Shoghi Effendi:
Recollections
by Ugo Giachery
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chapter 5 | start page | single page | chapter 7 |  |
Chapter 6
VI
The Queen of Carmel
ELEMENTS of wonder have all along dominated the establishment and embellishment of the World Centre of the Faith of God. Reference has already been made to many of the difficulties encountered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá and the Guardian in the erection of the Tomb of the Báb during the first five decades of this, the twentieth century. During this period the Spiritual Center of the Faith evolved from its embryonic stage - a dreamlike plan seconded by courage and perseverance - to the completion, in 1953, of the superb Shrine that now graces the slope of Mt. Carmel. The plan of God conveyed to man through His Messenger Bahá'u'lláh has taken shape and is unfolding in a manner made possible only through the indisputable intervention of a superhuman power, even as the forces of opposition and the frailty of other human elements resisted, step by step, the realization of this heavenly project.
Not long after Shoghi Effendi assumed his stewardship as Guardian, it was possible for him, through the munificent assistance of a dedicated 'Iraqi Bahá'í, Haji Mahmud Qassabchi,[*] to carry out the arduous task, already referred to, of adding three rooms along the south side of the Báb's Sepulchre as originally erected under the guidance of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in the early years of the century. Thus the shape of the building was changed from an oblong edifice to one perfectly square, which would better lend itself, in time, to embellishment by addition of an outer structure embodying the graceful, yet majestic and lofty features desired by 'Abdu'l-Bahá to honour the resting-place of the Martyr Prophet who heralded the advent of Bahá'u'lláh.
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* See his photograph, facing p.87.
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The beloved Guardian personally supervised this work, which required excavation of the mountain-side to make sufficient space for the additional rooms; a work accomplished by the use of simple tools and man-power, a toilsome and risky enterprise without the help of modern, specialized machinery.
In these rooms Shoghi Effendi established the first International Bahá'í Archives, in which were lovingly gathered and displayed in orderly arrangements, by his own hands, the Writings, the relics, the personal objects, photographs and portraits associated with the Central Figures of the Faith. His keen concern in preserving for posterity such priceless treasures - marks of great prestige in the history of the Faith - inspired him to announce in 1952 plans for the construction of a yet larger and more suitable edifice to house, without limitation of space, the contents crowded into the enlarged Shrine of the Báb. As we shall see later, transfer of the precious objects to the new International Archives was done after his passing, for the building was completed just before his journey in the summer of 1957, from which he was never to return to Haifa.
The circumstances that brought Mr. William S. Maxwell to Haifa in 1941, after the passing of his beloved wife May,[*] fitted in well with the plans formulated by the Guardian. Considering the age and now the enforced loneliness of his illustrious father-in -law, Shoghi Effendi invited him to come to the Holy Land as Soon as he could settle his affairs and depart from his native Canada. My wife and I were then living in New York City and, having known Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell for some time, we offered to assist him when he passed through, to depart on an Italian ship for Naples and then proceed by another vessel to Haifa. We spent some precious hours in our home with him, before accompanying him to the pier and on to the steamer to recommend him to the staff to ensure that special attention would be extended to him during his voyage. It was a blessing that he could leave when he did, because some months later, after the Pearl Harbour attack, the world was plunged into another global war, and communication with Haifa became difficult for nearly five years.
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* Mrs. Maxwell died in Buenos Aires on 1 March 1940; the Guardian accorded her the station of a martyr.
William Sutherland Maxwell [*] was born in Canada, of Scottish ancestry. His keen interest in design, painting and architecture, in which he excelled when still very young, added greatly to his distinguished and gracious personality. Tall, vigorous but gentle, he emanated an air of assurance and trustworthiness, which must have moved Shoghi Effendi. With the arrival of Mr. Maxwell and his presence in Haifa, the problem of choosing an architect to transform the long-cherished wishes of Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá into design was solved, through the bounty of God. Mr. Maxwell was a deeply devoted believer, a well-trained architect with forty years of experience both at home and abroad, a fine artist whose pen and brush could render, in lines and colours, the expression of an inspiration with much beauty.
