List of religious sites
This article provides an incomplete list and broad overview of significant religious sites and places of spiritual importance throughout the world. Sites are listed alphabetically by religion.
Abrahamic religions
are monotheistic faiths emphasizing and tracing their common origin to Abraham or recognizing a spiritual tradition identified with him. They constitute one of three major divisions in comparative religion, along with Indian religions and East Asian religions.The three major Abrahamic faiths are Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Some strict definitions of what constitutes an Abrahamic religion include only these three faiths. However, there are many other religions incorporating Abrahamic doctrine, theology, genealogy and history into their own belief systems.
Baháʼí Faith and Bábism
The Baháʼí Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Baháʼu'lláh in 19th century Persia, and consider their religion to progress from or succeed Bábism or the Bábi Faith founded by the Báb earlier in the century – emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind.File:Baha'i arc from archives.jpg|thumb|The Arc gardens and administrative buildings at the Baháʼí World Center on Mount Carmel, Haifa
File:Houseofthebab2008.jpg|thumb|A telephone pole, sidewalk and mosque built over the House of the Báb in Shiraz, Iran, in 2008
Located in Bahji, near Acre, Israel the Shrine of Baháʼu'lláh is the most holy place for Baháʼís and their Qiblih, or direction of prayer. It contains the remains of Bahá'u'lláh and is near the spot where he died in the Mansion of Bahji. Baháʼís regard Acre itself as their holy city, mostly due to the fact that it serves as the location of Bahá'u'lláh and his family's many affairs. Within Acre, Baháʼí sites include the House of 'Abbúd, the House of 'Abdu'lláh Páshá, the Garden of Ridván and the Prison cell of Bahá'u'lláh – where Bahá'u'lláh was incarcerated.
The second holiest site in the Baháʼí Faith – which is also revered by the few remaining Azalis – is the Shrine of the Báb, located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. The Báb's Shrine contains within its walls the temporary Shrine of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá.
The BWC also contains the Monument Gardens – wherein can be found the graves of some of Bahá'u'lláh's family – as well as a house in which 'Abdu'l-Bahá lived, and the resting place of Rúhíyyih Khánum.
Bahá'u'lláh decreed pilgrimage in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas to two places: the House of Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdad, Iraq and the House of the Báb in Shiraz, Iran. While these major pilgrimages were later replaced by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, many Baháʼís still flocked to Bahá'u'lláh's home for pilgrimage until the house was confiscated by Muslim authorities hostile to the Baháʼí Faith in 1922. It has yet to be returned to the Baháʼí community. The House of the Báb was completely destroyed by Iranian Muslims during a state-sponsored persecution of Baháʼís. A road and mosque were built over the house and a telephone pole now marks the spot where the Báb proclaimed his prophethood. The city of Baghdad also includes the Garden of Ridván, which shares the same name as – though is distinct from – the Garden of Ridván in Acre.
Christianity
Located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, the Edicule, also known as the Tomb of Christ, within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the most holy site for many mainstream denominations within Christianity. The area of the Church is regarded as the site, according to their understanding, where Jesus Christ suffered, was crucified, died, buried and resurrected from the dead along a temporal pathway known as the Via Dolorosa. The first eight Stations of the Cross can be followed along the route leading up to the Church, inside of which are the final five Stations.The Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, Roman Catholic Church, and Armenian Apostolic Church form the custodians of the Holy Sepulchre and collectively control the most holy pilgrimages within the church along with the Coptic, Syriac, and Ethiopian Orthodox churches who also hold some chapels. Within the walls of the church are the many traditional locations for the events associated with the Passion and death of Jesus: The Stone of Unction, the Prison of Christ, a treasure room which holds relics including fragments of the True Cross, and of course Calvary or Golgotha and the Sepulchre itself – to name a few.
Many Protestant and nontrinitarian denominations regard the nearby Garden Tomb to be the actual crucifixion and resurrection site of Jesus. Still others have claimed that Jesus's tomb is in Japan, or is really located outside of East Jerusalem.
Other holy sites and shrines of pilgrimage exist in the Holy Land. In Jerusalem the Garden of Gethsemane, the Mount Zion Cenacle of the Last Supper and the Mount of Olives, as well as the Church of the Ascension prove spiritually important. Outside Jerusalem are pilgrimage places including the Sea of Galilee, as well as locations in Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Capernaum:
- Bethlehem: The location of the Church of the Nativity in Manger Square, where Jesus was born.
