Baha'i Holy Places Archive

The first Baha’i House of Worship in South America will be built in the Andean foothills with a panoramic view of the mountains in three directions.

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Chile has taken possession of a 110-hectare site in a rural region of the Chacabuco Province some 35 minutes by car north of the center of Santiago.

The House of Worship will be on the top of a hill in a seven-hectare section of the site that will constitute the immediate grounds and gardens of the Temple.

The temple, designed by Canadian architect Siamak Hariri, will be clad in forged glass and Spanish alabaster. The translucent stone will allow sunlight to filter through during the day and the Temple to emit a warm glow from the interior lighting at night.

The nine “wings” that form the exterior will torque upwards, overlapping at the apex to create a dome.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the US$27 million temple will be held in October 2005, and the building should be completed within three years, said a spokesman for the Baha’i International Community, Douglas Moore.

Source: http://news.bahai.org/story/369