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Smith Chapel in Durham.
Durham, New Hampshire

Smith Chapel

This small stone chapel is a hidden gem just outside the University of New Hampshire campus.
Detroit, Michigan

St. Agnes Church and School

Once a bastion of its community, this gothic cathedral now stands as a haunting ruin.
Aside from the fact that the bell tower "sinks," one of the curious things about this tower is its distance from the main cathedral. Pictured here from a nearby park, the cathedral itself cannot be seen.
Laoag City, Philippines

The Sinking Bell Tower

It is believed that the historic tower is sinking at a rate of an inch a year, though no one is completely sure why.
Independence Temple.
Independence, Missouri

Independence Temple

This otherworldly church spire reaches up toward the heavens.
Exterior, arches
Chennai, India

San Thome Basilica

This Gothic-style church is reputedly built atop the remains of one of Jesus's apostles.
The Indecent Little Man of St James Church
Brno, Czechia

The Indecent Little Man on the Church of St. James

A cheeky architectural easter egg.
The walls hid these giant wheels.
secret passages

Found: Secret Sliding Doors Hidden in a Church’s Walls

A renovation revealed the pulley system meant to move them.
Sarah Laskow November 29, 2016
churches

Found: Very Old Peacock Graffiti Left Behind by Religious Pilgrims

Peacocks represented eternal life to early Christians.
Sarah Laskow November 23, 2016
A canal in Rotterdam, showing the Pilgrim Fathers church in the distance.
churches

The Centuries-Old Netherlands Church Celebrating American Thanksgiving

The Pilgrim Fathers' Church has a long history.
Menachem Wecker November 23, 2016
Crosses come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and material.
Grabarka, Poland

Holy Mountain of Grabarka

Crosses of all shapes, sizes and colors litter the mountain, the site of a huge yearly Orthodox pilgrimage.
The dentures were found in the tomb of a powerful family.
churches

Found: Centuries-Old Dentures Made From Real Teeth

They were worn by someone very rich.
Sarah Laskow November 22, 2016
The famous facade and portal to the church.
Lisbon, Portugal

Jerónimos Monastery

Elaborately carved to showcase the glorious wealth that the age of exploration brought to the Portuguese empire.
The image is pressed into the metal downspout
Bydgoszcz, Poland

The Secret Polish Eagle on Fara Church

This symbol of Polish heritage survived the occupation during World War II, hidden in plain sight.
To help preserve the meridian line—but also to draw more attention to it—the church has roped the line off from the feet of daily visitors. Just visible here, in a plaque in the marble floor, are the zodiac signs of Pisces and Scorpio. Both appear near the spring and autumn equinoxes, respectively.
churches

Why Catholics Built Secret Astronomical Features Into Churches to Help Save Souls

After centuries of war, Catholicism and science reconciled over meridian lines.
Geoff Manaugh November 15, 2016
The Interior
Athens, Greece

Little Metropolis Church

This gem is often wrongly overshadowed by the larger, newer Metropolis church in Athens.
The outside reads: "To Mary, Protector of Beaujolais."
Saint-Lager, France

Our Lady of the Grapes

A gothic church dedicated to the love of wine.
The ex-votos extend all the way up the arches.
Paris, France

Basilique Notre-Dame-des-Victoires

A 400-year-old church covered floor to ceiling in ex-voto offerings from the faithful.
Ponte Nossa, Italy

Crocodile at the Santuario Madonna delle Lacrime Immacolate

This church, better known for its weeping portrait of the Virgin Mary, also houses the world's oldest existing piece of taxidermy.