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The most beautiful churches are those that both capture the eye and make the viewer feel something. The act of constructing sacred sites has been a defining characteristic of human culture since the beginning of history. Architects seek to meld the spiritual and the practical in places of worship, which have been marvels for thousands of yearsworks of art in a range of style, from Gothic to midcentury to contemporary.Here, AD journeys around the world to bring you a collection of the most beautiful churches. Think spires reaching into the heavens, light-drenched spaces, and tributes to traditional craftsmanship. Theres something unique to admire in each of these 19 sites.Thorncrown Chapel (United States)Photo: Thomas S England/Getty ImagesNestled in the woodland of the Ozark hills in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Thorncrown Chapel is a stunning prairie-style masterpiece designed by E. Fay Jones, an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright. Wrights influence is evident in the seamless integration of native materials with the natural surroundings. Towering wooden beams evoke tree branches stretching skyward, while a ridged skylight crowns the structure, bathing the interior in natural light from all angles. Crafted entirely from organic materials, the chapel features over 6,000 square feet of glass and a floor made from locally sourced stone. Thorncrown Chapel stands as a breathtaking testament to the harmony between architecture and nature.Austin (United States)Photo: dlewis33/Getty ImagesEllsworth Kellys Austin carries forward the artists tradition of naming his works after the places they inhabit. As a renowned sculptor, printmaker, and painter, Kelly only ever designed one building, Austin, which marked the pinnacle of his career. This chapel, located at the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, combines bold colors with minimalist shapes and lines to create a transformative space. Playing with light, color, and geometric form, the experience within Austin evolves subtly throughout the day as sunlight shifts, casting shadows across the space.Massachusetts Institute of Technology Chapel (United States)Photo: gnagel/Getty ImagesThis midcentury-modern design by Eero Saarinen brings minimalisms beauty to life. Located on MITs campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the nondenominational chapel was completed in 1955. The simple cylindrical exterior hides the stunning interplay of light inside on the arched walls. Suspended from a lone skylight, a cascading metal screen by artist Harry Bertoia shimmers down to the altar, creating a serene focal point for the dark interior of the chapel.Notre Dame Cathedral (France)Photo: lhan Eroglu/Getty ImagesAfter a devastating accidental fire in 2019, this famous 850-year-old cathedral has been painstakingly restored, with craftsmen using tools and traditional methods of woodworking and stonecutting. Even the famous bells were pulled up into the belfry with ropes just as they would have been in the Middle Ages and tolled for the first time in five years in late 2024. Now, a replica of the iconic 315-foot gothic spire designed by Eugne Viollet-le-Duc in the late 19th century rises over Paris again, a tribute to the value of traditional craftsmanship in the modern age.Community Church Knarvik (Norway)Photo: Melissa Hegge. Courtesy of Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter.Drawing inspiration from Norways traditional stave churches, architect Reiulf Ramstad reimagined the style as a modern, simplistic geometric structure. Located in Knarvik, Norway, a striking triangular spire crafted from vertical planks rises above the pre-weathered pine exterior, which creates a timeless impression. Inside, the church flows seamlessly, with different spaces within that are defined by the arches of the ceiling. A circular stained glass window with a crucifix in the center provides a focal point for the altar.Cathedral of Maringa (Brazil)Photo: Laeti.com.br/Getty ImagesCompleted in 1972 by architect Jos Augusto Bellucci in Maring, Brazil, this tribute to the Soviet Sputnik satellites blends modern marvels with time-honored tradition. The tapered spire dominates the skyline, visible from any point in the city, while a marble foundation stone from St. Peters Basilica in Rome ties the cathedral back to its Catholic roots. A circular water mirror surrounding the structure reflects the spire and nearby buildings.Reading Between the Lines (Belgium)Photo: Filip DujardinIn 2011, the design firm Gijs Van Vaerenbergh unveiled a 10-meter-high steel optical illusion that doubles as a church in Borgloon, Belgium. They drew inspiration from the shape of a nearby church but stripped it to its bare essentials. The resulting structure appears transparent from most angles, blending seamlessly into the surrounding farmland. Part sculpture and part contemplative space, this church blurs the boundaries between indoor and outdoor, challenging traditional notions of architecture and environment.The Oratory of St. Xavier (Thailand)Photo: Jom SermphasitIn a remote corner of Thailand, near the edge of a conflict zone, a newly built Catholic church offers hope and sanctuary to refugees in nearby camps. Designed by Spanish architect Paco Garca Moro, the church features a striking latticework exterior crafted from reclaimed wood salvaged from local homes marked for demolition. A simple cross rises above the structure, embodying resilience and faith. The design draws inspiration from a miracle of St. Francis, in which a crab returned his lost crucifix, saving him from drowning. Inside, curved walls and floor-to-ceiling windows bathe the wooden benches in soft, natural light, creating a serene space.Annie Pfeiffer Chapel (United States)Photo: Timothy Rosenberg/Getty ImagesOne of only two chapels designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel was completed in 1941 as part of Wrights ambitious master plan for Florida Southern College. Rejecting traditional European-inspired campus architecture, Wright sought to create something uniquely Americanwhat he called Usonian. The chapels bold design embodies this vision with its soaring vertical lines, geometric forms, and a striking tower that dominates the structure. Signature design elements, such as a repeating triangular motif, a cantilevered roof, and a red concrete floor, mark the building as a Wright masterpiece.Shrine of Our Lady of Las Lajas (Colombia)Photo: rchphoto/Getty ImagesLocated in Colombia, Shrine of Our Lady of Las Lajas has become a must-see in South