Churches and other religious/spiritual sites are some of the world’s most important attractions for travelers. The are typically the focal point of a city or village and reflect the culture and values of the region. Churches, especially, are significant architecturally and represent the best efforts of a community to express itself. Lee & I have been to hundreds of churches in our travels. Many of these have become unforgettable memories of a particular place. To actually rank these sites is virtually impossible. How can you choose between amazing sights such as Hagia Sophia, the Pantheon, and Mont-St-Michel? Therefore, I will present my favorite 150 spiritual places in installments of five (5), listed alphabetically. Many of my choices are World Heritage Sites and deserve to be preserved forever. Many are simply charming or may hold some special historical significance. Peruse the list and compare your list to mine. Obviously I have not been to all the spiritual places on Earth, but most of these would probably make the all-time list of the majority of world travelers.
Installment 9 — #’s 41-45
41. Elmslie Memorial United Church, George Town, Grand Cayman — This is the oldest Christian church in the Cayman Islands and welcomes visitors along the waterfront.
42. First Baptist Church, Providence, Rhode Island, USA — This stunning church sits at the bottom of College Hill in Providence. The church dates to 1638 and is the oldest church of this denomination in the United States.
43. Flagler Memorial Church, St Augustine, Florida, USA — This interesting church is dedicated to Henry Flagler, of railroad fame, who made St Augustine a favorite vacationland for the wealthy.
44. Frauenkirche, Munich, Germany — The Church of Our Lady has become a symbol of the city of Munich with its twin brick towers.
45. Garden of Gethsemane, Jerusalem, Israel — The location in the New Testament where Christ was betrayed by Judas has been preserved as a kind of memorial to the event. The Garden sits just outside the walled city of Jerusalem, at the base of the Mount of Olives.