Damanhur – A place where legend and mysticism still exist.

 

In 2005 my wife and I travelled to Italy for our Honeymoon. Italy is a beautiful country littered with the remnants of the Roman Empire and castles from the Middle Ages. It has beautiful coastlines, picture postcard countrysides, famous towns and cities bursting at the seams with rich histories and buildings boasting exquisite architecture that house priceless artworks. Yet, despite all these treasures the KEY reason for us choosing Italy as the destination for our 5 week backpacking honeymoon was Damanhur.

I had heard of Damanhur from a work associate who had travelled to Italy to celebrate a Winter Solctice at Damanhur back in 2002. After hearing her detailed account of Damanhur I made a vow to myself that if I was to ever visit that side of the world ( I live in Australia) I would make an effort to go to Damanhur.

Now, if you have never heard of Damanhur till now, that’s OK. I must admit, I had never heard of it either until my work associate mentioned it to me. It is quite hard to define what Damanhur is. It is an Eco village, a federation, a spiritual university, a healing centre, a scientific research facility, a centre for fine arts plus much, much more.

The thing that I was most interested in seeing at Damanhur were their Temples To Mankind, which are built into the side of a mountain under the ground. These Temples were built by the Damanhurians themselves with their own hands. It is important to highlight for you that the originators of the Temple Project had no formal architectural, building or artistic training they were purely self taught and operated with the following pressuposition. If it is possible in the world then it is possible for us. It was after seeing the pictures of their accomplishments in the form of the Temples of Mankind that were the main motivating reason for us to visit Damanhur and Italy. The temples literally have to be seen to be believed and photos do not do justice to the beauty, size and scope of their work! I would not hesitate to say that they are truly one of the 7 wonders of the modern world and living proof as to how strong spiritual convictions, a common vision and co-operation can literally move mountains and accomplish the seemingly impossible. It is also a testament to the Damanhurian’s courage, fortitude and practical approach to spirituality that their work has been acknowledged as being an Italian national treasure by the Italian government. This is no mean feat considering that this vast physical and spiritual project has gained such prestigious acknowledgement in a country that is the seat of power for the Catholic Church.

Frankly, I don’t think that I could write anything in my blog that would do Damanhur, it’s People and the Temples To Mankind justice. Therefore, I sincerely urge you to visit the following links and spend the time to marvel at their accomplishments. If like me, you feel the overwhelming urge to visit this remarkable place for your SELF then I whole heartedly recommend that you do. It is a once in a lifetime experience and one that will most likely become a pilgrimage for people interested in spirituality, metaphysics, sustainable living fine art and architecture.

Here is the link to Damanhur’s Homepage – http://www.damanhur.info/en/html/home.asp

Here is the link to the Multimedia presentation of the Temples Of Mankind -

http://www.damanhur.org/temple/

Here is a link to an article written by Ross Robinson of What is Enlightenment Magazine on his experience of Damanhur.

http://www.wie.org/j36/damanhur.asp?ecp=WIEN-0704

P.S: The Damanhurians also own two records in the Guinness Book Of World Records. The own the largest stain glass window (found in the hall of mirrors in the temple) and the World’s largest underground temple.

Ciao for now!

P.M

~ by Paul Mischel on September 30, 2007.