University of Toronto Walking Tour – Sacred Spaces & Sacred Circles
Doors Open Toronto is a very important yearly event in the city’s presentation to the rest of the world. Because of that, many of the other major parts of the city hold events that are affiliated with Doors Open Toronto but are also individual events that are organized separate from the central effort. The University of Toronto is one such organization and they have stepped in line with 2008’s theme of Sacred Spaces, Sacred Circles through organization of a walking tour of the campus’ sacred spaces.
The tour starts at the Southwest end of the campus at the intersection of Spadina and Bancroft and ends at the Eastern end of the campus at the intersection of Queen’s Park and Wellesley. A full map of the tour can be found here and a brochure detailing the event can be found here. However, being a student of the university I have been inside many of these buildings before, so I’d like to take the time to offer a few comments on some of the twelve buildings that are going to be part of this tour.
University of Toronto Multifaith Centre – Stop #1
Located at Spadina and Bancroft, the Multifaith Centre is arguably one of the most important cultural buildings in the City of Toronto. It is home to all of the different spiritual student groups and for that reason forms a sort of hub of faith-based student activity not just within the university, but really across the city. The University of Toronto is home to over 80,000 students and for that reason forms the lion’s share of the post-secondary student population residing within the city. It’s a real education chatting with many of these groups and you’ll get a chance to see firsthand just how richly diverse the religious community within the city actually is.
Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library – Stop #3
The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library really doesn’t have anything to do with spirituality, but the tour has billed it as being a “temple to the book.” While that’s perhaps overstating things a little bit, it is certainly true that the inside of the library does lend itself to that type of imagery. With many of the rarest books in the world being housed within this area, getting a chance to see them firsthand could be considered a spiritual experience for anyone that is inclined to reading as a hobby. This building is located at St. George and Harbord and is very hard to miss.
Hart House – Stop #9
Well, no tour of the University of Toronto would be complete without a stop at Hart House and luckily enough for the people going on this tour there happens to be a chapel right inside where people can pause for a moment before continuing the tour. Hart House is one of the central hubs of the university and even on the weekend you can expect it to be bustling with activity. The architecture of the building is spectacular as well and according to the University of Toronto public relations division, it is one of the most photographed buildings in the country.
These are just three of the twelve major stops on the walking tour of the university and truth be told you can probably check out many of the adjacent buildings as well. The University of Toronto is one of the most spectacular campuses in the country in terms of its historical value and aesthetic beauty and for that reason a walking tour of the campus is always a fun thing to do. When the added bonus of a tour from a cultural point of view is thrown into the mix however, the results are that much more pronounced.
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