Holy Sites 451–500

The principal Presbyterian church in Vanuatu's capital, reflecting the nation's strong Christian faith.

Active volcanoes and mountain gorilla habitat revered by local communities.

One of the oldest synagogues in the Americas, dating to 1654.

The cathedral of Malta's ancient walled capital, built on the site where St Paul is said to have converted the islanders.

Poland's holiest Catholic shrine, home to the miraculous Black Madonna icon.

The oldest monastery in Moscow and administrative headquarters of the Russian Orthodox Church.

A 1,200-year-old Buddhist temple in the heart of modern Seoul's Gangnam district.

The traditional tomb of the biblical prophet Ezekiel, sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

The largest church in Canada, built through the miracles of Brother André.

The largest medieval church in the Baltic states, home to a world-famous historic organ.

One of the largest Neo-Gothic cathedrals in the world, in the heart of South America's biggest city.

A UNESCO-listed valley of five fortified Ibadi Islamic towns in the Algerian Sahara.

A UNESCO-listed ancient Saharan trading city and center of Islamic learning.

Historic cocoa plantation estates with chapels and spiritual significance.

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

The 'Holy Island' of Northumbria where the Lindisfarne Gospels were created and Christianity flourished.

Bernini's iconic colonnade embracing the faithful before St. Peter's Basilica.

A chapel dedicated to Monaco's patron saint, where her relics arrived by boat.

The second-largest pilgrimage site in France, dedicated to St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus.

A grand Taoist temple on the shores of Sun Moon Lake, dedicated to Confucius and the god of war.

A 17th-century Mughal mosque in Thatta renowned for its acoustics and tilework, built without pillars.

Argentina's national Marian shrine, drawing millions of pilgrims to venerate a tiny miraculous Virgin statue.

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

A breathtaking Gothic Revival masterpiece with a spectacular polychrome interior.

One of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world, perched on Mount Maqlub in northern Iraq.

Thailand's most sacred temple, housing the revered Emerald Buddha within the Grand Palace.

A sacred group of 36 massive rock domes near Uluru, central to Anangu men's spiritual law.

A remote island monastery off the Kerry coast where monks lived in stone beehive huts for 600 years.

Pakistan's national mosque and one of the largest in the world, set against the Margalla Hills.

The principal cathedral of Panama City, located in the historic Casco Viejo district.

The largest mosque in Africa, built dramatically over the Atlantic Ocean.

A UNESCO-listed group of Spanish colonial Baroque churches, exemplified by Paoay Church in Ilocos Norte.

A sacred hilltop settlement in Ondo State with ancient shrines and spiritual significance for the Yoruba.

An ancient clifftop monastery accessible only by climbing a 15-meter rope up a sheer cliff.

A golden mountain-top temple overlooking Chiang Mai, founded where a sacred relic was carried by a white elephant.

An island ensemble of 18th-century wooden churches on Lake Onega, built without a single nail.

The church of St. Nicholas of Myra, the historical bishop who inspired Santa Claus.

The cave where Prophet Muhammad hid from his Meccan pursuers during the Hijra migration.

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

A pre-Islamic fortification with a mosque, dramatically set against the Al Hajar Mountains.

A cluster of mosques at the site of the Battle of the Trench, a pivotal defense of Medina.

The museum and tomb of the spiritual writer Khalil Gibran, in a former monastery in Bsharri.

A fortified island monastery in the White Sea that became one of the most important spiritual centers—and later a notorious Soviet gulag.

The best-preserved Crusader castle, with a chapel that was converted to a mosque.

A Hindu shrine in downtown Bangkok believed to grant wishes, drawing millions of devotees.

The 'Camelot of Africa' — a fortified royal city with castles and churches from Ethiopia's imperial era.

A UNESCO-listed 18th-century palace with stunning shebeke windows and religious murals.

A Balinese water temple famous for its sacred purification springs and bathing rituals.

The shrine of the beloved Sufi saint in Sehwan Sharif, a center of ecstatic devotion in Sindh.

A dramatic cliff-face monastery in the Judean Desert, one of the oldest inhabited monasteries.