Shrine of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá

The Shrine of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá is the location in Israel wherein the remains of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, one of the central figures of the Baháʼí Faith, will be interred. Since his death in 1921, ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's remains have been located in one of the rooms of the Shrine of the Báb in Haifa, Israel.[1]

In Holy Land

On April 20, 2019, the Universal House of Justice announced that the time for the construction of a permanent Shrine of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá has come, and provided initial details:

That time has come. The Baháʼí world is being summoned to build the edifice which will forever embosom those sacred remains. It is to be constructed in the vicinity of the Riḍván Garden, on land consecrated by the footsteps of the Blessed Beauty [that is, Baháʼu'lláh]; the Shrine of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá will thus lie on the crescent traced between the Holy Shrines in ʻAkká and Haifa. Work on the architectural plans is advancing, and more information will be shared in the coming months."[2]

On May 7, 2019, the Universal House of Justice announced Hossein Amanat as the architect of the new Shrine.[3][1] On September 19, it released the design concept for the shrine and stated that the structure envisaged in the design seeks “to honor ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's unique position” and “to reflect at once His lofty station and His humility.”[4]

Fire at the construction site

On 8 April 2022, a major fire broke out at the construction site of the new shrine. The fire broke out when windblown sparks from welding on the dome ignited scaffolding and expanded polystyrene (EPS) forms being used to mold poured concrete.[5]

The Universal House of Justice said in a statement that no one has been injured and that the Riḍván Garden was not damaged. It described the fire as "a considerable setback for the project", but said that construction would resume "as expeditiously as possible".[6]

Canadian house

The house of May Maxwell, in Montreal, Canada, is the only place associated with ʻAbdu'l-Bahá to be officially designated a shrine. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá stayed there during his visits to the West. In a June 1953 letter, Shoghi Effendi wrote that the house “should be viewed in the nature of a national Shrine, because of its association with the beloved Master, during His visit to Montreal.”[7] The Maxwell residence is located at 1548 Pine Avenue West, Montreal.

Notes
  1. "Universal House of Justice announces architect for Shrine of 'Abdu'l-Baha". 2019-05-07. Archived from the original on 2020-08-04. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
  2. "2019 Ridván Message - To the Baháʼís of the World". universalhouseofjustice.bahai.org. Archived from the original on 2019-04-20. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  3. "7 May 2019 – To all National Spiritual Assemblies | Baháʼí Reference Library". www.bahai.org. Archived from the original on 2019-05-07. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  4. "Baha'i World News Service: Design concept for the Shrine of ʻAbdu'l-Baha unveiled". news.bahai.org. 20 September 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-09-20. Retrieved 2019-09-20.
  5. "After Fire, Construction To Resume At $77 Million Bahá'í Shrine In Israel". Religion Unplugged. April 18, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  6. "A major fire broke out earlier today…". Bahai.org. April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  7. "The Baháʼí Shrine in Canada". Baháʼí Community of Canada. 2010. Archived from the original on 2013-07-01. Retrieved 2013-01-10.

References

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