Religious Places, LUX-WIN

Human beings tend to relate to their religious beliefs through symbolism. Religious and sacred places—common destinations for pilgrims—represent a physical connection that helps believers express their devotion.
Back To Religious Places Page

Religious Places Encyclopedia Articles By Title

Luxor
Luxor, city and capital of Al-Uqṣur muḥāfaẓah (governorate), Upper Egypt. Luxor has given its name to the southern......
Lérins, Abbey of
Abbey of Lérins, Cistercian monastery, originally founded about 410 by St. Honoratus of Arles on a Mediterranean......
Madeleine
Madeleine, Paris church designed by Pierre-Alexandre Vignon in 1806. Together with the Arc de Triomphe (1806–08)......
Mahabodhi Temple
Mahabodhi Temple, one of the holiest sites of Buddhism, marking the spot of the Buddha’s Enlightenment (Bodhi).......
Mahavihara
Mahavihara, Buddhist monastery founded in the late 3rd century bce in Anuradhapura, the ancient capital of Ceylon......
Maison-Carrée
Maison-Carrée, Roman temple at Nîmes, France, in remarkably good repair. According to an inscription, it was dedicated......
Masjed-e Emām
Masjed-e Emām, celebrated 17th-century mosque in Eṣfahān, Iran. The mosque, part of the rebuilding effort of the......
Mecca
Mecca, city, western Saudi Arabia, located in the Ṣirāt Mountains, inland from the Red Sea coast. It is the holiest......
Medici Chapel
Medici Chapel, chapel housing monuments to members of the Medici family, in the New Sacristy of the Church of San......
Medina
Medina, city located in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, about 100 miles (160 km) inland from the Red......
Meenakshi Amman Temple
Meenakshi Amman Temple, temple complex in Madurai, Tamil Nadu state, India, said to originally date as far back......
Metéora
Metéora, group of monasteries on the summits of vertical rock formations in Thessaly (Modern Greek: Thessalía),......
Milan Cathedral
Milan Cathedral, cathedral in Milan whose construction began in 1386 and took five centuries to complete. Final......
Monasterboice
Monasterboice, ruins of an ancient monastic settlement founded by Buitre (died 521) 5 miles (8 km) north of Drogheda,......
Monte Cassino Abbey
Monte Cassino Abbey, the first monastery of the Benedictine order, located to the south of Rome, at the top of......
Nalanda
Nalanda, ancient university and Buddhist monastic centre southwest of Bihar Sharif in central Bihar state, northeastern......
Nazareth
Nazareth, historic city of Lower Galilee, in northern Israel; it is the largest Arab city of the country. In the......
Notre-Dame de Paris
Notre-Dame de Paris, cathedral church in Paris. It is the most famous of the Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages......
Old Saint Peter’s Basilica
Old Saint Peter’s Basilica, first basilica of St. Peter’s in Rome, a five-aisled basilican-plan church with apsed......
Olives, Mount of
Mount of Olives, multi-summit limestone ridge just east of the Old City of Jerusalem and separated from it by the......
Pachacamac
Pachacamac, large pre-Columbian ruin located in the Lurin Valley on the central coast of present-day Peru. The......
Pagan
Pagan, village, central Myanmar (Burma), situated on the left bank of the Irrawaddy River and approximately 90......
Pai-yün kuan
Pai-yün kuan, major Taoist temple in Beijing, which was traditionally the center of the Lung-men subsect of the......
Palatine Chapel
Palatine Chapel, private chapel associated with a residence, especially of an emperor. Many of the early Christian......
Pantheon
Pantheon, building in Rome that was begun in 27 bc by the statesman Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, probably as a building......
Panthéon
Panthéon, building in Paris that was begun about 1757 by the architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot as the Church of......
Paradesi Synagogue
Paradesi Synagogue, oldest synagogue in India, located in Kochi (formerly Cochin), Kerala state. It was one of......
Parthenon
Parthenon, temple that dominates the hill of the Acropolis at Athens. It was built in the mid-5th century bce and......
Pashupatinath Temple
Pashupatinath Temple, place of worship in the Kathmandu Valley on the Baghmati River, on the eastern outskirts......
Port-Royal
Port-Royal, celebrated abbey of Cistercian nuns that was the centre of Jansenism and of literary activity in 17th-century......
Prambanan
Prambanan, village in the daerah istimewa (special district) of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, known for a large, nearby......
Prophet’s Mosque
Prophet’s Mosque, courtyard of the Prophet Muhammad in Medina, Arabian Peninsula, which was the model for later......
