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 26 — #’s 126-130

126. Stonehenge, Salisbury Plain, England — Here is one of the world’s oldest (5000 years old) and most mystical places on the planet. Obviously an astronomical observatory, Stonehenge exudes mystery. We know little about the people who constructed the circle or even how they moved these huge stones some 50 miles from where they originated.

Stonehenge

127. Temple of Apollo, Delphi, Greece — During the high period of Greek Civilization, this temple and the Oracle beneath it were the center of the known world. Apollo was revered as the God of Wisdom.

Temple of Apollo

128. Temple of Athena, Athens, Greece — As much as Apollo was revered (see #127 above), so was Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and the namesake of the most important city in the Hellenic world. We call this temple the Parthenon and this masterpiece of the architect Phidias is still celebrated as one of the most perfect buildings ever constructed in the history of the world. It sits majestically atop the Acropolis in Athens and can be seen from everywhere in the city.

Parthenon

129. Temple of Debod, Madrid, Spain — This Egyptian temple was moved from its location in Egypt to its current location in Madrid as a thank you to Spain for its assistance in the construction of the Aswan Dam.

Temple of Debod

130. Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens, Greece — The ruins of this largest temple in Athens are still impressive because of the height of the remaining columns.

Temple of Olympian Zeus