As we saw with the fire of Notre Dame, these buildings of beauty often transcend religion and become emotional symbols of culture and history to local communities, and even the world. From the temples of 15th century Japan to mid-20th century chapels in Arizona, celebrating the spiritual on earth has yielded some truly breathtaking results.
With the start of the Jewish high holidays this week, it seems an especially appropriate time to take stock of their inspiration:
Chapel of the Holy Cross
Sedona, Arizona
Las Lajas Sanctuary
Ipiales, Colombia
Larabanga Mosque
Larabanga, Ghana
Szeged Synagogue
Szeged, Hungary
The Church of Transfiguration
Kizhi Island, Russia
Bahá’í Gardens
Haifa, Israel
Floating Mosque
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple
Tiruchirappalli, India
Kinkaku-ji Temple
Kyoto, Japan
