live today. lagaw tomorrow. capture the moment.: Architecture

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Bahá’í House of Worship

Called "The Dawning Place", this Bahá'í Temple, is now considered a tourist destination because of its intricate lace-like design and beautiful architecture.

The picture from the guide-book enticed me to see it personally. Located in Wilmette in Illinois, the visit turned out to be all worth it. I got to see a one-of-a kind structure and got to know an entirely new religion. Before the trip, I never even heard of Bahá'í. To think that a small community is alleged to exist in the Philippines.

Faith

Bahá'ís believe that everyone is part of one human race and every revealed religion is a gift to humankind from the one Eternal God. They believe that humanity is one family created by God and promote the unity of mankind and the establishment of peace in the world.

History

It all started in Persia (now Iran) by Mírza Husayn-'Alí in the 1800s during the Ottoman Empire. In the United States, the Bahá'í Faith was first mentioned in 1893 by a Presbyterian Missionary at the Word Parliament of Religions held during the Columbian Exposition in Chicago until it eventually spread across the country.

Temple

Planning started in 1903, but construction began only in 1920 and was not completed until 1953. The domed structure has nine sides. The lacy pattern of the temple is made out of special concrete consisting of quartz and white cement. The auditorium is open to the public for free. It seats 1,191 and stands 138 feet from the floor to the apex of the inside dome. Other Houses of Worship are located at Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany; Kampala, Uganda; Sidney, Australia; Panama City, Panama; New Delhi, India; and Apia, Western Samoa.

There are nine inscriptions carved above the entrance and nine more appearing in the alcoves. One inscription made an impression on me the most and that is: "The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens." Bottomline: World peace. They say travel is one great way to learn, well that was one great lesson. A lesson that we all should learn and live by.

The Bahá'í House of Worship
100 Linden Avenue
Wilmette, Illinois 60091
www.bahaiitemple.org

Visiting Hours:
10:00 am - 5:00 pm (between Oct. 1 and Apr. 30)
10:00 am - 8:00 pm (between May 1 and Sept 30)

** Out of respect, I did not take pictures inside the temple.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Visita Iglesia in Iloilo

As the province of Iloilo was considered an important province during the Spanish Colonial Era, beautiful old world architecture can be seen all around. One example is the many Spanish colonial churches found scattered in the province. Almost all towns in the province boast of a Spanish colonial church. Most if not all are restored to their original designs.

If you are in Iloilo during the Semana Santa (Holy Week) or Cuaresma (Lent), go on a Visita Iglesia (church visit) pilgrimage. Visita Iglesia is a tradition practiced by the early Christians where they visit the 7 great basilicas in Rome for the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament during Maundy Thursday. (Source: The Catholic Herald). This practice was passed on by the Spanish Colonizers to the Filipinos.

In recent time, Filipino Catholic faithfuls would visit either 7 (2 stations per church) or 14 churches (1 station per church) to pray the Via Crucis (Stations of the Cross).

Here are just some of the churches you can visit when you are in Iloilo:

Southern Iloilo

San Jose
- San Jose Church
- exterior: Byzantine & Neoclassic
- built in 1873

San Jose Church 2010