Puri
Puri, city, eastern Odisha (Orissa) state, eastern India. It is situated on the Bay of Bengal, about 35 miles (55......
Qalāʾūn complex
Qalāʾūn complex, building complex, including a mausoleum, a madrasah, and a hospital, built in 1283–85 on the site......
Qarawīyīn
Qarawīyīn, mosque and Islāmic university in Fès, Morocco. The Qarawīyīn Mosque, which was enlarged to its present......
Ram Mandir, Ayodhya
Ram Mandir, Ayodhya, a grand Hindu temple inaugurated on January 22, 2024, at a site in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh,......
Ramsey
Ramsey, town (parish), Huntingdonshire district, administrative county of Cambridgeshire, historic county of Huntingdonshire,......
Reims Cathedral
Reims Cathedral, cathedral located in the city of Reims, France, on the Vesle River east-northeast of Paris. Reims......
Rievaulx
Rievaulx, ruined Cistercian abbey, Ryedale district, administrative county of North Yorkshire, historic county......
Rila Monastery
Rila Monastery, historic monastery and cultural site in the Rhodope Mountains of southwestern Bulgaria. It is situated......
Ryōan Temple
Ryōan Temple, Japanese Buddhist temple in Kyōto, famous for its abstract meditation garden (c. 1500). An area approximately......
Sagrada Família
Sagrada Família, Roman Catholic minor basilica in Barcelona, Spain, designed by Antoni Gaudí. Begun in 1882 and......
Saint Basil the Blessed
Saint Basil the Blessed, church constructed on Red Square in Moscow between 1554 and 1560 by Tsar Ivan IV (the......
Saint Catherine’s Monastery
Saint Catherine’s Monastery, Greek Orthodox monastery situated on Mount Sinai more than 5,000 feet (1,500 metres)......
Saint Francis of Assisi, Church of
Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, Roman Catholic church situated in the main square of Old Goa, 6 miles (10 kilometres)......
Saint Isaac’s Cathedral
Saint Isaac’s Cathedral, iron-domed cathedral in St. Petersburg that was designed in Russian Empire style by Auguste......
Saint Margaret’s Church
Saint Margaret’s Church, church in the London borough of Westminster, since 1614 the official church of the House......
Saint Stephen’s Cathedral
Saint Stephen’s Cathedral, cathedral in Vienna that was burned out in the course of the Battle of Vienna in April......
Sainte-Chapelle
Sainte-Chapelle, royal chapel in the Gothic Rayonnant style in the Île de la Cité in Paris, France. Gothic architecture......
Salt Lake Temple
Salt Lake Temple, house of worship that occupies a central position within Salt Lake City, the capital of Utah,......
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, influential Baroque church in Rome that was designed by Francesco Borromini as......
San Francesco
San Francesco, Franciscan monastery and church in Assisi, Italy, begun after the canonization in 1228 of St. Francis......
San Giorgio Maggiore
San Giorgio Maggiore, architecturally influential church in Venice, designed in 1566 by Andrea Palladio and finished......
San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo, early Renaissance-style church designed by Brunelleschi and constructed in Florence from 1421 to the......
San Marco Basilica
San Marco Basilica, church in Venice that was begun in its original form in 829 (consecrated in 832) as an ecclesiastical......
San Miniato al Monte
San Miniato al Monte, three-aisled basilican church in Florence completed in 1062. It is considered one of the......
Sankt Michael
Sankt Michael, basilican church in Hildesheim, Ger., that was built between 1010 and 1033 under Bishop Bernward,......
Santa Croce
Santa Croce, church of the Franciscans in Florence, one of the finest examples of Italian Gothic architecture.......
Santa Maria dei Frari
Santa Maria dei Frari, Franciscan church in Venice, originally built in the mid-13th century but rebuilt in Gothic......
Santa Maria Maggiore
Santa Maria Maggiore, one of four papal basilicas in Rome and the largest of the Marian churches (dedicated to......
Santa Maria Novella
Santa Maria Novella, Italian Gothic-style church of the Dominicans in Florence. It was planned by two Dominican......
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela, city, A Coruña provincia (province), capital of the comunidad autonóma (autonomous community)......
Sant’Ambrogio Basilica
Sant’Ambrogio Basilica, basilica in Milan, Italy, that is an outstanding example of Lombard Romanesque architecture.......
Selim, Mosque of
Mosque of Selim, monumental mosque, Edirne, Turkey. It is considered to be the masterwork of the great Ottoman......
Seokguram
Seokguram, Buddhist artificial cave-temple on the crest of Mount Toham, near the Bulguk Temple, Gyeongju, South......
