A
shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers";
Old French:
escrin "box or
case") is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific
deity,
ancestor,
hero,
martyr,
saint or similar
figure of awe and respect, at which they are
venerated or
worshipped.
Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects
associated with the figure being venerated. A shrine at which
votive offerings are made is called
an
altar. Shrines are found in many of the
world's religions, including
Christianity,
Islam,
Hinduism,
Buddhism,
Wicca,,
Chinese folk religion and
Shinto, as well as in secular and non-religious
settings. Shrines can be found in various settings, such as
churches,
temples,
cemeteries, or in
the home, although portable shrines are also found in some
cultures.
This modern definition of a shrine is an extension of the original
definition that was used in late antiquity, that of being a
container, usually made of precious materials, used especially for
a
relic and often a
cult
image.
Types of Shrines
Temple shrines
Most shrines are located within buildings designed specifically for
worship, such as a
church in
Christianity, or a
mandir in Hinduism.
A shrine here is usually the centre of attention in the building,
and is given a place of prominence. In such cases, adherents of the
faith assemble within the building in order to venerate the deity
at the shrine.
Household shrines
Historically, in
Hinduism,
Buddhism and
Roman
Catholicism, as well as in modern faiths, such as
Neopaganism, a shrine can commonly be found
within the home or shop. This shrine is usually a small structure
or a setup of pictures and figurines dedicated to a deity that is
part of the official religion, to
ancestors or to a localised
household deity.
Small household shrines are very common among the
Chinese and people from
South and
Southeast
Asia, whether Hindu, Buddhist or Christian. Usually a small
lamp and small offerings are kept daily by the shrine. Mostly
household shrines are on a shelf, but Chinese shrines may stand
directly on the floor.
Yard shrines
Small outdoor yard shrines are found at the places of many peoples,
following various religions, including historically,
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
architectural elements, such as walls, roofs, glass doors and
ironwork fences, etc.
In the United States, many Christians have small yard shrines; some
of these 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.
Religious shrines
Shrines are most commonly found as a place of religious
significance, and shrines are found in most, though not all,
religions. 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.
Christianity
Shrines are found in many, though not all, forms of
Christianity.
Roman Catholicism, the largest
denomination of Christianity, has many shrines, as does
Orthodox Christianity; however
Protestantism, another type of
Christianity, is typically opposed to them.
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."
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 Altar, since they could look
like small
Side Altar. 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:
A 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.
Islam

