M9 (Memorial 9) - Shrine

The M9 Memorial was designed by Gonzalo Mardones Viviani architects to commemorate 9 Chilean girls who were killed in a bus crash during a Catholic School trip. The memorial for these young and innocent victims was built in Santiago where they used to live. According to the architects, "The place opens like a dialogue from the love of Mary at the foot of the Cross."The structure itself is built underground, opening up to the sky through a 9 metre wide concrete cone. 9 lanterns and 9 modules of primary forms commemorate the 9 girls. From the center of the structure springs a Magnolia tree - the only tree that has 9 flower leaves.