The FT commenting names of readers have been given in bold type at the end of each entry. Where readers gave details about what they love about a particular place, that has been included as a quote.
MIT chapel, Cambridge, USA
“The Eero Saarinen-designed chapel at MIT is otherworldly. It’s based on circles (the structure is a circle) with the only light coming from a circular skylight that creates a columnar shaft of light that reflects on an extraordinary installation of suspended reflecting pieces. This is what spiritual contemplation probably looks like in another galaxy.” Early sitting Foodie
The Golden Temple, Amritsar, India
Sitting on a promenade of ornate white buildings, The Golden Temple in Amritsar stands out like a gleaming gold tooth. It has four entrances, one on each side, signifying that people from all walks of life are welcome. Textex
Basilica, Weizberg, Austria
“There are so many old churches in Austria and Bavaria that are located in beautiful locations that hold a strong sense of spirituality, history and connection to another world. This church in Weiz Styria [Austria], the Basilica at Weizberg, took my breath away as a child.” Mon_2021
Basilica di Santa Prassede, Rome, Italy
“In a city with many far more opulent churches, this ninth-century building tucked away on a side street still manages to surprise and inspire with its vibrant mosaics and side chapels. The last time I visited, in 2019, you still had to put a coin in the meter to illuminate them. Well worth it!” Occasional Observer
San Josemaría Escrivá Church, Mexico City, Mexico
This church, built in 2008 over a landfill site in the southern outskirts of Mexico City, is formed primarily of two huge curving plinths designed to evoke the Christian Ichthys symbol. Judge_Holden
Sea Ranch Chapel, Sea Ranch, USA
This non-denominational chapel in Sonoma County, California, was built by a local couple in honour of Kirk Ditzler, an artist, zoologist and navy aviator who inspired architect James Hubbell’s design. The structure appears like something from a fairy tale, with a roof shaped like a witch’s hat, a ceiling inlaid with shells, redwood benches and stained-glass windows in shades of fuchsia and sea green. Professor Scott Talan
The Matisse Chapel, Vence, France
Everything in the Chapelle du Rosaire de Vence, found in the hills above Nice, was designed by French artist Henri Matisse. It features a simple white interior, line-drawn murals depicting biblical scenes and geometric stained glass windows, which cast dappled light across the floor. “I’m irreligious but it brought tears to my eyes.” JMF
The Hengshan Hanging Temple, Datong, China
Twenty seven wooden beams driven into the cliff face work to support the Hengshan Hanging Temple, built 1,500 years ago on a rock face in Shanxi province, northern China. “Stunning, and certainly very memorable.” Claudius Donnelly
Grundtvig’s Church, Copenhagen, Denmark
This church, with its elegant yellow brick pillars inspired by Gothic architecture, was designed by the famed Danish architect Peder Vilhelm Jensen-Klint in honour of the Danish priest, poet, and reformer NFS Grundtvig. Jensen-Klint died before he could see it completed, so the project was finished in 1940 by his son, who also designed the simple wood and wicker chairs used for the congregation. It is “beautifully plain inside”. Jimmy Jones
Fire Temple, Yazd, Iran
The fire inside this temple, a place of worship for those who follow the ancient Zoroastrian religion, has been burning continuously since AD470, making it the longest running fire temple in Iran. Fire has long been an important symbol for Zoroastrians because it symbolises truth and purity. Lapras
Scuola Grande Di San Rocco, Venice, Italy
This “confraternity church”, established in the 15th century by a group of middle-class Venetians who wanted to play a part in civic life, is home to the remains of its titular saint, St Roch, as well as paintings by Titian, Tintoretto and Tiepolo. It features “wildly bizarre wood-carved figures in the main room along with famed paintings”. Professor Scott Talan
Sheikh Lutfallah mosque, Isfahan, Iran
This mosque features a “clever plan that swings you around from the east-facing entrance (iwan) to the Mecca-facing mihrab of the chamber, and the handling of its faience-lined space whose origins can be traced back to the simple four arched kiosks (chahar taq) of the early fire temples to be found in the mountains around”. Pause for a moment
St Sophia’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral, London, England
“Very beautiful. It was consecrated as the Church of the Holy Wisdom on 5 February 1882 and has superb late-19th-century iconography”. aegian
Die Wieskirche bei Steingaden, Oberbayern, Germany
This rococo confection, adorned with gilded stucco and trompe l’œil frescoes, was built in the mid-18th century and all but bankrupted the Steingaden abbey that funded it. Certankile
Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy
The conjoined octagonal structures that form the San Vitale Basilica in Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, offer a clue to the artistry of the mosaics found within. Decorated with different marbles and mosaics depicting scenes from the Old and the New Testament, it will “blow you away”. Fredaugust
