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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A baroque pilgrimage church with 12 soapstone prophet statues by the master sculptor Aleijadinho.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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