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* See memorial article in The Bahá'í World XII p 657-62
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When I beheld the design of the Báb's Shrine it seemed to me that here all architectural canons of East and West were blended into an original, yet classic style suggestive of the lineage of the Báb, the expectation of Islam for the coming of the Qa'im, the prophecies of the Qur'an, the masterly standards of Greek, Roman and Christian decorative arts, all blossoming into a structure demonstrating the pure spirit of unity of the Báb's own dramatic Ministry, His piety, His innocence and His martyrdom.
Many times after I first saw Mr. Maxwell's designs, during the execution of the work and after beholding the completed Shrine in all its majesty and loveliness, I have asked myself if it could have been possible to find another such sensitive architect, capable of equalling or even rivalling Mr. Maxwell's project in conception or execution. His whole-hearted collaboration with Shoghi Effendi's views, his sympathetic interpretation of the Guardian's wishes and counsel, the tender love originating at their first meeting many years before, all had now deepened into a feeling of true veneration and respect, which Shoghi Effendi reciprocated with his usual warmth and kindness.
After Mr. Maxwell passed away in March 1952, whenever Shoghi Effendi spoke of him one could easily detect a sense of deep sorrow and genuine affection for his valiant collaborator who had shared with him perhaps the most difficult period of his life. Mr. Maxwell's poise and good humour, his inventiveness, his dexterity, his profound love for beauty and harmony of forms and figures alleviated Shoghi Effendi's problems, for the Guardian was also doing his utmost to complete the gardens around the Sepulchre of the Báb and the Monument gardens initiated a few years before, with greatly limited means, material and manpower at his disposal.
Little by little Shoghi Effendi entrusted Mr. Maxwell with many details for beautification of the grounds. Mr. Maxwell, in his turn, produced some of the most outstanding decorative structures, such as the carved stone and wrought-iron main gate to the Shrine gardens, the lesser gates of the Monument gardens, the stone and marble bases of ornamental amphorae, vases and eagles,the sets of marble steps connecting the different levels within the grounds, the iron lamp-posts and an infinite number of other embellishments that add to the atmosphere of rare beauty characteristic of all the Bahá'í Holy Places, in Haifa and Akka.
The chief and most important task assigned to Mr. Maxwell, however, was the drawing up of architectural plans for the outer structure of the Shrine of the Báb. After his arrival in Haifa, he set up a studio in one of the smaller rooms of the Western Pilgrim House at 10 Persian Street, and equipped it with his drawing-table and board, his instruments and other paraphernalia needed to give substance to the creative power animated by his unfettered imagination. When I saw this atelier some years later, I was greatly impressed by the magnitude of work accomplished in such a small space, to which the varied collection of drawings, sketches, plans and water-colour paintings testified. Mr. Maxwell had a genius for detail; there was not even the most minute particular of his project that did not become the object of special care, illustrated with skill and precision, to show how it would look in actuality. There was at that time such an abundance and variety of sketches and studies as would have graced the collection of an art lover. To conclude this appraisal of his ability and reputation, I will only add that when contracts were assigned in Italy for production of the carved marble for the Shrine of the Báb, and the plans and designs made by Mr. Maxwell were submitted to the contractors, exclamations of admiration and praise were uttered by the members of the architectural staff, which included some college and university professors, and by the sculptors who were to carve the marble.
Shoghi Effendi, in his eagerness, was always ahead of everyone else, and even as he truly envisioned future developments in the Cause of God, so he also was anxious to see for himself the actual reality of material things, such as buildings, construction, art work and the like. Whenever, in Haifa, I asked his approval of something that had to be done, he would say: 'Show me how it is going to look.' He was accustomed to seeing, well in advance, how something would look because of the rare ability of Mr. Maxwell's 'magic brush'.
Although restricted by the war raging in many parts of the globe, the Shrine project continued to develop during the three years between the arrival of Mr. Maxwell at the World Centre and the world-wide celebrations of the first centenary of the Declaration of the Báb. A succession of intensive studies, proposals, outlines, plans and sketches, with a myriad of details, were submitted to and discussed with the Guardian, in order to carry out faithfully the directives given by 'Abdu'l-Bahá. I wish I could convey to the reader a comprehension of the magnitude of the labours involved to create this monumental gem of rare beauty. The graceful structure, interspersed with delicate ornamentation, called to mind the glories of the Roman and Islamic schools of architecture combined into one harmonious conception.
