The Temples of Humankind are a collection of subterranean temples buried underground built by the

Federation of Damanhur The Federation of Damanhur, often called simply Damanhur, is a commune, ecovillage, and spiritual community situated in the Piedmont region of northern Italy about north of the city of Turin. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the C ...

. They are decorated in several motifs stressing peaceful human collaboration. The Temples are located in the foothills of the Alps in northern Italy, from

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

, in the valley of Valchiusella. The temples were created under the direction of

Oberto Airaudi Oberto Airaudi (29 May 1950 – 24 June 2013) was an Italian philosopher and artist, who founded the Federation of Damanhur. Airaudi also went by the name of Falco (Hawk), based on the Damanhur practice of adopting animal names. He was born in Bal ...

who, having claimed visions of ancient temples at age 10 from a

previous life Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is a ...

, began excavation and building in August 1978. By 1991 most of the chambers were reportedly complete when Italian police, acting on a tip from villagers, conducted a raid on the Temples. However, since the temples were so well hidden, police were unable to locate them until state prosecutor Bruno Tinti threatened "show us these temples or we will dynamite the entire hillside." Eventually the Italian government reportedly gave them retroactive excavation and erection privileges and the Temples are now open to visitors.

Structure

Parts of the Temples: *Hall of Water – dedicated to the feminine principle, it is in the shape of a chalice and invites receptivity *Blue Hall – for meditation on social matters and is used as a place of inspiration and reflection *Hall of Earth – dedicated to the masculine principle, to the earth as an element and planet and to past and future reincarnations *Hall of Metals – represents the different ages and developmental stages of humankind and the shadow elements of the human psyche *Labyrinth Hall – showing Interfaith worship through the centuries, uniting different cultures and peoples *Hall of Spheres – positioned where 3 synchronic lines merge, inviting planetary contact and transmission of messages, ideas and dreams to create harmony between nations *Hall of Mirrors – dedicated to the sky, air and light, solar energy, strength and life. There are 4 altars to earth, water, air and fire

References

Publisher of Damanhur Biography

The Damanhur Temples ABC News website

External links

*

1978 establishments in Italy New Age New religious movements {{Turin-geo-stub Religious buildings and structures completed in 1991 Architecture related to utopias