The church is the place where a person communicates with God. Therefore, from ancient times, they tried to make the temple of God beautiful, attracting the best masters of architecture and painting to its construction.
Over time, world religions have formed their own, original and unique standards for the shape and decoration of the church. Today, in any corner of the globe you can meet beautiful churches, which are not only masterpieces of religious architecture, but also have become a truly world cultural asset. Most-beauty invites you to get to know some of the most beautiful and popular churches.
The most beautiful churches in the world:
1
Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Israel
The Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem was erected, according to the Holy Scriptures, at the place of burial, and then the miraculous resurrection of the son of God.
In architectural terms, the temple is the pinnacle of the Romanesque style with beautiful arched vaults, window arches, capitals, altars and numerous relics.
The religious building is divided between six world churches, therefore it is a popular center of pilgrimage for believers throughout the Christian world. In order to avoid conflicts, representatives of various faiths strictly define the hours of visits and ceremonies.
In the world famous church on the eve of Easter, the Holy Fire descends.
2
St. Basil's Cathedral. Russia
Pokrovsky Cathedral is the most beautiful church in Russia, built by architects under Tsar Ivan the Terrible on the site of the Trinity Church.
The beauty and splendor of the cathedral are given by nine domes of different shapes and colors. Two more domes crown the chapel of St. Basil and the bell tower.
The uniqueness of the cathedral is that it consists of several churches, named after church holidays, which fell on the days of decisive battles for Kazan.
The cathedral is striking and the interior. Frescoes, window stained-glass windows, a gilded altar, a semicircular cathedral apse are the masterpieces of Russian icon painting and art.
3
Basilica de Salta. Argentina
On the site of the temple destroyed by the earthquake in 1882, a magnificent and delightful Cathedral was erected. The new building today amazes parishioners and visitors alike with the unusual and beautiful architecture.
Large stained glass windows and tall bell towers give the temple airiness and lightness. In the dark, in the rays of artfully arranged illumination, the facade bas-reliefs of religious subjects seem to come to life.
The baroque-built basilica has become a symbol of Argentina.
4
Hagia Sophia. Turkey
The beautiful church of Byzantine architecture has a complex, and sometimes tragic, history. Cathedral of Hagia Sophia of Constantinople until 1453 was the main church of the Orthodox Patriarchate.
After the Ottomans captured Byzantium, a mosque was built within the walls of the cathedral. In 1935, by decree of Ataturk, Hagia Sophia became a museum.
In architectural terms, Sofia Cathedral is a basilica with a quadrangular middle cross. The church is crowned by a massive sphere-shaped dome. In the cathedral there is a beautiful arched belt in the form of bas-relief wall decorations between the original window vaults.
The walls and naves of the cathedral are decorated with magnificent mosaics and frescoes depicting saints and scenes from the Bible.
At most-beauty.ru you can see in photographs the most beautiful mosques in the world.
5
Notre Dame de Paris. France
Better known as Notre Dame Cathedral, today is one of the most beautiful places of worship in the world. In the final version, and the cathedral was built over two hundred years, starting in 1663, the symbol of Paris was erected in the Gothic style.
Notre Dame de Paris has an original main facade in the form of three lancet arches, over which are bas-reliefs with various gospel scenes.
In the oldest and most beautiful religious building in Europe, many significant events took place. For example, here, in 1804, took the title of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.
6
Saint Paul's Cathedral. Vatican
The center of Catholicism, St. Peter's Basilica began its history back in 324, when Emperor Constantine decided to build a church.
In the XVI century, the great masters of the Renaissance took part in the construction and decoration of the Cathedral. Michelangelo and Raphael, Bramante and Bernini had a hand in his greatness. In the magnificent Cathedral there are many sculptures, statues, picturesque bas-reliefs, unique tombstones and altars.
7
St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral. Ukraine
One of the oldest Orthodox complexes, including the Church of the Archangel Michael and the Church of Ion the Theologian.
The church in honor of the patron saint of Kiev was erected in 1113. In the 30s, the cathedral was blown up and rebuilt in the late 90s of the twentieth century.
The beautiful church of the Archangel Michael was built in the Ukrainian baroque style of the XVIII century. The onion domes of the beautiful cathedral are dazzling with gold, and the walls are decorated with unique mosaics and frescoes. The mosaic in the church is original, XVI – XVII centuries, and partially restored according to ancient drawings.
In the church building, tourists and parishioners can see part of the foundation of the XII century, such a kind of immersion in the era of Kievan Rus.
8
Sagrada Familia. Spain
The atonement temple of the Holy Family is a unique long-term construction of the world. Having collected private donations, in 1882 the construction of this magnificent temple began, which was not completed by the main project of the architect Antonio Gaudi, to this day.
The church, composed of a bizarre form of blocks, has an unusual appearance. The temple itself was built in the form of a Latin cross, and Bible sentences are carved on its facade.
9
Las Lajas. Colombia
In the picturesque canyon of the Guaitara River, the beautiful Catholic Church of Las Lajas is located.
Like many temples, this basilica has an amazing legend about its origin. In the cave, which was notorious among the local Indians, the face of the Virgin appeared. Seeing him, a deaf-mute girl was healed, and reported this to people. In a holy place and put a beautiful church.
And today the main relic of the church is the cave face of the Mother of God, which hundreds of thousands of tourists and pilgrims come to see.
10
Crystal Cathedral. USA
The development of advanced technologies has also affected a conservative field such as religion. An example of this is the Crystal Protestant Cathedral in Garden Grove.
Built in the form of a crystalline star, it consists entirely of glass blocks. Parishioners are especially striking when the sun's rays, penetrating through the walls of the temple, form multiple rainbow reflections.
The pride of the Crystal Temple, built in 1980, is a unique musical instrument - a huge organ consisting of 16 thousand pipes.
In 2011, the church was sold to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange County.
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Conclusion
The beauty and decoration of the churches, as well as the gilding of the domes and the gold of the altars, in the understanding of believers act as a symbol of expression of love for God. Many sacred buildings have become not just the houses of God, but truly masterpieces of world architecture.
We are waiting for your comments, in which you write what is the most beautiful church in the world in your opinion.