We are fortunate, here on the North Shore of Chicago to have one of the architectural and cultural gems of the world right here in our front yard. I"m talking about the Baha'i Temple. There are seven existing Baha’l Houses of Worship in the world. Each has its own unique design, and yet conforms to a set of architectural requirements that give a unifying theme. It is required that all Bahai temples have a nine-sided circular shape, and that no pictures, statues or images can be displayed within, nor any altars or pulpits may be permanently affixed. As of now, all Houses of Worship that have been build have a single undivided room under their dome, and in all seven existing temples have their seating in the auditorium facing the Shrine of Bahaullah in Acre Israel.
THE WILMETTE BAHA'I HOUSE OF WORSHIP
The cornerstone was laid in 1912, but construction didn't begin until 1921 and wasn't finally completed until 1953, due in part to financial delays from the depression and World War II. The Wilmette House of Worship is the largest and the oldest surviving Bahá'í House of Worship. (the oldest was in Turkmenistan, but succumbed to disrepair and had to be demolished) Known by Baha'i's as the "Mother Temple of the West" and formally as the "Bahá'í House of Worship for the North American Continent". It has received numerous design awards, and it is a prominent Chicago-area landmark. In 1978, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Sitting gently on the shores of Wilmette amid lush formal gardens, just north of Evanston, and overlooking Wilmette Harbour, this fantastic temple took decades to build and intentionally incorporates architectural and stylistic elements from all the world's religions.
The auditorium is 138 feet high, and the dome is 90 feet across. The auditorium can hold 1,192 visitors seated. There is a balcony from which choirs or soloists perform.
The Bahá'í House of Worship is open as a place of worship for all people. The only decorative art inside and out involves shapes and designs made by intersecting lines. There are no images of people or places. The building is decorated inside and out with Baha'i verses by Bahá'u'lláh. As there are nine entrances to the building, there are nine verses above the doors and nine inside the buildings above the alcoves.
The verses outside are engraved into the stone, in large legible letters. Above the doors are small engraved versions of the "Greatest Name", one of several Bahá'í symbols and an elaborate decorative design that includes the letters ABHA, representing the prayer "Alláh u Abhá" (God is Most Glorious)in Arabic. It is the numerical value of these four letters in the words abha and baha (for Bahá'u'lláh) that add up to total nine, one of reasons Bahá'í House of Worships are nine-sided. Fascinating stuff.
The most decorative element on the outside of the building is the tracery on the nine towers. These are intertwined with the generally recognized symbols of many world religions, including the Cross, star and crescent, the Star of David, and the original swastika design. While it may be a shock to see a swastika on a building designed for prayer, acceptance and peace, it's important to note that the swastika predates the Third Reich and is an ancient symbol used for thousands of years as a representative symbol of world religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The only decorative symbol inside the auditorium is a large, lighted version of the Greatest Name in the exact center of the inside of the dome.
On April 30, 2007, the Bahá'í House of Worship was named one of the Seven Wonders of Illinois by the Illinois Bureau of Tourism representing the Chicago metropolitan area. If you are in our area, it is definitely not a sight that should be missed. Personally, I think it's the most beautiful of all seven, although the Gold-domed cultural centre in Haifa, Israel is a close second.
All of the photos are Public Domain, courtesy of Wikipedia.
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