Holy Sites for Forgiveness

The holiest site in Islam, home of the Kaaba, and the destination for Hajj pilgrimage.

The spiritual center of Roman Catholicism and home of the Pope.

The second holiest mosque in Islam, containing the tomb of Prophet Muhammad.

The site where Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected.

The holiest place where Jews can pray, remnant of the Second Temple.

The destination of the Camino de Santiago, one of the world's greatest pilgrimages.

A Gothic masterpiece on the Seine, rebuilt after the 2019 fire.

The largest mosque in the world by area, housing the tomb of the eighth Shia Imam.

The mother church of Anglicanism and England's premier pilgrimage destination since the murder of Thomas Becket.

The tomb of Imam Ali, the first Shia Imam and fourth Caliph, in Najaf.

The ruined and restored churches of Antigua, Guatemala's former colonial capital, set against a volcanic backdrop.

The shrine of Imam Husayn in Karbala, site of the pivotal Battle of Karbala in 680 CE.

A sacred Char Dham site where Lord Rama is believed to have prayed before crossing to Lanka.

The garden where Jesus prayed in agony on the night before his crucifixion.

A historic Swahili coast town whose name means 'lay down your heart,' a center of spiritual reflection.

The third holiest mosque in Islam, where Prophet Muhammad led all prophets in prayer.

Morocco's holiest town, containing the tomb of the founder of the first Moroccan dynasty.

A monumental Baroque stairway in Braga symbolizing the ascent to heaven.

A Romanesque masterpiece in Burgundy, starting point of the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela.

The tomb of Fatimah bint Musa in Qom, one of Iran's holiest Shia shrines.

The iconic Stari Most bridge and surrounding historic area where mosques and churches stand side by side.

A UNESCO World Heritage island memorializing the transatlantic slave trade.

The Ethiopian and Coptic chapels within Christianity's holiest site, accessed via the Palestinian quarter.

The most sacred Islamic cemetery, containing the graves of the Prophet's family and companions.

A Romano-Byzantine basilica atop Montmartre dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

A pilgrimage center in northeast Brazil where a miraculous cross was discovered in a tree.

The island prison where Nelson Mandela was held, now a UNESCO-listed site of pilgrimage and reflection.

Istanbul's holiest mosque, built at the reputed burial place of the Prophet Muhammad's standard-bearer.

A UNESCO-listed island off Dakar that symbolizes the transatlantic slave trade and spiritual remembrance.

A grand colonial cathedral built on the foundations of an Inca palace in the heart of Cusco.

Where Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses, launching the Protestant Reformation.

The marble steps believed to have been climbed by Jesus at Pontius Pilate's palace, ascended on the knees by pilgrims.

The sacred mountain where pilgrims gather for the most important day of Hajj.

A major Shia shrine near Damascus, believed to house the tomb of Zaynab bint Ali.

A major Shia shrine in Samarra housing the tombs of the tenth and eleventh Imams.

The 'Sistine Chapel of Mexico,' adorned with stunning folk baroque murals.

The site where 45 Christian converts were martyred in 1886, now Africa's largest Christian pilgrimage site.

UNESCO World Heritage former colonial capital, the oldest European city in the tropics.

The tomb of the founder of Morocco's current ruling Alaouite dynasty at the edge of the Sahara.

Historic cocoa plantation estates with chapels and spiritual significance.

A major Shia mosque in Baghdad housing the tombs of the seventh and ninth Imams.

A church built atop one of the largest slave-trading fortresses, now a site of pilgrimage and remembrance.

A vast tent city where millions of Hajj pilgrims perform the symbolic stoning of the devil.

The monastery where St. Gregory was imprisoned, with stunning views of Mount Ararat.

The shrine of Padre Pio, the stigmatized saint who drew millions to this Apulian hill town.

The legendary sunken city once called 'the wickedest city on Earth,' destroyed by an earthquake in 1692.

The largest Catholic church in South Africa, a sanctuary during the anti-apartheid struggle.

A former slave trading fort and site of spiritual pilgrimage and remembrance.

The principal cathedral of El Salvador, where Archbishop Óscar Romero was assassinated while celebrating Mass.

The displaced homeland of the Bikini people, site of nuclear testing and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The oldest church in Timor-Leste and the site of a pivotal massacre during the independence struggle.

One of Rwanda's most important Catholic cathedrals, a center of faith and post-genocide reconciliation.

A memorial and cemetery honoring the victims of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide.

West Africa's oldest Anglican cathedral, founded by freed slaves.

A national shrine honoring the Canadian Martyrs, eight Jesuit missionaries killed in the 1640s.

An ecumenical monastic community in Burgundy drawing thousands of young pilgrims weekly.

The main Catholic cathedral in Mozambique's capital, a center of faith through colonial and civil war eras.

A Catholic church that became a massacre site during the 1994 genocide, now a sacred memorial.

The principal Catholic cathedral in Togo's capital, a center of faith and community in West Africa.

A memorial on the WWII battlefield where thousands perished in the Pacific campaign.

The principal cathedral of the CAR, a center of peace in a conflict-affected nation.

A memorial chapel on Guadalcanal honoring those who fell in the pivotal WWII battle.

Nauru's highest point and WWII Japanese command post, now a memorial site.