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On a mountaintop outside of Turin, Italy, in 1978, spiritual leader Oberto Airaudi (a.k.a. Falco) had a vision of sacred temples built inside of the mountain -- and the digging commenced. The Temples of Humankind were a secret from even the closest neighbors for the next twenty years as artists, artisans and builders excavated and created the equivalent of a five-story subterranean building. The community that has grown around this underground network of halls and corridors has its own system of government, its own currency with minted coins, its own school and stores. The people named their community, Damanhur, a word channeled by spiritual leader, Airaudi, from ancient Atlantean, meaning "City of Light".
Today, temples filled with superbly painted murals, soaring sculptural columns, meticulous mosaic floors, and giant stained glass domes, are the context for this intentional community that celebrates universal world spirituality drawn from all sacred traditions. Secret Doors, the Blue Temple, the Hall of Water, the Hall of the Earth, the Hall of Metals, the Hall of Spheres, the Hall of Mirrors, and a Labyrinth are revealed in this guided photographic tour.
This volume represents the astonishing art and architecture created by devoted members of the communal village of Damanhur. Merging ancient mystic customs and principles with contemporary consciousness and philosophy, this tiny utopia has manifested an eco-conscious, self-sustaining society. Damanhur’s temples are its most exquisite gift to the world. |
