Places of Worship
From the dawn of history, human communities throughout the world have constructed sacred spaces where people could gather to express their religious beliefs. Places of worship were often the most important buildings in a community, and frequently all of the community’s resources were poured into their construction. Among the world’s most significant places of worship are architectural masterpieces, many containing priceless works of art. Significant places of worship also include simpler buildings that played an important role in the evolution of religious architecture or that figured prominently in a culture’s traditional pattern of settlement.
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Ancient Kyoto: Daigo-ji Temple
Location: Kyoto, Japan, Asia
Daigoji’s classic pagoda, the oldest wooden structure in all of Kyoto, is fronted by glorious cherry blossoms in spring.
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Ancient Kyoto: Enryaku-ji Temple
Location: Kyoto, Japan, Asia
This vast mountaintop monastery was once home to thousands of warrior monks.
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Ancient Kyoto: Kamigamo Shrine
Location: Kyoto, Japan, Asia
This classic Shinto shrine is older than the city of Kyoto.
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Ancient Kyoto: Kiyomizu-dera Temple
Location: Kyoto, Japan, Asia
Kiyomizu-dera Temple, one of Kyoto’s many historic religious sites, has attracted pilgrims for more than a thousand years.
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Ancient Kyoto: Nishi Hongan-ji Temple
Location: Kyoto, Japan, Asia
The Nishi Honganji Temple complex in downtown Kyoto is known for its massive Founder’s Hall Gate, its two vast and nearly identical temples, and its lovely gardens.
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Ancient Kyoto: Ryōan-ji Temple
Location: Kyoto, Japan, Asia
Ryoan-ji Temple, with its historic Zen garden, has drawn pilgrims and inspired seekers to Kyoto for more than 500 years.
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Ancient Kyoto: Shimogamo Shrine
Location: Kyoto, Japan, Asia
This classic Shinto shrine shares ancient traditions with neighboring Kamigamo Shrine.
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Ancient Kyoto: Tenryū-ji Temple
Location: Kyoto, Japan, Asia
Tenryuji Temple is the favorite among Kyoto’s Zen Temples, but it is the gardens that draw visitors today.
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Ancient Kyoto: Ujigami Shrine
Location: Kyoto, Japan, Asia
Japan’s Ujigami Shrine is the country’s oldest Shinto shrine.
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Ancient Nara: Gangō-ji Temple
Location: Nara, Japan, Asia
One of Nara’s great temples, Gango Ji, may be home to the world’s oldest wooden structure.
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Ancient Nara: Kasuga-Taisha Temple
Location: Nara, Japan, Asia
This important temple, said to be the most photographed of all Shinto shrines, was probably demolished and rebuilt exactly the same way, every 20 years, until 1868.
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Ancient Nara: Kinpusen-ji Temple
Location: Nara, Japan, Asia
This vast mountain temple welcomes pilgrims, especially during cherry blossom season.
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Ancient Nara: Toshodai-ji Temple
Location: Nara, Japan, Asia
This ancient structure played a pivotal role in Japan’s early acceptance of Buddhism.
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Ancient Nara: Yakushi-ji Temple
Location: Nara, Japan, Asia
This ancient temple predates the founding of Nara.
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Carlisle Memorial Methodist Church
Location: Belfast, United Kingdom, Europe
The towering spire and Gothic Revival features of Carlisle Memorial Methodist Church make it one of the most distinctive buildings in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
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Church of St. Ann and the Holy Trinity
Location: Brooklyn, New York, United States, North America
The oldest suite of figural stained-glass windows made in North America is the focal point of the neo-Gothic Church of St. Ann and the Holy Trinity in Brooklyn, New York.
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Church Village of Gammelstad, Luleå
Location: Luleå, Sweden, Europe
The village of Gammelstad, consisting of small wooden cottages and public building clustered around a 15th-century church, is one of northern Sweden’s few remaining “church villages.”
See also: Cities & Towns
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Cologne Cathedral
Location: Cologne, Germany, Europe
A monument of Gothic architecture and Christianity, the Cologne Cathedral in Germany is one of the largest and most impressive churches in the world.
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Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc
Location: Olomouc, Czech Republic, Europe
The Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc, Czech Republic, is an 18th-century Christian monument in a regional Baroque style.
See also: Cities & Towns, Monuments & Memorials
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Itsukushima Shinto Shrine
Location: Itsukushima, Japan, Asia
Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima Bay, Japan, is an exceptional example of the distinctive architectural style of Japanese aesthetics.
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Saint Brendan’s Cathedral
Location: Clonfert, Ireland, Europe
Clonfert Cathedral is one of the oldest continually operating churches in Ireland.
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San Miguel and the Sanctuary de Atotonilco
Location: San Miguel, Mexico, North America
The fortified town of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, contains exemplary religious and civic buildings of Mexican Baroque architecture.
See also: Cities & Towns
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Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas
Location: Congonhas, Brazil, South America
Erected during the 18th century in Congonhas, Brazil, the sanctuary complex comprises a church in an elaborate Italian rococo style, a Baroque stairway and seven chapels.
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Santi Quattro Coronati Cloister
Location: Rome, Italy, Europe
Extraordinarily evocative of the Middle Ages, the Santi Quattro Coronati Cloister in Rome is a splendid example of cosmatesque architecture of the 13th century.
See also: Architecture
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St. George’s Bloomsbury
Location: London, United Kingdom, Europe
St. George’s Bloomsbury in London is distinguished by a steeple inspired by the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus in present-day Turkey, and it is topped with a statue of George I.
See also: Architecture
