Baha’i House of Worship
Perhaps one of the most beautiful and ornate structures in the Chicago area is the Baha’i House of Worship in Wilmette.
There are currently seven Houses of Worship around the world; the one in Wilmette is the largest and oldest surviving, completed in 1953. (The first, originally constructed in what is now Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, was seriously damaged by an earthquake in 1948.) Known by many of the Baha’i faith as the “Mother Temple of the West,” it has received numerous design awards and is a prominent Chicago-area landmark.
The Baha’i faith was founded by Baha’u’llah in 19th-century Persia and centers around three core principles: the unity of God, the unity of religion, and the unity of mankind. Followers accept the validity of most of the world’s religions, whose founders and central figures (including Abraham, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, and others) are seen as manifestations of God.
Baha’u’llah emphasized that a House of Worship should be a gathering place where people of all religions can worship God without denominational restrictions. With that in mind, Holy Scriptures of any faith may be read or chanted in any language in the structure, but no sermons are delivered nor are ritualistic ceremonies practiced. The Wilmette temple incorporates symbols from several religions, including Christianity’s cross, Judaism’s Star of David, and Islam’s crescent. All Baha’i temples have a nine-sided circular shape and contain no pictures, statues, images, pulpits, or altars.
The cornerstone for the Baha’i House of Worship in Wilmette was laid in 1912 by Abdu’l-Baha (Baha’u’llah’s son and successor). The auditorium stands 138 feet (42 meters) tall, and the dome’s diameter is 90 feet (27.5 meters). Open every day of the year, prayer services are held three times daily.
Photo credit: rex dart: eskimo spy, wallyg, jlurie, teague o, bmitd67, majorbonnet, Wikimedia, jaymce, sungo
Baha’i House of Worship: 100 Linden Ave (Wilmette); 847-853-2300
Auditorium
Daily: 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Visitors Center
Oct 1 – Apr 30: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
May 1 – Sept 30: 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Public trans: Purple Line train (Linden)
http://www.bahai.us/
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