Welcome to Sacred Destinations
"If we instinctively seek a paradisiacal and special place on earth, it is because we know in our inmost hearts that the earth was given to us in order that we might find meaning, order, truth and salvation in it."
Thomas Merton
Nearly every culture in human history has sought to honor the divine, the mysterious, the supernatural, or the extraordinary in some way. Most often this happens at sacred sites - special places where the physical world seems to meet the spiritual world. These might be awe-inspiring natural places, sites connected to a god, a saint, or a hero, places where miracles or visions were reported, or buildings consecrated for worship or ritual.
Sacred sites remain spiritually meaningful to millions today and the ancient practice of pilgrimage is as popular as ever. But you don't have to be a believer to recognize that holy places, religious architecture, and sacred art are some of the most beautiful and interesting sights you'll encounter in your travels.
Founded in 2005, Sacred Destinations is a richly-illustrated ecumenical guide to more than 1,200 sacred sites, holy places, pilgrimage destinations, and religious buildings in over 60 countries around the world. So whether you're looking for religious travel ideas, want information about a particular religious building or sacred site, or just love great architecture, you've come to the right place - happy exploring!
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Most Popular Sacred Sites
Assisi · Bethlehem · Blue Mosque · Bodh Gaya · Canterbury Cathedral · Chartres Cathedral · Cluny Abbey · Corinth · Dome of the Rock · Ephesus · Golden Temple of Amritsar · Hagia Sophia · Lourdes · Lumbini · Machu Picchu · Mecca · Nazca Lines · Notre Dame Cathedral · Pantheon · Pashupatinath · Petra · Ravenna · St Peter’s Basilica · Santiago de Compostela · San Vitale Basilica · Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima · Sistine Chapel · Stonehenge · Uluru / Ayers Rock · Western Wall
Sacred Sites by Destination
Austria · Belgium · Bolivia · Cambodia · Canada · China · Czech Republic · Egypt · England · Ethiopia · Finland · France · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · India · Indonesia · Ireland · Israel · Italy · Japan · Jordan · Malta · Mexico · Morocco · Nepal · Netherlands · Norway · Peru · Poland · Portugal · Russia · Scotland · South Korea · Spain · Sri Lanka · Switzerland · Syria · Thailand · Tunisia · Turkey · United States · Wales · all
Sacred Sites by Category
Abbeys · Ancient Greece · Archaeological Sites · Baroque Style · Basilicas · Byzantine · Cathedrals · Churches · Classical Greece · Early Christianity · Gothic · Grade I Listed Buildings · Historical Sites · Megalithic Monuments · Modern · Monasteries · Monuments · Mosques · Museums · Renaissance · Roman · Catholicism · Romanesque · Ruins · Shrines · Temples · World Heritage Sites · all