In the suburbs of Chicago hides a peculiar temple of the Baháʼí religion. Completed in 1953, the building rises 50 metres and dominates the surrounding area with its openwork dome. The amazing ornaments are reminiscent of Arab architecture, but some elements have been taken from European models. The temple is intended to symbolise the unity of all people and the radiant light associated with the tenets of this somewhat mysterious religion.
Persian merchant
Today, Bahaism has around 8 million members worldwide, but it all started in the mid-19th century, somewhere in Persia. The merchant Sajjid Ali Muhammad from Shiraz abandoned his ancestral religion and declared himself a divine messenger (Bab). In time, he gathered a small group of believers and announced the coming of a man through whom God would speak. The Muslim authorities began to persecute the Bab’s followers and the leader himself was killed.
After his death, one of the Bab’s disciples declared himself the man of prophecy and took the name Baháʼu’lláh. After clashes with the Persians, Baháʼu’lláh and his followers fled to Baghdad and then several other cities in the Ottoman Empire, including Constantinople. The Turks sentenced the leader to exile to Akka, where he spent the rest of his life. During this time he produced several thousand religious texts, which became the basis of Bahaism. His son ʻAbdu’l-Bahá inherited the position of religious leader and distributed his fatherʼs ideas throughout the world.
It was the travels of Baháʼu’lláhʼs son to America and Europe that helped to attract new believers. Through New York, Bahaism entered the USA, and in time the religion made its way into the Midwest. In Chicago, a small group of believers began looking for an architect to design a representative temple for American Bahaism. Canadian Louis Bourgeois accepted the commission and construction began in 1920.
For all
For the architect, this was not just another commission, but a testament to his Baha’i heritage. Bourgeois travelled to Haifa to consult on his project with ʻAbdu’l-Bah. Interestingly, the first indication of a desire to build such a large temple in America came to the leader back in the early 20th century through members of the Chicago Baha’i. ʻAbdu’l-Baha instructed the architect to make the building smaller and trimmed in scale.
In the 1920s, in the Chicago suburb of tiny Wilmette, construction began on the grandest Baha’i temple to date. The mighty stepped structure centres around an openwork, albeit heavy dome. The skeleton of the building is based on a steel frame and the diameter of the dome is as large as 22 m. When viewed from below, the proportions of the building’s layers appear equal, but in fact the dome dominates the mass.
Standing on a platform, the building is reminiscent of North Indian palaces, Arab mosques or steppe madrassas (schools). The obvious inspiration was the first temple in Ashgabat (today’s Turkmenistan). For this reason, the Wilmette temple is covered with thousands of fine decorations. The arabesques and fragments of Baháʼu’lláh’s writings are not just aesthetic ornaments, as some of the designs inform the fundamentals of Bahaism. Symbols on the columns include the Christian cross, the Muslim crescent with star, the swastika characteristic of Hinduism and the beliefs of the tribes of America, and the nine-pointed star is the symbol of Bahaism, which brings together adherents of all beliefs. This message is meant to unite people from all nations and faiths.
Eclectic syncretism
The concrete panels used to line the façade have an abundance of fine quartz in them, so that the building remains white despite the passage of time and is easily illuminated at night. Quartz concrete has been used to create imaginative architectural forms from various traditions. The horseshoe-shaped Indian arches, for example, are combined with the fine servants and columns of the late Gothic. What’s more, classical columns with medieval buttresses have been placed under the Renaissance dome. Amateurs of American architecture may associate the rich ornamentation of the castings with the works of Louis Sullivan. This is not an accidental observation, as Louis Bourgeois once worked for Sullivan in Chicago, but there is no historical evidence that the Baha’i architect was inspired by the pioneer of American architecture.
The key to interpreting the building is the number nine. The Baha’i star has nine arms, and the building is laid out in the plan of just such a star. There are nine columns, nine terraces, nine entrances and nine fountains in the garden. The nine is the last digit of Arabic numerology and in those cultures signifies perfection. Another interesting symbol is found in the main auditorium, which can accommodate more than 1,100 people. The ceiling of the dome bears the Arabic inscription ‘Supreme Name’ referring to the monotheistic Baha’i God. It is worth remembering that Bahaism draws many cultural patterns from Semitic religions, so some of the principles of their faith may seem familiar.
Unusual monument
The construction of the temple was interrupted due to the Great Depression in the 1930s. Sadly, ʻAbdu’l-Baha died as late as 1921 and the architect Louis Bourgeois passed away in 1930. Work resumed during the Second World War, and in 1953 the temple was completed and consecrated by Baha’i clergy. Key Baha’i representatives, including the wife of ʻAbdu’l-Bahaʼs successor, were present at the opening ceremony.
Today, the temple in Wilmette, Illinois, is not only one of the most important Baha’i temples in the world, but also a hidden architectural gem. The eclectic combinations of different architectural orders, the rich ornamentation and the profound symbolism of the building combine to create a unique beauty. What’s more, the temple authorities invite representatives of all faiths to their building, and the whole is intended to have the character of a universal house of worship. In addition, the temple’s extensive and well-kept garden can be a place of contemplation and tranquillity.
Source: Bahai.us
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