- Capernaum: The town, bordering the Sea of Galilee, is cited in the Gospel of Luke where it was reported to have been the home of the apostles Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John, as well as the tax collector Matthew. In the Gospel of Matthew the town was reported to have been the home of Jesus. According to Luke, Jesus taught in the synagogue in Capernaum on Sabbath. Jesus then healed a man who had the spirit of an unclean devil and healed a fever in Simon Peter's mother-in-law. According to Luke, it is also the place where a Roman Centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant. Capernaum is also mentioned in the Gospel of Mark, in which it is the location of the famous healing of the paralytic lowered through the roof to reach Jesus. According to several Gospels, Jesus selected this town as the center of his public ministry in the Galilee after he left the small mountainous hamlet of Nazareth. Capernaum has no obvious advantages over any other city in the area, so he probably chose it because it was the home of his first disciples, Simon and Andrew.
- Nazareth: The location of the Church of the Annunciation, St. Gabriel's Church, the Synagogue Church, the Church of St. Joseph's Carpentry ; the Mensa Christi Church, the Basilica of Jesus the Adolescent, the Church of Christ, and the Church of Our Lady of the Fright. The "Jesus Trail" pilgrimage route connects many of the religious sites in Nazareth on a 60 km walking trail which ends in Capernaum.
Still other revered places may exist within or outside the Holy Land, involving localities associated with the lives of the Twelve Apostles, the Church Fathers, the relatives and ancestors of Jesus, saints, or other figures or events featured in both the Old Testament and New Testament. The reverence held for these sites may vary depending on denomination.
Catholic Church
, like many other Christians, regards the Sepulchre in Jerusalem to be the holiest of places. It also places emphasis on Nazareth, Bethlehem, Capernaum, and other parts of the Holy Land as sacred since apostolic times, and notes as places of special sanctity the sanctuaries built on the tombs of the Apostles.Mainstream Catholicism as a whole is represented by the Holy See of the Vatican City state, a walled enclave within Rome, Italy. Inside the Vatican the largest church in history, St. Peter's Basilica, is the location of the Papal office and the living quarters of the Pope, as well as Vatican Hill – atop which are Saint Peter's tomb and place of crucifixion, his throne, and his baldachin. Outside St. Peter's Square are many more churches throughout the Vatican and outlying Rome. One important landmark is the Sistine Chapel, in which the Papal conclave takes place.
Rome is the place from which Catholics believe the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church was formally founded and begun by Saint Peter as the appointed successor and first vicar of Christ. Thus while the Holy Sepulchre is still the most sanctified of places for Catholics, the Vatican is an extremely sacred place to the faithful as the seat of their supreme authority on Earth. Important papal territories include the four major basilicas – namely the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, St. Peter's Basilica, the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, and the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.
Other locations of reverence for ardent Catholics include Marian shrines, particularly the localities of Fátima and Lourdes, where miracles or apparitions attributed to the Virgin Mary took place.
Eastern Christianity
or Eastern Christians, like many other Christians, regard the Sepulchre in Jerusalem to be the holiest of places. They place emphasis on Nazareth, Bethlehem, Capernaum and other parts of the Holy Land as sacred since apostolic times, and note as places of special sanctity the sanctuaries built on the tombs of the apostles and other saints. There are many shrines with the relics of Christian saints and martyrs which are sacred pilgrimage sites for Orthodox Christians as well.Historically, four of the five major episcopal sees of the Roman Empire represent the modern patriarchal centers of the majority of Orthodox churches. These are, namely, Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople and Jerusalem – excluding Rome.
Among the Orthodox, there are many monasteries and convents which are held in high honor and sacred veneration.
Eastern Orthodox Church
If the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is taken to be one of the most prominent leaders in the Eastern Orthodox Communion, then St. George's Cathedral in Istanbul – the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarch – may perhaps be one of the most important religious sites for Eastern Orthodox Christians.Also of particular importance to the Eastern Orthodox Church and particularly the Greek Orthodox Church is the peninsular Mount Athos, where the most masses in the world are celebrated daily in the Byzantine Rite. Mount Athos arguably comprises the largest community of Christian monastics, ascetics, and mystics in the world. It is home to twenty Eastern Orthodox monasteries under the direct jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch.