Shrine of Remembrance

슈라인 오브 리멤브런스

Victoria's war memorial (1934), modelled on the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and the Parthenon; at 11 am each 11 November a ray of sunlight falls on the word "LOVE" on the Stone of Remembrance.

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At a glance

Country: Australia
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Built: 1934
Height: 30 m
Type: Monument

Quick answers

Where is Shrine of Remembrance?

Shrine of Remembrance is in Melbourne, Australia.

When was Shrine of Remembrance built?

Shrine of Remembrance was built in 1934.

How tall is Shrine of Remembrance?

Shrine of Remembrance is about 30 m tall.

The Shrine of Remembrance, usually called 'the Shrine', is a war memorial in Kings Domain on St Kilda Road in Melbourne, Australia. It was built to honor the men and women of Victoria who served in World War I, and now it remembers all Australians who have served in any war.

It is one of the largest war memorials in Australia. Two architects who had fought in the war, Phillip Hudson and James Wardrop, designed it in a classical style, based on the Tomb of Mausolus at Halicarnassus and the Parthenon in Athens. It is built from Tynong granite and was officially dedicated on 11 November 1934. Ceremonies are held here every year on Anzac Day, 25 April, and Remembrance Day, 11 November.

A beam of light on one day

Inside the sanctuary lies the marble Stone of Remembrance, which has the words 'Greater love hath no man' carved on it. Once a year, at 11 a.m. on 11 November, a ray of sunlight shines through a hole in the roof and lights up the word 'Love'. The sanctuary is a high vaulted room with sixteen tall Ionic columns, and its frieze has twelve panels showing the armed services in World War I.

How it came to be

Planning began as soon as the war ended in 1918. A design was chosen in 1922, but opposition led by the newspaper publisher Keith Murdoch and the Herald forced a rethink, and a temporary cenotaph of wood and plaster was raised for the 1926 Anzac Day march. General Sir John Monash used the 1927 Anzac Day march to build support, and the foundation stone was laid on 11 November 1927 by the Governor of Victoria.

Growing with later wars

After World War II a forecourt was added with a tall granite cenotaph, an Eternal Flame and three flagpoles. A visitors centre came in 2003, and in 2014 new Galleries of Remembrance opened under and south of the Shrine. Anzac Day, a public holiday in Australia and New Zealand, has become the Shrine's biggest day of remembrance.

Fun facts

A ray of sunlight lights up the word 'Love' only once a year, on 11 November at 11 a.m.
Its stepped roof is based on the Tomb of Mausolus, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world.
The Eternal Flame was added after World War II.
New galleries opened underneath in 2014.