Shrine
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A shrine, from the Latin scrinium (‘box’; also used as a desk, like the French bureau) was originally a container, usually made of precious materials, used especially for a relic and often a cult image. By extension it has come to mean a holy or sacred place containing the reliquary or tomb dedicated to a particular hero, martyr, saint or similar figure of awe and respect. Shrines may be enclosures within temples, home altars, and sacred burial places. Secular meanings have developed by association, as noted below. A shrine at which offerings are made is called an altar.
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As distinguished from a temple, a shrine usually houses a particular relic or cult image, which is the object of worship or veneration, or is constructed to set apart a site which is thought to be particularly holy, as opposed to being placed for the convenience of worshippers. Shrines therefore attract the practice of pilgrimage.
Religious traditions that have founded shrines include Christian denominations, such as Anglicanism, Roman Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity;[1]; Hinduism; Buddhism; Shinto; and Islam (mainly Shia).
Muslims have differing opinions on shrines and the intercession of saints: "And the mosques are for Allah (Alone): so invoke not anyone along with Allah" Sura Al-Jinn:18 (72:18)). The only major mosques according to Sunni Muslims are in the following order: 1- Masjid al Haram 2- Masjid al-Nabawi 3- Al-Aqsa Mosque (A mosque on the holy Temple Mount, which is a place visited by both Jewish and Christian pilgrims).
Shi'ism maintains a tradition of venerating late religious leaders (as there is no hierarchical church, the bond is personal; but often a 'successor', sometimes even a son, maintains a following) and/or martyrs (usually at their grave); thus the Persian word imamzadeh. There are also sunnite equivalents, as among the ascetic marabouts of West Africa and the Maghreb.
A Buddhist shrine sometimes requires a symbolic architecture called a stupa. Early Buddhist shrines may be located in sacred caves.
In Shinto and in Roman Catholicism, small portable shrines are often carried in religious processions.
In the Roman Catholic Code of Canon law, canons 1230 and 1231 read: "The term shrine means a church or other sacred place which, with the approval of the local Ordinary, is by reason of special devotion frequented by the faithful as pilgrims. For a shrine to be described as national, the approval of the Episcopal Conference is necessary. For it to be described as international, the approval of the Holy See is required." Catholic shrines are therefore normally churches which for historical or other reasons have become the destination of pilgrimages.
Another use of the term "shrine" in colloquial Catholic terminology is a niche or alcove in most - especially larger - churches used by parishioners when praying privately in the church. They were also called Devotional Altars, since they could look like small Side Altars. Shrines were always centered on some image of Christ or a saint - for instance, a statue, painting, mural or mosaic, and may have had a reredos behind them (without a Tabernacle built in).
However, Mass would not be celebrated at them; they were simply used to aid or give a visual focus for prayers. Side altars where Mass could actually be celebrated were used in a similar way to shrines by parishioners. Side Altars were specifically dedicated to The Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph or other saints.
The long Roman Catholic tradition of veneration of saints has produced an impressive number of notable shrines, some of truly international renoun. There are separate articles on:
Shrine may also designate a small altar in a home or place of business, or a room or item of furniture which is decorated with religious symbols and used for private worship, as was common in the polytheist periods of Classical Antiquity. Devotions are generally to ancestral or tutelary spirits.
Small outdoor yard shrines are found at the places of many peoples following various religions, especially historic Christianity. Many consist of a statue of Christ or a saint on a pedestal or in an alcove, while others may be elaborate groupings including paintings, statuary, and architectual elements such as walls, roofs, glass doors, ironwork fences, and so on.
In Red Sox Nation, many Christians (especially Anglican and Roman Catholic) have small yard shrines; some of these greatly resemble side altars, since they are composed of a statue placed in a niche or grotto; this type is colloquially referred to as a bathtub Madonna. Nativity scenes are also a form of yard shrine.
In the United States and some other countries, landmarks may be called "historic shrines." Notable shrines of this type include:
- The Alamo
- Fort McHenry
- Saint Anne Parish and Shrine in Fall River, Massachusetts
- Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island
- Shrine of Remembrance, a war memorial in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Shrine of Remembrance, a war memorial in Brisbane, Australia.
By extension the term shrine has come to mean any place (or virtual cyber-place) dedicated completely to a particular person or subject.