America both for pilgrims and everyday tourists. Its history as a pilgrimage site predates the current churchin 1754, the Virgin Mary purportedly appeared to two indigenous women seeking shelter during a storm. Over the years, a number of shrines were erected to commemorate the event. Located in the canyon formed by the Guitara River along the Ecuadorian border, construction of the neo-Gothic church by Colombian architect Lucindo Espinosa and Ecuadorian engineer J. Gualberto Prez began in 1916. The church was finally completed in 1949, and its cliff-side venue more than 300 feet above the river below is decidedly cinematic.Panaga Paraportian Church (Greece)Photo: zwawol/Getty ImagesOverlooking the Aegean Sea, this church is one of the oldest of the more than 400 churches on the Greek island of Mykonos. Dating back to 1425, the Byzantine-Cycladic building is in the historic district of the town of Chora. Its most unique feature is that its actually five different churches built over the centuries and eventually joined together into the current structure. The church, or churches, was built inside an ancient city gatePanaga Paraportian means Our Lady of the Side Gate. With its unadorned, whitewashed exterior, it is an impressive example of Cycladic architecture.Greme Churches (Turkey)Photo: byakkaya/Getty ImagesA highlight of Turkeys Cappadocia region are its many monastic structures carved into volcanic peaks, creating a wonderful open-air museum. The churches in the Greme Valley are some of the best known. The cave structures were created by monks beginning in the fourth century, and many have stunning frescoes painted on the interior walls. While the caves originally served as monasteries, over the centuries various chapels, refectories, and even houses were also carved into the rocks. The Greme churches were added to UNESCOs list of World Heritage sites in 1985.Church of St. George (Ethiopia)Photo: Wil Punt/Getty ImagesDating from the late 12th to early 13th centuries, the Church of St. George is one of eleven monolithic churches carved into the volcanic tuff at Lalibela, in Ethiopias Amhara region. Built during the reign of King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela, the Ethiopian Orthodox church has been described as the eighth wonder of the world. It is surrounded by a very narrow man-made canyon while inside frescoes portray the life of St. George, a Roman soldier who refused to renounce his Christian faith. The churches at Lalibela are divided into two groups, separated by an 80-by-80-foot trench, which represents the River Jordan.Chapel of Saint-Michel dAiguilhe (France)Photo: Michel Gounot/Godong/Getty ImagesLocated in the hills of the commune of Aiguilhe, less than two hours by car from Lyon, the chapel of Saint-Michel sits atop a 279-foot-tall volcanic peak. Built in 969, the Romanesque church is dedicated to Saint Michael, the patron saint of mountaintops. Accessible via a staircase with 268 steps, this stone structure was called a jewel of Romanesque architecture by the French Romantic writer Prosper Mrime and offers a panoramic view of the town below. In 1247, the bell tower was struck by lightning, though it was later rebuilt in the 19th century. The chapels frescoes were also restored during that period by the French painter Anatole Dauvergne.Chapel of the Holy Cross (United States)Photo: Holger Leue/Getty ImagesCommissioned and designed in part by philanthropist Marguerite Brunswig Staude, the formal designs for the Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona, Arizona, were drawn up by architects August K. Strotz and Richard Hein of Anshen & Allen. After the Catholic chapel opened in 1957, it quickly became one of Arizonas top tourist attractions. Staude's original design was inspired by American skyscrapersspecifically the Empire State Buildingwhile sculptor Keith Monroes 90-foot iron cross is a highlight of the building. The church is a unique scenic monument in the rugged and picturesque desert landscape with its concrete walls creating a vivid contrast with the surrounding red rocks.Stykkishlmskirkja Church (Iceland)Photo: Martin Zwick/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group/Getty ImagesThis futuristic Lutheran church on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula was designed by architect Jn Haraldsson. Opened in 1990, the concrete church and its bell tower resembling the vertebrae of a whale are found in picturesque Stykkishlmsbr, a small fishing village with a population of just over 1,000 in western Iceland. Visible from afar, the churchs sleek lines piercing the sky are an extraordinary sight.Borgund Stave Church (Norway)Photo: Morten Falch Sortland/Getty Images.Located in the village of Borgund, roughly three hours by car from Bergen, the construction of this medieval wooden church began in the late 12th century. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the church in Norway is considered one of the best-preserved stave churches in the country. (The name comes from the staves, or vertical wooden boards, used to form its walls.) During the 19th century, many historic wooden churches were neglected and others were intentionally demolished to make way for newer buildings. The great Romantic landscape painter Johan Christian Clausen Dahl is credited with highlighting these churches beauty and historic significance, assuring that many survived to this day.Cadet Chapel, United States Air Force Academy (United States)Photo: John Elk III/Getty ImagesOpened in 1962, the United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel is 150 feet tall and is one of the United States most noteworthy modernist religious buildings. Designed by architect Walter Netsch, the chapel is crowned with 17 glass spires and aluminum panels. With its steel structure and stained-glass windows, the modern chapel has been compared to a spaceship or the wing of an airplane. The ecumenical chapel provides a place of meditation where Buddhist, Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, and Jewish cadets can worship.Temppeliaukio Church (Finland)Photo: Lingxiao Xie / Getty ImagesThis modernist monolithic church was designed by the Finnish brothers and architects Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen and completed in 1969. The church was carved directly into granite rocks, with walls ranging from 16 to 26 feet in height. At the top of the church, a 79-foot copper dome sits atop concrete beams and 180 glass panels that fill the space with light. The church is also famous for its excellent acoustics, credited to its rough stone walls, and is frequently used for concerts.