Pilgrims outside the Shrine of Imam
Hussain ibn Ali in Karbala, Iraq.
Muslims do not have shrines dedicated to
Allah, and consider such a thing to be
idolatry. Brelwis, which is sector of Islam in pakistan and india,
allows to have shrines and there are lots of shrines of brelwis
scholars and Ullama spread throughout the world ,But according to
islam and all schools of thought it is totally haram or
makrooh(tehreemi) to build building over graves, because Jabir(r.a)
said : « The Messenger of Allah (saw) has forbidden plastering
graves, to make them a place to sit, or to build over them
constructions ».
the ka'bah
, a central
box in the city of Mecca
is not a
shrine it is actually the Qibla for
Muslims.
On the other hand, Muslims have differing opinions on shrines and
the
intercession
of saints (
Tawassul).
Shia Islam maintains a tradition of venerating
late
religious leaders (as
there is no hierarchical church, the bond is personal; but often a
'successor', maintains a following) and/or martyrs (usually at
their grave). Shrines are even made in honour of the descendants of
Shī‘ah Imāms, thus the
Persian word
imamzadeh. There are also sunnite
equivalents, as among the ascetic
marabouts
of
West Africa and the
Maghreb.
Hinduism
In
Hinduism, a shrine is a place where a
god or goddess is worshipped. Shrines are typically located inside
a temple known as a
mandir, though many
Hindus also have a household shrine as well.
Sometimes a human is
venerated at a Hindu shrine along with a deity, for instance the
19th century religious teacher Sri
Ramakrishna is venerated at the Ramakrishna Temple in Kolkata
, India
.
Central to a Hindu shrine is a statue of a deity, which is known as
a
murti. Hindus believe that the deity that
they are worshiping actually enters and inhabits the murti. This is
given offerings like candles, food, flowers, and incense. In some
cases, particularly among devotees of the goddess
Kālī in northern India,
animals are sacrificed to the deity.
At a mandir, the congregation often assembles in front of a shrine,
and, led by priests, give offerings and sing devotional
hymns.
Buddhism
In
Buddhism, a shrine refers to a place
where veneration is focused on the
Buddha or one of the
bodhisattvas. Monks, nuns and laypeople all give
offerings to these revered figures at these shrines and also
meditate in front of them.
Typically, Buddhist shrines contain a statue of either the Buddha,
or (in the
Mahayana and
Vajrayana forms of Buddhism), one of the various
bodhisattvas. They also commonly contain candles, along with
offerings such as flowers, purified water, food, and incense.
Many
shrines also contain sacred relics, such as the alleged tooth of the Buddha held at
a shrine in Sri
Lanka
.
Site-specific shrines in Buddhism, particularly those that contain
relics of deceased buddhas and revered monks, are often
designed in the traditional form known
as the
stupa.
Bahá'í
The two most well-known
Bahá'í shrines serve as the resting
places for the respective remains of the two central figures of the
Bahá'í Faith, the
Báb and
Bahá'u'lláh. They are the focal points
of a
Bahá'í pilgrimage:
Neopaganism
In the many different
neopagan faiths,
which include
Wicca,
Hellenic Polytheistic
Reconstructionism,
Neo-Druidry, and
Germanic Neopaganism, shrines
serve many different purposes.
In the
neopagan religion of
Wicca, a shrine is a place where the
Horned God and the
Triple Goddess are worshipped. However, they
are more commonly referred to with the term "
altar." In other Pagan religions, shrines may be
dedicated to one or many different Gods and Goddesses. As in
Wicca, household worship is usually centered
around them.
Religions without shrines
Certain religions do not feature shrines at all, either because
they believe they are fundamentally wrong, or because they simply
do not need them.
Spiritualism, whilst
believing in a God, does not typically make use of shrines.
Secular shrines
In the United States and some other countries,
landmarks may be called "historic shrines." Notable
shrines of this type include:
By extension the term
shrine has come to mean any place
(or virtual cyber-place) dedicated completely to a particular
person or subject.
Select list of shrines by location
Africa
Cameroon
- Basilique Marie-Reine-des-Apôtres
(Mary Queen of the Apostles Basilica) in Yaoundé
.
Asia
China
- Our Lady of Carmel shrine in Tianjiajing, Henan.
India
- Amarnath
Shrine, in Jammu and Kashmir
- Kashi Vishwanath Temple
, at Varanasi
, Uttar
Pradesh
- Vaishno Devi, in
Jammu and
Kashmir

- Jagannath temple,
poori, Orissa

- Somnath
temple, Gujarat
- Tirumala Venkateswara Temple
Balaji temple, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh
- Srikalahasti
siva temple, Andhra Pradesh
- Mookambika temple,
Karnataka

- Arunachala
siva temple, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu
- Rameswaram
temple, Tamil Nadu
- Chidambaram
Nataraja temple, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu
- Sriranganatha
temple, Srirangam, Tamil
Nadu

- Devi Kanya
Kumari temple, Kanyakumari
, Tamil
Nadu
- Guruvayur
krishna temple, Kerala
- Padmanabhaswamy temple
,Thiruvananthapuram
,Kerala
- Sabarimala temple
, Sabarimala, Kerala
- Minakshi temple,
Madurai, Tamil
Nadu

- Ajmer
Dargha,
Rajasthan
- One international shrine, in Ernakulam – Angamaly, of the
Syro-Malabar Catholic
Church:
- Shrine Vailankanni Basilica Velankanni
Town
in India
- Swaminarayan Temple,
Ahmedabad
, Gujarat
- Swaminarayan Temple,
Vadtal, Gujarat