On 22 May 1944, when the Bahá'ís of the Holy Land gathered together in the precincts of the Holy Sepulchre of the Báb, to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of His Declaration, the completed model of the project was unveiled, amid the great rejoicing of the beloved Guardian and all those present. It was a tangible embodiment of years of dreams, aspirations and labour, a precursor of the day when the 'noble and imposing structures' anticipated by Bahá'u'lláh in His Tablets, to be raised 'throughout the length and breadth' of the Holy Land, could be built. [6] This Centenary was an historic milestone, a 'turning point', which, in the Guardian's words addressed to the All-America Convention held at this time, was 'to commemorate alike the Anniversary of the founding of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh and the Birth of Abdu'l-Bahá, the [fiftieth] Anniversary of its establishment in the Occident ...' [7]
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[6] Cited GPB p.275
[7] MA p.72
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Mr. Maxwell had made two valuable artistic contributions at this time. The first was a 'rendition' (painting) in colour of the proposed structure, showing the landscaping of the immediate vicinity.[*] Copies of it were distributed by Shoghi Effendi to all National Spiritual Assemblies and were later graciously donated by him to pilgrims when the doors of pilgrimage were again opened, at the end of 1951.
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* This appeared as a frontispiece in vol.IX (1940-1944) of The Bahá'í World
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Mr. Maxwell's second artistic contribution was the aforementioned model. It stood about two feet high and was a work representing great patience and ingenuity. Mr. Maxwell had to rely fully on his inventiveness in the use of paper to resemble marble and other materials to give a very real illusion of the actual building. When Mr. Maxwell came to Rome in 1948, he brought with him a photograph of this model. It served as the most effective argument to convince the contracting firm to undertake the execution of the work, because they readily understood that completion of this original and graceful structure would confer on them great prestige and secure for them other work throughout the world. I personally was so intrigued by the photograph that I was able to start a publicity campaign for the Faith in the Italian press by its use, as also later in the Netherlands. Thus years before the completion of the Sepulchre, it was possible to make the public aware of the Faith and of the existence of such an architectural gem in the Middle East. The model is now preserved, in the main hall of the Bahji Mansion, to bear witness, for many years to come, to the resourcefulness and ingenuity of the valiant and beloved architect, William Sutherland Maxwell.
"Queen of Carmel enthroned (on) God's Mountain, crowned (in) glowing gold, robed (in) shimmering white, girdled (in) emerald green, enchanting every eye from air, sea, plain (and) hill." [8]
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[8] BW vol.XII p.239
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With these words the Guardian described the completed Sepulchre of the Báb, in his joyous cablegram to the Fourth Intercontinental Teaching Conference in New Delhi, October 1953. Of all the renowned domes of classic architecture, Shoghi Effendi most admired those of St. Peter's in Rome by Michelangelo, and of St. Paul's in London by Sir Christopher Wren. His guidance to Mr. Maxwell inspired the creation of a happy combination of the two, embodying the characteristic of regality.
The reader who has not yet visited the Holy Land and seen the Sepulchre of the Báb can readily discern the genius of such a conception by viewing photographs available in innumerable publications. pilgrims who came to Haifa during the erection of the outer shell of the Shrine and those who came after its completion and until May 1957, often heard the beloved Guardian speak of it with delight and admiration. His frequent references to the Shrine, using words of exultation and infinite joy, in his various messages between 1948 and October 1953, when the Shrine was completed, give the impression that they are sung from his heart, much as a mountain climber on reaching the summit of a peak might break out into a song of glorification and thanksgiving for divine assistance received in accomplishing the impossible. Similarly, expressions of gratitude and praise for the painstaking labours of Mr. Maxwell were broadcast by Shoghi Effendi to the Bahá'í world, so that all the friends might join with him in honouring the illustrious architect of the Sepulchre of the Báb.
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