Bahá’í House of Worship (Norte del Cauca, Colombia)
The House of Worship at Norte del Cauca, Colombia is located on the Agua Azul sideroad, in the municipality of Villa Rica of the department of Cauca in Colombia. It is one of the first local temples built in the world along with four other ones located in Battambang (Cambodia), Bihar Sharif (India), Matunda Soy (Kenya) and Tanna (Vanuatu).
Construction[edit]
In April 2012, the Universal House of Justice announced that after completing the last continental House of Worship in Chile, two national Houses would be built, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Papua New Guinea, in addition to five local ones, one of which would be the temple of Villa Rica, in the north of Cauca.[1]
At the end of 2013, the construction sites were acquired, including in addition to the temple area 11 hectares destined for the recovery of the native forest.[2] Its design, respectful of the environment and inspired by the materials and flora of the region, was unveiled at a meeting on the site where the temple would be erected on September 16, 2014.[3] The first works on the ground began on May 25, 2016 at a ceremony attended by 700 people, including the mayor of Villa Rica Jenny Nair Gómez.[4]
Construction began in early 2017 and ended in April 2018 with the placement of the dome. In June of the same year the symbol of the Bahá'í Faith was placed in the inner apex of the dome, leaving the temple ready for its inauguration that would finally occur on July 22, 2018.[2][5][6]
Architecture[edit]
The House of Worship is inspired by the culture and tradition of the north of Cauca. It has nine faces representing the world's nine largest religions[7] in addition to following a circular pattern. The crown of the dome is inspired by the flower of the cocoa seed, fruit of great importance for the sector before the arrival of the monoculture of sugarcane, and whose shell is fragmented into several fibers that join, in this case nine fibers. Its terracotta color was taken from the local landscape.[8] Likewise, by its privileged location, the House of Worship makes use of solar energy to function.[9]
Native forest[edit]
The land surrounding the House of Worship has 11 hectares where the native forest recovery project is being developed. It has a bank of endangered species, an orchard of medicinal plants in the region and a nursery of native species,[9] including the guadua. The land has a wetland for wildlife recovery.[7]
External links[edit]
- Casa de Adoración Bahá’í del Norte del Cauca at the official site of the Bahá’ís of Colombia.
Notes[edit]
- ↑ "Plans to build new Houses of Worship announced". Bahá’í World News Service. 2012-04-22. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Temple construction reaches new milestone | Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS)". Bahá’í World News Service. 2017-02-23. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
- ↑ "Design of Colombian House of Worship unveiled". Bahá’í World News Service. 2014-09-16. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
- ↑ "Ground broken for the Colombia House of Worship". Bahá’í World News Service. 2016-05-25. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
- ↑ "Flower of Colombia Temple Blooms | Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS)". Bahá’í World News Service. 2018-04-04. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
- ↑ "CASA DE ADORACIÓN BAHÁ`I ABRE SUS PUERTAS EN COLOMBIA". Proclama del Cauca Noticias | Santander de Quilichao | Popayán (in español). 2018-07-23. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "COMUNIDAD BAHÁ'Í CONSTRUYE SU PRIMERA CASA DE ADORACIÓN DE SURAMÉRICA EN VILLA RICA – Proclama del Cauca". Proclama del Cauca Noticias | Santander de Quilichao | Popayán (in español). 2016-08-24. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
- ↑ "On eve of dedication, architect reflects on culture, environment, spiritual principle | Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS)". Bahá’í World News Service. 2018-07-22. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Comunidad bahá'í presenta dedicación de la casa de adoración en Villarica". Periodico La Ultima (in español). 2018-07-22. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
