Designed by architects Phillip Hudson and James Wardrop who were both World War I veterans, the Shrine is in a classical style, being based on the Tomb of Mausolus at Halicarnassus and the Parthenon in Athens. Built from Tynong granite, the Shrine originally consisted only of the central sanctuary surrounded by the ambulatory.
The Shrine went through a prolonged process of development which began in 1918 with the initial proposal to build a Victorian memorial. Two committees were formed, the second of which ran a competition for the memorial's design. The winner was announced in 1922. However, opposition to the proposal (led by Keith Murdoch and The Herald) forced the governments of the day to rethink the design, and a number of alternatives were proposed, the most significant of which was the ANZAC Square and cenotaph proposal of 1926. In response, General Sir John Monash used the 1927 ANZAC Day march to garner support for the Shrine, and finally won the support of the Victorian government later that year. The foundation stone was laid on 11 November 1927, and the Shrine was officially dedicated on 11 November 1934.
Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and suffering of all those who have served." Originally 25 April every year was to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Anzac Day is also observed in the Cook Islands, Niue, Pitcairn Islands, and Tonga.
Lest we forget...
This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.
I took the students to the shrine ages ago; we wanted to examine all communities' need for building World War One memorials during the 1920s and early 1930s. I would loved to have taken the group to visit the ANZAC War Memorial in Sydney as well.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't easy. General Sir John Monash certainly did use ANZAC Day marches to garner support for the Shrine, but Australia was just about to enter its worst ever Great Depression. As it turned out, the most exciting element of all was the Shrine's location - visible from every direction. Brilliant! And surrounded by park land for eternity.
Thanks for the link
Hels
http://melbourneblogger.blogspot.com.au/2009/05/melbournes-shrine-built-during-terrible.html
Beautiful pictures, Nick. I find it interesting that ANZAC Day is very similar to Veteran's Day that we also celebrate on Nov. 11th here in the States. Thanks for the history lesson this morning.
ReplyDeleteWonderful photographic tribute on this important occasion.
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