Religions

Semi-circular bas-relief in white stone.

Vézelay, Church and Hill

A Romanesque masterpiece and the charming village around it, historically significant in terms of medieval Christianity.

Two sides of the cloister, with its porticos on the ground floor.

Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay

A monastic community whose ideals of poverty and self-sufficiency are reflected in the structures they built.

View down the nave of the church, with the ceiling painted in rectangular panels.

Abbey Church of Saint-Savin sur Gartempe

A Romanesque church painted with vivid murals dating to the 11th and 12th centuries, important in the study of medieval Christian art.

Santiago de Compostela (Old Town)

Christian holy city with a 1000-year history as the endpoint of pilgrimage routes across Spain and France.

Poblet Monastery

A large 12th-century Cistercian abbey, considered an artistic masterpiece with a blend of architectural styles.

A small temple that is octagonal, with a door in the front and a rounded top.

Temple Zone of Sambor Prei Kuk, Archaeological Site of Ancient Ishanapura

A group of 6th-7th-century Hindu temples where the capital of the Chenla Empire once stood.

The gilt temple at Preah Vihear UNESCO site in Cambodia.

Temple of Preah Vihear

An 11th-century Hindu temple complex in an isolated and dramatic location, with remarkably well-preserved architecture and art.

Koh Ker: Archaeological Site of Ancient Lingapura or Chok Gargyar

10th-century temples from a short-lived capital city, origin of the Koh Ker style of sculpture.

Looking up at the gothic spires on a church.

Historic City of Toledo

A small city where influences from three different world religions are visible in its architecture and art.

Looking up the central stairway of one of the temples. A doorway in the center in the pointed top of the temple.

Prambanan Temple Compounds

A 9th-century complex of hundreds of Hindu and Buddhist temples with stone carvings that are masterpieces of Siva art.

An ornate bas-relief in stone with a variety of Buddha and god figures.

Ajanta Caves

Thirty ancient caves carved into a cliff wall, many of them filled with Buddhist paintings and sculpture.

A row of seated Buddha statues against a painted wall.

Rangiri Dambulla Cave Temple

Five cave temples decorated with Buddhist paintings and sculpture, a place of pilgrimage for 2000 years.

A plaza with ornate temples of stone around it.

Group of Monuments at Hampi

Hundreds of ruins of temples and other structures of the vanished Vijayanagara kingdom.

High stone walls on two sides, with huge rectangular blocks. People standing at the base of the wall, quite nearby it.

Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls

An ancient and disputed city, holy to three major religions.

The exterior of Selimiye Mosque with two very tall minarets.

Selimiye Mosque and its Social Complex

A mosque complex representing the height of Ottoman architectural achievement.

Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge

Palaces and other structures that tell the story of the 70-year sojourn in France of the Catholic papacy in the 14th century.

Two people stand, backs to camera, looking at the dome and bell tower of San Jose Mission

San Antonio Missions

Five historical mission churches from the Spanish colonial period in Texas.

A bridge over a pond or river, with a square tower at each end, all of it lit up in bright colors at night.

Gyeongju Historic Areas

Ruins of the capital of the ancient Silla dynasty, rich in Buddhist artworks and architecture.

A pagoda with 6 roof levels on the right and a large temple hall on the left, with 3 roof levels.

Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area

Two early temple complexes that include the oldest wooden structures in the world.

Looking up at the front of the cathedral: two square towers, very lacy with many vertical gothic openings, rose window at the center above the central entryway, lots of statue niches with figures and also gargoyles.

Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Former Abbey of Saint-Rémi and Palace of Tau, Reims

Three medieval structures central to the history of Christianity and coronations in France.

A row of 2-3 story houses, the nearer ones painted white and the furthest one red brick with a small round turret.

Flemish Béguinages

Centuries-old architectural ensembles in Flanders that once housed religious communities of women.

The imposing fortress on a small hill: mud walls and a tall round tower at its corner.

Bahla Fort

A massive mud-brick fortress, the capital of the Banu Nebhan and the centre of Ibadism in the Middle Ages.

View of one of the shrine buildings at Jongmyo: a low structure with a grey tiled roof but otherwise all painted dark red. PIllars along the building support the eaves of the roof.

Jongmyo Shrine

A Confucian shrine housing the spirit tablets of Korean royal ancestors.

Looking up at a dome on the mausoleum showing beautiful decorative tile work.

Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi

An unfinished mausoleum and mosque that allows an understanding of Timurid construction methods.

Sunrise, with the temple towers silhouetted in the foreground, the forest spreading out behind that, swathed in cloud, and the sun breaking through the low clouds in the distance.

Borobudur Temple Compounds

A massive and intricately-carved 9th-century Buddhist temple.

A large round pagoda with three roofs and concentric walls around it, each higher than the one outside it.

Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing

A religious complex used by Ming and Qing dynasty emperors that is significant both symbolically and architecturally.

The church itself, with two towers, and elegant curved stairways up to its entrance on either side.

Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga

An exquisite example of Portuguese Baroque architecture expressing a spiritual journey.

A view of snow-capped Mount Fuji across Lake Kawaguchiko, with a small plane above the lake.

Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration

Mount Fuji and numerous natural and religious sites related to its spiritual importance.

The red rock stands out from a perfectly flat green and brown landscape.

Uluru – Kata Tjuta National Park

An awe-inspiring rock formation that is sacred to the local indigenous people, and similar red-rock domes not far away.

Ellora Caves

34 stunning stone-cut caves with carved and painted images from three different religions.

Entranceway into a shrine, with detailed carvings over the doorway, mostly painted gold, with a white carved dragon right in the center.

Shrines and Temples of Nikko

A complex of ornate and colorful religious buildings in a lovely forest setting.

A temple with a tall pyramid-shaped roof, covered in carvings.

Great Living Chola Temples

Three outstanding 11th-12th-century temples covered with carvings depicting elements of Hindu mythology.

Pilgrimage Church of Wies

A magnificent rococo church with a legend that draws the faithful to visit.

Four huge sitting statues, with a doorway - about 3x higher than a person and reaching to knee height on the statues - in the center. At Ramses Temple, Nubian Monuments

Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae

Magnificent temples demonstrating the power of Ancient Egyptian civilization.

Saint Sophia Cathedral seen from directly centered. White with green domes and one central gold dome.

Kyiv: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

An Orthodox Christian cathedral and monastery dating back to the 11th century.

Rice terraces with palm trees and mountains in the distance.

Cultural Landscape of Bali Province: the Subak System as a Manifestation of the Tri Hita Karana Philosophy

A traditional communal system interconnecting natural, religious and cultural components.