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 22 — #’s 106-110

106. Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi’an, China — This Buddhist pagoda dates to approximately 708 AD and is one of the most popular attractions in the Ancient capital of Xi’an.

Small Wild Goose Pagoda

107. St Columba’s Church, Middletown, Rhode Island, USA — This adorable stone Episcopal church has beautiful stained glass windows.

St Columba’s Church

108. Stephansdom, Vienna, Austria — This impressive church, at the center of Vienna, is particularly noted for its colorful tile roof. Its tower dominates the skyline of Vienna.

Stephansdom

109. St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland — This High Church of Edinburgh is located at the center of the Royal Mile, a pedestrian street which leads from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace at Holyroodhouse.

St Giles Cathedral

110. St Isaac’s Cathedral, St Petersburg, Russia — This is the oldest and most beloved of St Petersburg’s churches. It is basically a Byzantine Cross church done in Neoclassic style.

St Isaac’s Cathedral