The Chautauqua Institution became the scene of a gruesome knife attack on Friday against one of today's most recognizable authors, Salman Rushdie.
The 750-acre idyllic property in Western New York has hosted numerous Christian leaders in the past.
Not one of the many families gathered that morning had a clue that they had a violent man and would be gripped with terror as they saw the attack up close.
Details of the Rushdie Attack
A New York Times report revealed that Rushdie, 75, was about to talk about the US being a safe refuge for writers in exile when the knife-wielding man attacked him.
The article bared that the incident occurred at the institution's roofed amphitheater, which had seen countless cultural and spiritual events.
The suspect stabbed the author multiple times in plain view of the families in attendance, including school-aged children.
Rushdie sustained knife wounds on his arm, liver, and eye.
Prosecutors handling the case revealed that the author sustained 10 wounds, but none proved fatal.
Rushdie's agent, Andrew Wylie, told reporters that the author had begun communicating with them after being put on a ventilator.
The New York Police Department named Hadi Matar, 24, the man who attacked Rushdie. Police said Matar is from New Jersey.
The report revealed that the suspect is now facing a second-degree attempted murder charge. The report noted that he faced his arraignment Saturday as his victim recuperated in the hospital.
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A Refuge for Christians
The Chautauqua Institution initially served as a Methodist retreat facility before accepting Protestants.
These Christians were drawn into the retreat place in search of learning as they spent their summers there.
The report revealed that John Heyl Vincent and Lewis Miller established the institution in 1874 "as an educational experiment."
Aside from Christian leaders and believers, Chautauqua Institution hosted renowned figures such as Sandra Day O'Connor, the first female US Supreme Court associate justice, and Mark Twain, the prominent American author.
Today, the facility hosts musicians, families, authors, and Christian believers across the United States and beyond.
The Chautauqua Institution has art galleries, a hotel, manicured lawns, and a large amphitheater where the grisly attempted murder of Rushdie happened last week.
About Salman Rushdie
Salman Rushdie has written 14 novels to date, which include "Midnight's Children," "The Golden House," "Quichotte," and "Grimus."
According to his website, Rushdie also has four nonfiction books and one book of stories ("East, West").
His website added that the author has likewise co-edited the 2008 "Best American Short Stories" collection and "mirrorwork," a collection of contemporary Indian writing.
Aside from his published works, Rushdie has also won awards and memberships to esteemed organizations.
The author is a British Royal Society of Literature Fellow and has won the 1981 Booker Prize for his work, "Midnight's Children."
Rushdie has also received recognition for his work from award-giving bodies in Britain, Germany, Italy, France, India, Austria, the US, and the European Union.
An Associated Press article bared that Rushdie's 1988 book "Satanic Verses" earned him numerous death threats from Muslims who considered the work "blasphemous."
The report revealed that the late Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran's former supreme leader, issued a fatwa in 1988 which called for the author's murder.
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