- 1953-05-03 —
The All-America Intercontinental Teaching Conference was held in Chicago. [BW12:133]
- For the texts of Shoghi Effendi's messages to the conference see BW12:133–41 and MBW142–6.
- Twelve Hands of the Cause were present. The Guardian was represented by Amatu'l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum. [BW12:143; CBN No 82 November, 1956 p3]
- At the conference, five members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States resigned from that body in order to go pioneering: Elsie Austin, Dorothy Baker, Matthew Bullock, Mamie Seto and Dr William Kenneth Christian. [ZK102]
- Extract from the second message to All-American Intercontinental Conference from Shoghi Effendi... [MBW150]
.....the lands contributed in Latin America for a similar purpose approximate one-half of a million square meters, ninety thousand of which have been set aside near Santiago, Chile, for the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkár of South America. .
- 2001-04-21 — From the Ridván Message: "It is with profound thankfulness and joy that we announce at this auspicious moment the decision to proceed with this last project. During the Five Year Plan, erection of the Mother Temple of South America in Santiago, Chile, will commence and thus fulfill a wish clearly expressed by Shoghi Effendi." [Riḍván 2001 To the Bahá'ís of the World]
- 2003-04-21 — "In response to the call issued by the National Spiritual Assembly of Chile, 185 design concepts have been received from architects and designers around the world for the Mother Temple of South America to be constructed in Santiago." [Riḍván 2003 To the Bahá'ís of the World]
In view of the critical world situation the Universal House of Justice advised the friends to:'
Let them strive to understand more deeply the Teachings that are relevant by reviewing letters of Shoghi Effendi which have been published in The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, particularly those entitled "The Goal of a New World Order," "America and the Most Great Peace," and "The Unfoldment of World Civilization." - 2003-05-01 —
The announcement by the Universal House of Justice of the appointment of Siamak Hariri of Toronto, Canada, as architect of the Bahá'í Temple to be built near Santiago in Chile. [BWNS223]
- See Ted Talk by Siamak Hariri entitled How do you build a sacred space?
- 2004-02-12 — The launch of the Web site for the temple that would be constructed in Chile.
temple.cl.bahai.org
[BWNS279,
BWNS223]
- 2010-11-28 — Excavation work began on the new Bahá'í House of Worship for the South American continent, at a location in the hills of Peñalolén, a "commune" within metropolitan Santiago, at the foot of the Andes. [BWNS800]
- 2013-04-21 — "In Santiago, Chile, where the Mother Temple of South America was being erected, the building work continued apace. The concrete construction of the foundations, basement, and service tunnel was completed, as were the columns that will bear the superstructure. The anticipation associated with this project was growing..."[Riḍván 2013 To the Bahá'ís of the World ]
- 2014-08-01 — "The erection of the continental House of Worship for South America was moving towards its completion in Chile. The steel-frame superstructure had been almost entirely installed, the placement of the interior translucent stone panels was under way, and the landscaping and the construction of auxiliary facilities were progressing according to schedule. The friends in Santiago, supported by others from throughout the Americas, had been diligently striving to prepare the surrounding population for the emergence of the House of Worship; increasing numbers were participating in the community-building endeavours, and a stream of visitors were being welcomed to the Temple site for prayer and discussion on the practical and spiritual dimensions of the enterprise. Measures were being put in place in Chile in anticipation of the many demands that were sure to arise once the Temple had been inaugurated in 2016." [Message from The Universal House of Justice dated 1 August, 2014 to the Bahá'ís of the World]
- 2016-10-11 — The final newsreel on the construction of the Bahá'í House of Worship for South America was released as the time for the highly-anticipated dedication of the Temple approached. The video highlighted major developments over the previous year and the growing connection of the community to the Temple and the activities of service and worship that it inspired. [Video; Architect Siamak Hariri]
- 2016-10-13 —
The public dedication of the Mother Temple of South America in Santiago, Chile. The opening ceremonies were attended by over 5,000 people from 110 countries. Live video coverage of the public opening ceremony was provided on the Bahá'í World News Service website for approximately 90 minutes and the video recording has been made available at that website.
- The Mashriqul-Adhkár (Dawning-Point of God's Remembrance) is located outside of Santiago in Peñalolen, a commune whose name means "reunion of brothers" in the local language. [BWNS1128].
-
The temple was built in the foothills of the Andes, between mountains and city. The 2,415 square-metre edice (26,000-square-feet) is essentially one large room with nine doors made of bronze. The interior is surrounded by a dome that is made up of nine elements – called petals. These begin wide at the bottom of the building and then narrow upward to meet in a spiral at the top, separated by crescent-shaped windows and a round window at the top. The outer surfaces of these petals are made of 32-millimetre-thick panels of cast glass, which have a ruddy, milky quality to them; the inner surfaces are made of smooth Portuguese marble. Both layers are translucent.
- Each of the nine wings of the building has two surfaces – one of cast glass and one of stone both of which rest on the steel structure. Each of those two surfaces has more than 1,000 separate components in more than 150 different shapes categorized as droops, slumps, bullnoses, shoulders, elbows, or spines. Each piece, which had to be crafted in three dimensions, was shaped using digital models. [BWNS1126]
- Canadian architect, Siamak Hariri, began work on the $20-million project in 2003. [BWNS1127] The landscape architect was Juan Grimm, one of the most well-known landscapers of Latin America.
- The Universal House of Justice was represented by Counsellor Antonella Demonte from the International Teaching Centre.
- Message from the Universal House of Justice.
- Pictures
- Day 1
- Day 2
- Day 3
Specifics
Location: Santiago, Chile
Foundation Stone:
Construction Period: 2013 – October 2016
Site Dedication:13-16 October 2016
Architect: Siamak Hariri
Landscape Architect: Juan Grimm
Seating:
Dimensions:2,415 square-metre (26,000 square-feet)
Cost: approximately $30m
Dependencies:
References:
BWNS800,
BWNS921,
BWNS940,
BWNS959,
BWNS982,
BWNS1123,
BWNS1125,
BWNS1055,
BWNS1199
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Since its dedication in October 2016, the Temple has been a recipient of an International Architecture Award as well as awards for structural artistry from the Institution of Structural Engineers, for innovation in architecture from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, for innovation from the American Institute of Architects, for design excellence from the Ontario Association of Architects, for "Best in Americas, Civil Buildings," from World Architecture News, and for Architectural and Cultural design from American Architecture Prize. [BWNS1262]
- The Temple design won the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) International Prize. This renowned prize is awarded every two years and was created to celebrate socially transformative, respectful, uplifting and inclusive architecture. [FloorNature site.]
- This site states that since the opening some 1.4 million people have visited. Some weekend have had up to 36,000 visitors.
- This site has some spectacular photographs.
- The announcement that Hariri Pontarini Architects had won the prize on the 25th of October, 2019.
- Some spectacular pictures, some of which were taken during the construction.
- See a short video made by Hariri Pontarini Architects.
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