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 29 — #’s 141-145

141. Wat Intharawihan, Bangkok, Thailand — The Standing Buddha Temple is decidedly different and unusual compared with other wats in Bangkok.

Wat Intharawihan

142. Wat Pho, Bangkok, Thailand — Wat Pho, or the Temple of the Reclining Buddha as it is more commonly known, is a large complex near the Grand Palace. Besides its distinctive Buddha, Wat Pho is noted as a training ground for  masseuses.

Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho

143. Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok, Thailand — The Temple of the Emerald Buddha is one of the most sacred places in Thailand. Although the actual Buddha is surprisingly small, the complex of buildings which make up the wat is huge.

Grounds at Wat Phra Kaew

144. Wat Traimit, Bangkok, Thailand — This is the Temple of the Golden Buddha. Its centerpiece has probably survived only because it was plastered over during the invasion of Siam by Burma in 1767. It is one of the most popular wats for visitors to Bangkok.

Golden Buddha

145. Westminster Abbey, London, England — The most important church in London seems to be more of a mausoleum, containing the remains of British monarchs and other significant Englanders.

Westminster Abbey