The first Baha'i center in Europe was established by May
Maxwell (nee Bolles). Born in 1870 in the United States, Mrs. Maxwell spent
many years resident in Paris with her mother and brother. In February 1899, she
was among the first group of western pilgrims to go to Acre (in what was then
Palestine) to visit 'Abdu'l-Baha, the son of Baha'u'llah and leader of the
Baha’i Faith, who was still being held as a prisoner of the Ottoman Empire On
her return to the French capital, she began to tell others of the new religious
movement she had discovered. A significant group of Baha'is emerged around her,
among them a number of artists and artisans, and believers of various
nationalities, including the early English Baha'i Thomas Breakwell. To mark the
centenary of these momentous events, the Baha'i community of France held an
ambitious conference in Paris from 27 to 29 November 1998. The celebrations
began when more than one thousand Baha'is gathered beneath the Eiffel Tower for
a photograph, on the same spot where 'Abdu'l-Baha had been photographed during
His historic visit to Paris in 1913. Later, the conference opened with the
participation of two thousand people, including more than two hundred guests of
the Baha'is and six hundred Baha'is from outside France. The structure of the
program, which was modeled on the Second Baha'i World Congress held in New York
in 1992, included talks, film and video presentations and theatrical and
musical segments. A high point of the conference was the colorful public
concert "La Nuit de l'espoir" ("The Night of Hope"), held
at the Salle de la MutualitC, one of the largest halls in Paris. Before the
event, more than two hundred and fifty special guests, including ambassadors,
politicians, religious and civil dignitaries, journalists, and representatives
of major non-governmental organizations attended a reception and expressed
great interest in and admiration for the work of the Baha’i community. Another
highlight of the event was a dedication and reception held immediately after
the conference at the Paris apartment where ‘Abdu’l-Baha had stayed.
(The Baha’i World, 1998-99)
