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Ancient Goddesses in New York

An Online Guide to Discovering the Sacred Feminine in
Museums, Temples, and Public Places

Altar to Liberty

 

This beautiful Minerva shares a plot of land with the New Yorker who commissioned her as a war monument to Brooklyn and a final resting place for himself and his family. One of the most remarkable things is that she is standing directly across from the New York Harbor and is saluting the Statue of Liberty. It is a historic goddess-to-goddess connection!

 

 

Minerva Meet Liberty!

 Randy Duchaine / Alamy Stock Photo
 

Minerva Salutes the Statue of Liberty at the Altar to Liberty at Greenwood Cemetary

 

An article on the Greenwood Cemetary website recaps the history of the statue and how it came to be. Titled Minerva is Facing What?, it explains the following:  "The primary mover behind the placement of Minerva was Charles Higgins, who had made his fortune in Brooklyn with Higgins India Ink–used back then to fill the fountain pens of the time. Higgins, unhappy that the Battle of Brooklyn had been given short shrift by historians, purchased lots on Green-Wood's Battle Hill for his family tomb. But Higgins also had bigger plans–he wanted a suitable monument to the Battle of Brooklyn there. So he purchased the lots in front of his tomb and donated that land for the placement of the Altar of Liberty and a statue of Minerva, the Roman goddess of battle and protector of civilization.  That spot, the highest natural point in Brooklyn, offers spectacular views of lower New York Harbor, New Jersey, the tip of Manhattan, and mid-town Manhattan."

She Presides Over the Altar of Independence

Photo: Brooklyn Historical Society via Brooklyn Public Library
 

 

Altar to Liberty, Green-Wood Cemetery, August 27, 1920
 
Situated on Brooklyn's highest point, Battle Hill in Green-Wood Cemetery, stands the Roman goddess of wisdom and war, Minerva. Designed as an altar to independence, the bronze Minerva appears to be waving to the Statue of Liberty which is clearly visible from her vantage point.
 
The Altar Of Liberty In Greenwood Cemetary was created to commemorate The Battle Of Long Island. Tablet Inscription: Minerva, Goddess Of Wisdom, Glory, And Patriotism Here Salutes The Statue Of Liberty.

She Waves to Her Divine Sister in the Harbor

Photo: Jeff Richman/Greenwood Cemetary

 

This image shows the rear view of Minerva saluting the Statue of Liberty. You can see Liberty in New York Harbor in the distance. This image appears on the Greenwood Cemetary website in an article called, Minerva Facing What? by Jeff Richmond. (Permission to use this has been requested but not formally given yet.)

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