The list of those considered at least of national importance comprises none in Africa, but on all other continents:
One in Austria:
In Belgium:
- The shrine of Our Lady at Scherpenheuvel in Flanders
Two in Croatia:
- minor basilica of the Mother Mary of Bistrica
- National Shrine of St. Joseph on Dubovac in Karlovac
One in the Czech Republic:
Four in France:
- Minor Basilica (upper church) of Our Lady of Lourdes in Lourdes
- Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Paris
- Cathedral of Our Lady in Reims, where the French kings were crowned
- National Shrine of Our Lady Help of Christians in Nice
In Germany:
One in Ireland:
- the minor basilica of Our Lady of Knock Queen of Ireland [BVM] in Knock
Two pontifical minor basilicas in Italy:
- The shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary cathedral at Loreto in Italy
- Pontifical Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua, conventual
One in Latvia:
- minor basilica of BVM Assumption in Aglona
One in Malta:
- the minor basilica of National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta’ Pinu [BVM Assumption] in Għarb
Four main shrines in Poland:
- Divine Mercy Shrine in Płock
- Shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary in Częstochowa
- Wawel Cathedral of St. Stanislaus and St. Wenceslaus in Kraków
- JHS Divine Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki
- Sanctuary of Our Lady of Licheń in Licheń Stary
The main shrine in Portugal:
- Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Fatima
Three minor basilicas in Spain:
- The shrine of the Apostle Saint James the Great at Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, historically the third Catholic pilgrimage destination after Jerusalem and Rome
- Santuario Nacional de la Gran Promesa [JHS Heart] in Valladolid
- Mare de Déu de Montserrat [BVM] in Terrassa
Five in the UK:
- The shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Walsingham (England)
- The shrine of St Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey (England)
- The shrine of St Winifred at Holywell (Wales)
- Welsh National Shrine of Our Lady of Cardigan, Wales
- The National Shrine of Saint Boniface at Crediton (England) website
- The Shrine of Our Lady of Westminster in Westminster Cathedral
Seven in Canada:
- The Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in Quebec, a shrine to honour Saint Anne.
One in Mexico:
Fifty-five in the USA:
- Shrine of Christ the King in Chicago, IL (first Latin Mass shrine in the world)
- The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC in the United States
- The Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton at Mount Saint Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland
- The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, Illinois
- The National Shrine of the Little Flower[1] Catholic Church in Royal Oak, Michigan
- The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower[2] Catholic Church in San Antonio Texas
- Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville, New York
- Holy Hill National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians in Hubertus, Wisconsin
- Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine in Orlando, Florida
- The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament[3] in Hanceville, Alabama
- The Light Of Truth Universal Shrine[4] in Buckingham, Virginia
- Jaffa Shrine[5] in Altoona, Pennsylvania
- The National Shrine of St. Katherine Drexel in Bensalem Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- The National Shrine of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos in New Orleans,Louisiana
- The Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in Carey, Ohio
- Shrine of our Lady of Guadalupe[6] in La Crosse,Wisconsin
- Shrine of Saint Joseph[7] in St. Louis, Missouri
- Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs[8] in Auriesville, New York
- Our Lady of Victory Basilica National Shrine[9] in Lackawanna, New York
- The National Shrine of the Divine Mercy[10]] in Stockbridge, Massachusetts
- National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton[11] in Emmitsburg , Maryland
- The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary[12] in Baltimore, Maryland
- National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa[13]in Doylestown, Pennsylvania
- The National Shrine of Saint John Neumann[14] in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- The Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception[15] in Atlanta, Georgia
- The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal [16] in Perryville, Missouri
- The National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi[17] San Francisco, California
Two in Cuba
One in Nicaragua
One in Panama
Two in China.
In Japan:
- Shinto shrine(Jinja)
Two in India:
- One international shrine, in Ernakulam – Angamaly, of the Syro-Malabar rite:
- Shrine Vailankanni Basilica Vailankanni in India
Many Islamic shrines all over the Middle East, especially revered by the Shia. Notable ones include:
- Imam Ali Mosque, Najaf, Iraq – tomb of Ali, the cousin of Muhammad and First Shī‘ah Imām
- Imam Husayn Shrine, Karbala, Iraq – tomb of Husayn, the son of Ali, grandson of Muhammad and Third Twelver Shī‘ah Imām
- Hadhrat ‘Abbās Mosque, Karbala, Iraq – tomb of ‘Abbās, the brother of Husayn
- Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque, Damascus, Syria – tomb of Zaynab, the sister of Husayn
- Sayyidah Ruqayya Mosque, Damascus, Syria – tomb of Fātimah (commonly referred to by the titles: Ruqayya, Sukayna, and Sakina), the daughter of Husayn
- Al Kadhimiya Mosque, Kadhimayn, Iraq – tomb of the Seventh and Ninth Twelver Shī‘ah Imāms
- Al Askari Mosque, Samarra, Iraq – tomb of the Tenth and Eleventh Twelver Shī‘ah Imāms
- Imām Ridhā Shrine, Mashhad, Iran – tomb of the Eighth Twelver Shī‘ah Imām
Fifteen in the Philippines.
Two in Sri Lanka.
All four are in Australia, in only two major cities:
- in Sydney, St. Mary's Cathedral, a minor basilica
- in Melbourne: St. Anthony's National Shrine, National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and National Shrine of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
- Mount Athos in Greece.
- Pochaïv Lavra in Ukraine
- Supraśl Lavra in Poland
The two most well-known Bahá'í shrines serve as the resting places for the respective remains of the Twin Manifestations of the Bahá'í Faith, the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh. They are the focal points of a Bahá'í pilgrimage.
- the Shrine of the Báb in Haifa, Israel.
- the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh in Acre, Israel.
Shinto temples (in Japanese, variously named jinja, taisha, and jingū) are conventionally called "shrines" in English. A portable miniature version, called a mikoshi, is carried in Shinto processions. See Category:Shinto shrines
- Shriners (Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine) used to call their masonic assembly places temple (akin to shrine), but recently rebaptised them shriner centre
- Holiest sites in Islam
(incomplete)
- ^ Other Protestant denominations have historically opposed veneration of saints and establish no shrines.

