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 10 — #’s 46-50

46. Golden Mount, Bangkok, Thailand — The Golden Mount sits on the grounds of Wat Saket. Views from this high point in the city of Bangkok are fabulous.

Golden Mount

47. Guadalajara Cathedral, Guadalajara, Mexico — Mexico’s second largest city features a large and glorious cathedral at one end of a long pedestrian thoroughfare.

Guadalajara Cathedral

48. Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey — This is one of the world’s oldest and greatest churches. Built by Emperor Constantine in 537 AD, it began as a church, became a mosque, and has now become a museum. The lovely mosaics which adorn the hallways have recently been uncovered and restored.

Hagia Sophia

49. Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, Temple of Heaven, Beijing, China — The exquisite edifice known as the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is the largest building in the Temple of Heaven complex, just south of Tiananmen Square.

Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests

50. Hofkirche, Innsbruck, Austria — The main church of Innsbruck contains the ornate and elaborate cenotaph of Holy Roman Emperor Maximillian I.

Cenotaph of Maximillian I