Wender·Vista
Al Noor Mosque
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileNew Zealand
in the Riccarton neighbourhood of Christchurch, on the South Island

Al Noor Mosque

— — the door the city now keeps open.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“Al Noor Mosque sits on Deans Avenue in Christchurch, across from Hagley Park. It was founded in 1985 and is the oldest mosque on the South Island. On 15 March 2019, an attack on Friday prayer killed 51 worshippers here and at the Linwood Islamic Centre across the city. The mosque rebuilt and reopened the same year, and Friday prayer is still held.

from the studio
Al Noor Mosque
— bring it home

Al Noor Mosque, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Al Noor Mosque

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Al Noor Mosque stands on Deans Avenue in the Riccarton neighbourhood of Christchurch, across from the wide lawns and oaks of Hagley Park. The mosque was established in 1985 by the Muslim Association of Canterbury and is the oldest purpose-built mosque on the South Island of New Zealand. The current green-roofed building, with a small minaret over its entrance, serves a regular congregation drawn from across the city's Muslim community. Friday prayer is held each week and the mosque welcomes visitors outside the five daily prayer times.

— the silence

On Friday 15 March 2019, a gunman killed 51 worshippers at Al Noor and at the Linwood Islamic Centre across the city. The mosques reopened later that year. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern walked into Al Noor wearing a black headscarf days afterward, and within a month parliament passed legislation banning the military-style semi-automatic rifles used in the attack. A garden of white roses sits inside the boundary wall today. A remembrance walk from Hagley Park is held on each anniversary.

— the visit

The mosque is open to visitors outside the five daily prayer times. Modest dress is asked of all guests, headscarves are provided at the door for women, and shoes are left in the entrance racks. The Muslim Association of Canterbury runs guided tours by appointment, and the congregation continues to receive flowers and letters from across New Zealand and beyond. Friday prayer begins shortly after midday. Photography inside the prayer hall is not permitted; the courtyard and exterior are welcomed.

— where
New Zealand · Christchurch, Canterbury
— position
-43.5305° S · 172.6175° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
0.2 km E
Hagley Park
city park
1 km E
Christchurch Botanic Gardens
botanic gardens
1.5 km E
Canterbury Museum
regional museum
5 km E
Linwood Islamic Centre
mosque
2.5 km E
Christchurch Cathedral
Anglican cathedral
N
Al Noor Mosque
Hagley Park
Christchurch Botanic Gardens
Canterbury Museum
Linwood Islamic Centre
Christchurch Cathedral
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Al Noor Mosque — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

On Deans Avenue in the Riccarton neighbourhood of Christchurch, across from Hagley Park, on the South Island of New Zealand. The Muslim Association of Canterbury has held the site since 1985.

Al Noor was established in 1985 and is the oldest purpose-built mosque on the South Island. The green-roofed prayer hall serves a regular congregation from across Christchurch and the wider Canterbury region.

A gunman attacked Friday prayer at Al Noor and at the Linwood Islamic Centre, killing 51 people in total. New Zealand later banned the military-style semi-automatic rifles used, and a remembrance walk is held each year.

Yes, outside the five daily prayer times. Modest dress is asked, headscarves are provided at the door, and shoes are left in the entrance racks. The Muslim Association of Canterbury arranges guided tours by appointment.

A garden of white roses sits inside the boundary wall, and the names of those lost are remembered at the annual walk from Hagley Park. Permanent civic memorials around the city are still being developed.

Al Noor means "the light" in Arabic and is among the names of God in the Islamic tradition. It is a common name for mosques worldwide.

— about the piece in your home

Many of our customers from Christchurch and from the wider Canterbury Muslim community have given this piece in remembrance and as a quiet affirmation. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries well.

The piece sits well in calm contemporary rooms, in studies and reading nooks, and in coastal-modern New Zealand homes. The greens and blues hold pale timber, wool, and plain plaster without crowding the wall.

A Medium above a console or desk reads at a personal scale. A Large suits a quiet wall in a reading room. A four-tile Mural is more architectural than this particular piece tends to want.

Yes. Many customers place it on a quiet shelf or low table with a candle. The Keepsake or Small in glossy finish suits a remembrance corner, and the colour lives in the surface and does not fade.

A dry microfibre cloth for dust; a damp microfibre cloth with plain water for marks. No sprays, no abrasives. The finish is hand-applied and stable under everyday wiping.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is from Reid Wender's eye and our family studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. We do not license artwork in or out. The tile is hand-finished in-house before it ships.

— if this one stayed with you

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