Iran
Iraq
- 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
- Al-Kadhimiya Mosque
, Kadhimiya
, 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
Israel
Japan
- in
Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
.
- in
Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture
.
- in
Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture
.
- in
Ise, Mie Prefecture
.
- in
Izumo, Shimane Prefecture

- in
Tenri, Nara Prefecture
.
- in
Yawata
, Kyoto
Prefecture
.
- in
Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
.
- in
Kashihara, Nara
Prefecture
.
- in
Tanabe, Wakayama
Prefecture
.
- in
Shingu, Wakayama
Prefecture
.
- in
Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture
.
- in
Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
.
- in
Munakata, Fukuoka
Prefecture
.
- in
Nara, Nara Prefecture
.
- in
Usa
, Ōita
Prefecture
.
Saudi Arabia
Masjid al-Nabawi is not actually a shrine rather its just a
mosque(Arabic masjid for mosque).The prophet Muhammad used to live
in the place next to the mosque.The mosque was constructed
later.The actual space covered by the mosque was simply a 98*110 ft
open space which later on was expanded many times.The present day
mosque is hundred times bigger than the actual one.The place where
Prophet Muhammad is buried used to be a cottage of one of his
wives, Hazrat Ayesha.So later expansions has also included the
resting place of the last Prophet.
Sri Lanka
Syria
Vietnam
Europe
Austria
Belgium
Croatia
Czech Republic
France
Germany
Greece
Ireland
- the
minor basilica of Our Lady of Knock Queen of Ireland [BVM] in
Knock

Italy
Latvia
- minor
basilica of BVM Assumption in Aglona

Malta
- the
minor basilica of National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta’ Pinu
[BVM Assumption] in Għarb

Poland
Portugal
Spain
Ukraine
United Kingdom
North America
Canada
Mexico
United States
- See also:
Roman Catholicism in the United States#Top six Catholic pilgrimage
destinations in the U.S.
- [[Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin Mary|
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Basilica of the National
Shrine of the]]; in Baltimore, Maryland
- Black Madonna Shrine
and Grotto; near Pacific, Missouri
- Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, National Shrine
of; in New
Orleans
, Louisiana
- Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima – see "Immaculate Heart
of Mary, National Blue Army Shrine of the" (below)
- Christ the
King, Sovereign Priest, Shrine of; in Chicago
, Illinois
- Divine Mercy,
National Shrine of The; in Stockbridge, Massachusetts
- Holy Hill National Shrine of Mary, Help
of Christians
, Basilica of; in Hubertus, Wisconsin
- Immaculate Conception, Basilica of the
National Shrine of the
; in Washington, D.C.
- Immaculate Conception, Catholic Shrine of
the; in Atlanta
, Georgia
- Immaculate
Heart of Mary, National Blue Army Shrine of the; in Washington
Borough
, Warren County
, New
Jersey
(see Blue Army of
Our Lady of Fatima#Blue Army Shrine)
- Jaffa
Shrine; in Altoona, Pennsylvania