Koryu-ji Temple, Kyoto, Japan
The oldest temple in Kyoto, dating to AD603, is said to have been founded by Korean immigrants to the city. It is best known for an elegant wooden sculpture of the Miroku Buddha in half-lotus position, which is thought to have been gifted to the Japanese regent Taishi Shōtoku by the Korean court. International Economist/Observer
Basilica of St John Lateran, Rome, Italy
Founded in AD324, this is the oldest public church in Rome and the oldest basilica in the western world. “This is where even the Pope goes as a humble priest to pray in the most spiritual of churches.” JHK2
Toledo Cathedral, Spain
A church was first built on this site in Toledo, central Spain, in the 6th century. It later became the city’s central mosque, before being converted back into a church in the 11th century, and then destroyed. The version we see today dates to the 13th century, and is considered “a stunning example of Spanish gothic”. TheDubliner
Wells Cathedral, Somerset, England
Begun around 1175, Wells Cathedral is home to the second oldest clock mechanism still in use in Britain and one of the finest examples of medieval stained glass: a huge window depicting a Jesse tree and Christ with his family in shades of green and gold. “By accident it has a wonderful central tower buttress in the crossing, put in because it was thought the tower was in danger of falling. An example of anxiety becoming inspiration.” Cassandra and Iphigeneia
St Thomas Aquinas church, Berlin, Germany
Built in 1999 from granite and glass, the St Thomas Aquinas church is “modern, sparse, true to its materials but profoundly settling and open to the immanent”. Hillgate26
Duomo, Syracuse, Sicily
“A Baroque façade stuck on to the end of Gelon’s Temple of Athena, which still forms the bulk of the main body of the church. It is a stunning survival, and has a remarkable atmosphere.” Al MacBee
Saint John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta, Malta
Though the outside appears almost austere, having been designed by a military engineer, the interior of this church is fabulously ornate, gilded and decorated with frescoes depicting the life of John the Baptist. The floor is made up of around 400 marble tombstones commemorating the Knights of Malta, the order who built the church. Window dressing
St Davids Cathedral, Pembrokeshire, Wales
“Such a wonderful, serene building. The local stone interior together with huge clear windows creates the most wonderful light.” caisson gardener
Badshahi Mosque, Lahore, Pakistan
When it was constructed in the 1670s, the Badshahi Mosque was the largest in the world. Rather than being adorned with intricate mosaic tiling as some Lahori mosques are, this design uses red sandstone inlaid with white marble patterns as decoration. Rightoutofhand
Basílica de la Sagrada Família, Barcelona, Spain
“A singular and spectacular hymn to imagination and spirit, as awe-inspiring as many natural wonders.” Garland T
Xishiku Church, Beijing, China
“Have lunch in Cafe 1901 afterwards. A beautiful and peaceful place with a very interesting history, 30 minutes’ walk from the Forbidden City”. Huntington was right
Pura Lingsar, Lombok, Indonesia
“An early-18th century Balinese Hindu temple. Not so much for the beauty of the building but for the way Balinese Hindus worship. The combination of gamelan music, the reading of Vedic text and the trance-like Balinese dancing mesmerised me. I never thought spirituality could be so visually and aurally breathtaking. There is a spring within the temple complex that is also considered holy by followers of the local Muslim sect, and once a year Hindus and Muslims have a festival together.” 97% human
Rosslyn Chapel, Edinburgh, Scotland
Found seven miles outside of Edinburgh, in rural Midlothian, the 15th-century Rosslyn Chapel is home to many mysteries and myths. Some say that the Holy Grail was once held here. Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code described a crypt beneath the church where the body of Mary Magdalen was thought to be held. The stonework and decoration also contain their own folklore: visitors are invited to spot the carvings of green men, a figure symbolising good, evil and the fecundity of nature (there are said to be 100). “A little gem.” TheGreenMachine
St Leopold am Steinhof, Vienna, Austria
St Leopold am Steinhof was originally built as a church for a psychiatric hospital in Vienna when it was constructed in the early-20th century. The architect, Otto Wagner, a leading figure in the secessionist and art nouveau movements, placed the building on a hill overlooking the facility, and designed a beautiful white marble façade and golden mosaic dome. It’s now considered one of the first ever modernist churches. “Ranks near the top for its unmatched aesthetic simplicity inside and out.” Robert and iamalwaysright
Sandham Memorial Chapel, Burghclere, England
“It seems to me that Stanley Spencer’s extraordinary paintings are more relevant than ever today.” Longserving
