Monks

Mongolian Buddhists believe this monastery in the Gobi desert to be the center of the world's spiritual energy.

One of the last surviving ancient Buddhist sites in the region, it escaped the brunt of several Hun invasions thanks to its remote location.

Centuries before the modern seismograph, Armenian monks measured quakes with this tilting pillar.

A luxury hotel housed in a former 15th century Gothic church.

This temple is steeped in local folklore involving a teakettle and a raccoon dog.

A magical work of architecture where a wind turbine enables monks to levitate.

A Christian retreat founded to welcome refugees fleeing from the Nazis during World War II.

This Tibetan monastery has survived multiple attacks and is also a sky burial site.

What looks like a simple quaint estate in rural Pennsylvania was in the 18th century home to a small monastic community.

Elaborately carved to showcase the glorious wealth that the age of exploration brought to the Portuguese empire.

A public park off the beaten path with a beautiful waterfall and 13th century Cistercian abbey.

Over the centuries, this island paradise has done it all, from providing monks with ecclesiastical respite to sheltering an exiled Leon Trotsky.

12th-century holy complex shares land with a natural park full of heavenly waterfalls and raptors.

This religious complex carved into a cliff is steeped in legends of miraculous stags and the Holy Grail.