Places of Worship

These sacred spaces span cultures, continents, and time. Some have led many lives, meaning different things to different people at various times. Many are old. Some are brand new. All of them serve as a space to acknowledge a higher power.

Medina, Saudi Arabia

Dhu al-Hulayfah Mosque

This mosque is believed to be the location where Muhammed prepared for his peaceful pilgrimage to Mecca.

From the Community

Venice, Italy

Church of San Zaccaria

Nestled on the edge of the famed canal city, this Venetian church attracts visitors with its ornate facade and flooded crypt — but its most interesting story is over a thousand years old, on a night when the church played host to a Pope on the run…

Crestone, Colorado, United States

Crestone Ziggurat

A Ziggurat built millennia after its predecessors, in a town of 141.

Travnik, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sulejmanija Mosque

This colorful mosque sits at the heart of the "City of Veziers"

Santa Barbara, California, United States

Old Mission Santa Barbara

Saint Barbara is the patron saint of those who face danger and architects, which is a good thing for the Old Mission in Santa Barbara, California which has been under the control of three countries and has experienced several devastating earthquakes.

Banda Aceh, Indonesia

Baiturrahman Grand Mosque

Completed in 1881, this mosque served as refuge during the 2004 earthquake and tsunami.

From the Community

Praia da Vitória, Azores, Portugal

The Império da Caridade

In order to stave off disaster, many believers on Terceira Island in the Azores go on elaborate processions just as their ancestors did eight centuries ago.

Holmdel, New Jersey, United States

Church of St. Catharine

Don’t let this church’s size fool you — its halls may be small, but the tale of its determined beginnings and its miraculous revival is a grand one.

Presented with

Starnberg, Germany

Kapelle St. Peter

This perfectly picturesque chapel was once the place to go to cure any number of diseases.

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Linh Son Temple

A place of worship and gathering space this spot brings peace to a community fleeing war.

Presented with

Medan City, Indonesia

Al Mashun Grand Mosque

This beautifully designed mosque is located in the heart of one of the world's largest coffee producing regions.

From the Community

Agra, India

Taj Mahal

An incredible love story behind a famed global site.

Tokyo, Japan

Asagaya Shinmeigu Shrine

Next to one of Tokyo's bustling train stations, this ancient Shinto shrine offers an oasis of tranquility.

Morelos, Mexico

Cuautla Church

A Roman Catholic sanctuary where masses are celebrated daily in the neighborhood of “Emiliano Zapata

Herat, Afghanistan

Great Mosque of Herat

Both mosque and nation make evident Afghans’ resilience and determination to overcome challenges and rise again.

Bay of Kotor, Montenegro

Our Lady of the Rocks

Perast’s most famous landmark is this artificial islet, with a curious history, surrounded as much by legend as it is by water.

Budapest, Hungary

Matthias Church

The church’s present facade, topped by this one-of-a-kind glazed quilt, blends multiple traditions into a graceful whole.

AWA visted here

King George Island, Antarctica

Holy Trinity Church

Holy Trinity Church was built to accommodate those searching for a more traditional engagement with a higher power.

Vestland, Norway

Undredal Stave Church

Famed for being the smallest stave church still in use in all of Scandinavia, it is just the right size for the village’s inhabitants of around 100 people and 500 goats.

Tallinn, Estonia

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

This church reaches new heights of aesthetically alluring detail being Tallinn’s largest orthodox cupola cathedral.

Port Stanley, Ontario, Canada

Christ Anglican Church

This lovely 19th-century church was built thanks to a land grant from a militia veteran of the War of 1812.

Lincoln, United Kingdom

Lincoln Cathedral

This cathedral was once the tallest building in the world -- surpassing the Pyramids of Giza.

Hofsós, Iceland

Grafarkirkja

Iceland's oldest turf church bears the carvings of a renowned 17th century woodworker.

Grantsville, Maryland, United States

The Village Church

After 90 years in service, this Church was relocated to an artisan's village to continue its vocation.

Awhitu, New Zealand

Kohekohe Church

Built by a Waiuku native, this Presbyterian church was used for prayer services and Temperance meetings until it was decommissioned in 1976.

Selvogur, Iceland

Strandarkirkja

This seaside Icelandic church has mystical beginnings - and a divine legacy.

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