Sacred Spaces

This ruined 15th-century hermitage is steeped in myth and mystery.

A long-closed church turned into a saintly skate park.

Buried for centuries, this hidden cellar is all that remains of London's medieval Whitefriars Monastery.

This unique religious structure is an architectural gem with arresting ocean views.

One of the holiest Shi'i shrines in Iran honors the life and death of a learned noblewoman who became a saint.

Legend has it a sacred treasure hidden by an ancient guru was revealed with a burning butter lamp from these waters.

The little church's beautifully frescoed ceiling has earned it the nickname “the Sistine Chapel of Madrid.”

This crumbling medieval basilica once attracted pilgrims by the thousands to collect a miraculous dust that formed above the saint's tomb.

Barça football fans might see the insignia hidden in a church window as a divine sign.

This Czech church doubles as something of a permanent fashion exhibition for a statue of the Infant Jesus.

This mysterious, medieval cathedral remains unbuilt but fiercely protected.

This belfry is all that remains of the town that was buried by a violent volcano eruption.

A magnificent, long-abandoned castle built in the wake of the reconquest of Spain.

This church looks more like a spaceship than a house of worship.

Seven beautiful 1,000-year-old rock-cut Buddhist statues.