Serapeum
Serapeum, either of two temples of ancient Egypt, dedicated to the worship of the Greco-Egyptian god Serapis (Sarapis).......
Shah Cheragh Shrine
Shah Cheragh Shrine, mosque complex in Shiraz, Iran, built around the tombs of Aḥmad ibn Mūsā and Muḥammad ibn......
Shaolin Temple
Shaolin Temple, Buddhist monastery in Henan province, China, that was founded in 495. In 464 an Indian monk named......
Shore Temple
Shore Temple, complex of elegant shrines (c. 700 ce), one among a number of Hindu monuments at Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram),......
Sistine Chapel
Sistine Chapel, papal chapel in the Vatican Palace that was erected in 1473–81 by the architect Giovanni dei Dolci......
Somapura Mahavira
Somapura Mahavira, 8th-century Buddhist monastery in the village of Paharpur, near Rajshahi, northwestern Bangladesh.......
Somnath
Somnath, ancient ruined city, southwestern Gujarat state, west-central India. It is the site of the temple of Shiva......
St. George’s Chapel
St. George’s Chapel, part of Windsor Castle, in the district of Windsor and Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. This......
St. Peter’s Basilica
St. Peter’s Basilica, present basilica of St. Peter in Vatican City (an enclave in Rome), begun by Pope Julius......
Sun Temple
Sun Temple, temple in Konark, Odisha state, India, that is dedicated to the Hindu sun god Surya. It was built of......
Süleymaniye Mosque
Süleymaniye Mosque, grand hilltop structure built in the 16th century on the orders of, and named after, Sultan......
Takht-e Soleymān
Takht-e Soleymān, ancient city and Zoroastrian temple complex of Iran’s Sāsānian dynasty, subsequently occupied......
Tempietto
Tempietto, small circular chapel erected in the courtyard of San Pietro in Montorio in Rome on the supposed site......
Tempio Malatestiano
Tempio Malatestiano, burial chapel in Rimini, Italy, for Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, the lord of the city, together......
Temple Mount
Temple Mount, site of the Temple of Jerusalem, which was destroyed by the Romans on the 9th/10th of Av in 70 ce......
Temple of Heaven
Temple of Heaven, large religious complex in the old outer city of Beijing, considered the supreme achievement......
Temple of the Tooth
Temple of the Tooth, Buddhist temple within the royal palace complex in Kandy, Sri Lanka, that is Sri Lanka’s most......
Temple, Le
Le Temple, in Paris, originally a fortified monastery of the Templars and later a royal prison. It was built in......
Templo Mayor
Templo Mayor, archaeological site, located just off Mexico City’s Plaza de la Constitución, of the Templo Mayor,......
Theseum
Theseum, temple in Athens dedicated to Hephaestus and Athena as patrons of the arts and crafts. Its style indicates......
Tianlong Shan
Tianlong Shan, site in central Shanxi province in China containing a series of Buddhist cave temples dating from......
Tintern Abbey
Tintern Abbey, ecclesiastical ruin in Monmouthshire, Wales, on the west bank of the River Wye. Founded for Cistercian......
Tongsa
Tongsa, town, fortress, and monastery, central Bhutan. It lies in the Himalayas on the Tongsa (or Mangde) River,......
Tōdai Temple
Tōdai Temple, monumental Japanese temple and centre of the Kegon sect of Japanese Buddhism, located in Nara. The......
Udayagiri
Udayagiri, archaeological site, south-central Odisha state, eastern India. It is located just southwest of Bhubaneshwar,......
Varanasi
Varanasi, city, southeastern Uttar Pradesh state, northern India. It is located on the left bank of the Ganges......
Vatican City
Vatican City, landlocked ecclesiastical state, seat of the Roman Catholic Church, and an enclave in Rome, situated......
Vecchio, Palazzo
Palazzo Vecchio, most important historic government building in Florence, having been the seat of the Signoria......
Virupaksha Temple
Virupaksha Temple, Hindu temple located in Hampi, an ancient village in Karnataka state in southern India. The......
Vézelay
Vézelay, village, Yonne département, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté région, north-central France. The village lies on......
Washington National Cathedral
Washington National Cathedral, in Washington, D.C., Episcopal cathedral chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1893......
Western Wall
Western Wall, in the Old City of Jerusalem, a place of prayer and pilgrimage sacred to the Jewish people. It is......
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, London church that is the site of coronations and other ceremonies of national significance.......
Whithorn
Whithorn, royal burgh (town) in Dumfries and Galloway region, historic county of Wigtownshire, southwestern Scotland.......
Winchester Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral, cathedral church in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It is the seat of the Anglican bishop......

Religious Places Encyclopedia Articles By Title