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The Eighth Wonder of the World

Temples of
Humankind

Nine sacred halls hand-carved 30 metres beneath the Italian Alps — built in absolute secrecy over 14 years by ordinary people with extraordinary devotion. The world's largest privately-built underground temple complex. Guinness World Record 2001.

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Damanhur › Temples of Humankind
Sacred Architecture

Built by
Human Hands

In 1978, twenty-four people began digging beneath a Piedmont farmhouse at night — in complete secrecy, with hammers and chisels, carrying earth to the surface in buckets. No architects. No planning permission. No heavy machinery. Only devotion.

What they created over 14 years is a cathedral-sized complex of nine interconnected halls, each dedicated to a different aspect of human and cosmic consciousness. Every surface hand-covered in mosaics, stained glass, sculpture, and painting of breathtaking symbolic depth.

Guinness 2001 Palgrave 2022 BBC Reel 2023
Virtual Tour Available Free

Walk the first Hall at thetemples.space — 360° photogrammetric tour with audio guide and information hotspots. No booking required.

Temples of Humankind interior — Hall of Earth Androgyne
30m
Underground
9
Sacred Halls
14yr
In Secrecy
2001
Guinness
The Nine Sacred Halls

Nine Worlds
Underground

Each hall carries its own energy, symbolism, and artistic language — together forming a complete map of human and cosmic consciousness.

01
Hall of Metals
Sala dei Metalli
The most ancient hall — all 118 elements of the periodic table encoded in mosaic, Tiffany glass, and carved stone. The building blocks of matter made sacred and eternal.
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02
Hall of Water
Sala dell'Acqua
A natural underground spring feeds a central reflecting pool surrounded by Venetian glass mosaics mapping the water civilisations of antiquity across time.
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03
Hall of Earth
Sala della Terra
Terracotta floors inlaid with geomantic symbols. Deep greens and ochres honour the four kingdoms — mineral, vegetable, animal, human — in perfect proportion.
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04
Hall of Spheres
Sala delle Sfere
Seven golden spheres suspended in a dome of lapis-blue tile — the Pythagorean music of the spheres rendered visible, audible, and eternal.
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05
The Labyrinth
Il Labirinto
A winding stone passage of memory and transformation — a single path, no dead ends, lined with mosaics depicting the soul's journey through time.
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06
Blue Temple
Tempio Blu
The newest and largest hall. A soaring ultramarine vault used for the community's most sacred ceremonies and the annual Oracle — open to all visitors.
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07
Hall of Victory
Sala della Vittoria
A triumphal chamber of joyful power — arching columns, mosaic celebrations of human potential. Visitors consistently describe it as life-changing.
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08
Androgyne Hall
Sala dell'Androgino
The sacred marriage of masculine and feminine principles. Mosaic, sculpture, and filtered golden light create one of the most spiritually charged spaces on Earth.
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09
Hall of Mirrors
Sala degli Specchi
An infinite space of glass and gold that expands perception — inviting encounter with the multiplicity of the self across lifetimes.
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Symbolic Language

Sacred Geometry
of the Temples

Every hall encodes layers of sacred geometry, alchemical symbolism, and ancient cosmology — a visual language readable simultaneously on multiple levels.

Metatron's Cube
Master pattern of 13 circles encoding all Platonic solids — embedded in the Hall of Spheres dome, the Labyrinth entrance, and throughout the Temple complex.
Flower of Life
The overlapping circle matrix of creation — woven into Hall of Earth floor mosaics and the outer stone labyrinth of the Sacred Woods.
The Selfic Spiral
Damanhur's primary symbol — the life-energy spiral underlies Selfica science and appears on every door, column base, and structural element throughout.
Merkaba
The star tetrahedron of the light body — recurs in the alchemical programme of the Hall of Metals and the Androgyne Hall central panel.
Sacred Labyrinth
The 7-circuit Cretan labyrinth — both a physical hall and the structural metaphor for the entire interconnected path of the Temples complex.
Vesica Piscis
The birth geometry of creation — embedded in the Blue Temple ceiling and the Hall of Water central mosaic panel, representing sacred union.
Documentary Films

Discover the Temples
Through Film

Official Documentary
Temples of Humankind — The Full Film
Community Film
A Secret Underground Society
Atlas Obscura
100 Wonders of the World
Geographics
Temples Beneath the Alps
BBC Reel — 2023

