the sacrifice of the remaining Warsaw Jews who fought against the Germans. The third and final wall is dedicated to the people who showed courage in responding to 9/11. Next to this area of the Hofstra Labyrinth is a sculpture by John Safer, titled, Phoenix which was created in memory of Hofstra University alumni, students and trustees who perished on 9/11.