- Light Of Truth Universal Shrine; in
Buckingham
, Virginia
- Little
Flower, National Shrine of the
; in Royal Oak, Michigan
- Little Flower, Basilica of the National
Shrine of the
; San Antonio, Texas
- Mary, Help of Christians, Basilica of Holy Hill National Shrine
of – see "Holy Hill National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians,
Basilica of" (above)
- Mary, Queen of
the Universe, National Shrine of; in Orlando, Florida
- Miraculous Medal, National Shrine of Our Lady of the – see "Our
Lady of the Miraculous Medal, National Shrine of" (below)
- Miraculous Medal Shrine; in Philadelphia
, Pennsylvania
- Most Blessed Sacrament, Shrine of
the; in Hanceville, Alabama
- "National Shrine" – see "Immaculate Conception, Basilica of the
National Shrine of the" (above)
- North
American Martyrs, National Shrine of the; in Auriesville, New
York
- Our Lady of Consolation, Basilica and
National Shrine of
; in Carey, Ohio
- Our Lady of Czestochowa, National Shrine
of
; in Doylestown, Pennsylvania
- Our Lady of Fatima, Blue Army Shrine of – see "Immaculate Heart
of Mary, National Blue Army Shrine of the" (above)
- Our
Lady of Guadalupe, Shrine of; in La Crosse
,Wisconsin
- Our
Lady of the Miraculous Medal, National Shrine of; in Perryville
, Missouri
- Our
Lady of the Snows, National Shrine of
; in Belleville, Illinois
- Our
Lady of Victory Basilica National Shrine; in Lackawanna
, New
York
- St. Ann,
Basilica of the National Shrine of; in Scranton,
Pennsylvania
- St.
Elizabeth Ann Seton, Basilica of the National Shrine of; in
Emmitsburg, Maryland
- St. Frances Xavier
Cabrini (Mother Cabrini):
- Saint Francis of Assisi, National Shrine
of; in San
Francisco
, California
.
- Saint
John Neumann, National Shrine of
; in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Saint Joseph, Shrine of; in St.
Louis
, Missouri
.
- St. Jude,
National Shrine of; in Chicaago, Illinois
- Saint Katharine
Drexel Mission Center and Shrine; in Bensalem
Township
, Bucks County
, Pennsylvania
- Saint Rita of Cascia,
National Shrine of; in Philadelphia
, Pennsylvania
- St. Rose Philippine
Duchesne Shrine; in St.
Charles, Missouri
- St. Thérèse of Lisieux – see "Little Flower" (above)
- Tsubaki Grand Shrine of
America
; in Granite Falls, Washington
South America
Oceania
Australia
- 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
See also
Notes
- [Sahee Muslim, Hadeeth # 2116]
- http://www.buddhamind.info/leftside/actives/shrine.htm
- Basilique Marie-Reine-des-Apôtres,
shrine
- Pontificio Istituto Missioni Estere (Pontifical
Institute for Foreign Missions): "Our Lady of Carmel shrine in Tianjiajing safe for
now." November 12, 2007.
- Fushimi
Inari-taisha
- Fukuoka/Hakata Tourist Information website: Hakozaki Shrine
- Hiyoshi Taisha
- Ise-jingū
- Tsurugaoka Izumo Taisha
- Iwashimizu Shrine
- [1]
- [2]
- [3]
- [4]
- Yuki, Diego, S.J. "Japanese Martyrs Shrine;" Second Asian Congress on
Pilgrimages and Shrines: Fr. Renzo De Luca, S.J., Rector of the Japanese
Shrine of the 26 Martyrs of Nagasaki. November 2005.
- Shrine of
the 26 Martyrs
- [5]
- [6]
- Kasuga
Shrine
- Ministry
of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLITT):
Usa Jinju Shrine
- Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré
- Insigne y Nacional Basílica de Santa María de
Guadalupe
- Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin Mary
- National
Shrine of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos
- Shrine of Christ the King Sovereign Priest
- National Shrine of the Divine Mercy
- Basilica of
Holy Hill National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians
- Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate
Conception
- Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
- Jaffa
Shrine
- Light Of Truth
Universal Shrine
- National
Shrine of the Little Flower
- Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little
Flower
- National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe
- See
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia#Shrines of
Philadelphia.
- Shrine of
the Most Blessed Sacrament
- National
Shrine of the North American Martyrs
- Basilica
and National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation
- National
Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa
- Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
- National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous
Medal
- National Shrine
of Our Lady of the Snows
- Our Lady of Victory Basilica National
Shrine
- National
Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton
- National
Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi
- National Shrine of Saint John Neumann
- Shrine of Saint Joseph
- See
Katharine Drexel and National Shrine of St. Katherine Drexel
- See Rita
of Cascia and National Shrine of Saint Rita of Cascia.
- Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America
External links