"Damanhur: The world's largest underground temple" — Watch on BBC Reel →

History

Forty Years
of Sacred Work

1975
The Vision
Oberto Airaudi gathers a founding group and articulates the concept of subterranean sacred halls for the first time.
1978
First Pick-Axe
Twenty-four people begin excavating beneath a Piedmont farmhouse — at night, by hand. Earth carried to the surface in buckets.
1978–92
Fourteen Years
Night shifts. Five underground levels. Nine halls decorated entirely by hand alongside day jobs and community life. No professional architects. No heavy machinery.
Jun 1992
Police Discovery
Italian police discover the Temples during an unrelated search. National media frenzy. Four-year legal process begins.
1996
Recognition
Italian courts grant full recognition of the Temples as a private artistic site. Public guided tours begin.
2001
Guinness Record
Certified as world's largest underground temple complex built by a private group.
Jun 2013
Falco Passes
Oberto Airaudi (Falco Tarassaco) passes on his 63rd birthday. Construction continues under collective leadership.
2026
Ongoing
A seventh underground level is under construction. Open to visitors from 80+ countries year-round.
Hall of Victory — Damanhur Temples
"They are the proof that when human beings unite around a shared dream, they can accomplish the extraordinary."
Oberto Airaudi (Falco Tarassaco), Founder 1950–2013
2026 Official Pricing

Choose Your
Experience

Advance booking essential June–August. Contact: +39 0124 512226 · welcome@dhwelcome.org · Mon–Sat 09:00–17:00 CET

4 Halls Quick Tour
€55
~2 hours
  • 4 main underground halls
  • Guided (IT/EN/DE/FR)
  • Community introduction
  • Max 12 persons
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Most Popular
Classical Visit
€78
3–3.5 hours
  • 5 underground halls
  • Extended guide Q&A
  • Guided (IT/EN/DE)
  • Max 10 persons
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In-Depth Visit
€100
4–5 hours
  • All halls + Labyrinth
  • Selfica introduction
  • IT/EN only · Max 8
  • Small-group focus
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One Day All-Inclusive
€140
Full day
  • All 9 halls incl. Blue Temple
  • Sacred Woods + plant concert
  • Organic lunch + dinner
  • 6+ hours · Max 8
Book Now
Booking

Phone: +39 0124 512226 · Email: welcome@dhwelcome.org · Via Baldissero 21, 10080 Vidracco (TO), Italy. Free on-site parking. 50km from Turin.

Frequently Asked

Before
You Visit

Yes — advance booking is strongly recommended, especially June–August. Walk-ins are occasionally possible but not reliable. Book via phone (+39 0124 512226) or email (welcome@dhwelcome.org). Response within 48 hours.
No. All Temples visits are guided. Every visit begins with a 30–45 minute community introduction. Former visitors consistently rate this as the most unexpectedly valuable part of the experience.
A constant 16–18°C year-round — comfortable but noticeably cool. Bring a light layer regardless of surface weather. Comfortable, flat-soled walking shoes are essential — terrain is uneven carved stone.
Yes in most areas. Certain ritual spaces have restrictions your guide will indicate. No flash photography, no tripods. Personal video recording is generally permitted.
Wheelchair access is limited to the upper complex. The underground terrain involves uneven stone, low passages, and steps. Contact welcome@dhwelcome.org in advance to discuss your specific requirements.
Italian, English, German, and French — subject to availability. Please specify when booking. Private tours in other languages can be arranged with advance notice.
By car: 50km from Turin (~45 min), 15km from Ivrea. Free on-site parking. By train: Turin Porta Susa → Ivrea, then taxi (10km). Address: Via Baldissero 21, 10080 Vidracco (TO), Italy.
Damanhur is not a religion in the conventional sense. Visitors of all backgrounds — secular, religious, and spiritual — consistently find the Temples moving. Your guide will provide context. You bring your own interpretation.
Stay Connected to Damanhur
Free Resource

Your Complete
Damanhur Guide

Download the free illustrated visitor guide — history, temples, sacred science, 2026 pricing, and booking guidance. Free with newsletter subscription.

  • Complete illustrated history 1975–2026
  • Guide to all nine underground halls
  • 2026 confirmed pricing — day visits to residencies
  • Sacred geometry decoded — visual reference
  • Community life and citizenship pathway overview
  • Research overview and full evidence classification
    • Damanhur Visitor Guide 2026
    64 pages. Fully illustrated. 2026 pricing, site guide, sacred geometry, booking tips. Free with subscription.
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    Related Pages

    Temple Ceremonies

    Sacred rites in the underground halls

    Virtual Tour

    Explore the halls online
    Programmes 2026 Book a Visit