Sacred Sites: Profiles of Temples, Churches, Mosques, and Sacred Sites

Located in Lebanon's Beqaa valley, 86 km northeast of Beirut and 60 km from the Mediterranean coast, Baalbek is one of the best least-known Roman sites in the world. Based around temples to the developing Roman trinity of Jupiter, Baachus, and Venus, this complex was constructed upon an older sacred site dedicated to a triad of Canaanite...

According to Muslim traditions, Adam built the original Kaaba as a copy of and directly below God's throne in heaven. This structure was destroyed during the great Flood, leaving behind nothing but the foundation. The current structure was rebuilt by Abraham (Ibrahim) and his son Ishmael (Ismail). A gilded cage near the Kaaba contains a stone...

The Kaaba (Ka’aba, Ka’bah, “Cube,” “House of God”) is a shrine located in a square adjacent to the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam’s holiest city. The Kaaba itself is Islam’s holiest site. The surrounding square has been enlarged to over 16,000 square meters and can accommodate over 300,000 Muslim pilgrims.

Also referred to as the Church of the Resurrection by Greek Orthodox Christians, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is treated by many as the holiest site in all of Christendom. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is built over a spot where many believe Jesus was crucified. Although this site is now within the city walls, archaeological excavations...

Delphi is one of the most well-known spots in ancient Greece, made famous by the Delphic Oracle which was believed to have the power to tell the future. It was designed by Trophonius and Agamedes. Dedicated to the god Apollo, Delphi was a revered and sacred spot to people all over Greece. Many believed it to be the omphalos, or center of the...

One of the most famous places mentioned in the gospels may be the Garden of Gethsemane -- according to Mark and Matthew, this was the place where Jesus prayed alone and asked that he not have to endure the suffering and crucifixion that was to come. It was also here that his betrayal by Judas and arrest occurred. A couple of sites today claim to...

Some believe that Glastonbury Abbey is the site of the oldest above-ground Christian church in the world, dating back as far as 63 or even 37 CE. The first recorded church to be built here was in 712 on the orders of King Ine of Wessex, but a community of monks had already been living here for some time — at least since 658, when the Saxons...

The region around Glastonbury has long been associated with King Arthur and his Round Table. In 1191 monks at the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey claimed to have found the tombs of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere in the cemetery. The remains were reburied at the foot of the altar, but they were then lost again during the Reformation.

The synoptic gospels record the site of Jesus' crucifixion either by the Aramaic name 'Golgotha' (place of the skull: Mark 15:22; Matthew 27:33; Luke 19:17) or just as 'Skull' (Luke 23:33). The origin of the name Golgotha is uncertain, but some believe that a cemetery was located here. It is thought that this was a standard site for small...

The Sistine Chapel, with the famous frescos painted by Michelangelo, has important functions in the Vatican. When a pope dies, his body is placed at the altar beneath the fresco of The Last Judgment in the belief that his soul is being judged. When voting for a new pope, the College of Cardinals meets in the Sistine Chapel. After each vote the papers are burned. If there is no decision, the papers are mixed with something to produce black smoke. If a pope is elected, white smoke is produced.

Located on the southeastern tip of Attica, Sounion juts out in a manner that would have assured Athenian sailors a grand view of the Temple of Poseidon as the last evidence of their civilization while sailing away and the first sight that greeted them when they returned. It certainly would have been a magnificent thing to see in the dawn light....

For millennia, the Jerusalem Temple was the focal point of Jewish religious practices. The first Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians who then carried many Jews off to captivity. It was rebuilt about 70 years later and ritual sacrifices resumed, but after the Jews rebelled against Roman rule in the Great Revolt, the Romans as punishment...

The Temple Mount in Jerusalem (known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary) is the most famous and contested piece of religious real estate in the world. It's the past site of Jewish temples and the current site of one of Islam's holiest mosques. Jews and/or Muslims believe this is where: Cain murdered Abel (in a dispute who would own the location,...

Via Dolorosa is Latin for the 'way of sorrows' or 'way of pain.' It is an important pilgrimage route for Christians in Jerusalem to commemorate the path taken by Jesus when carrying the cross to the site of his crucifixion. There are 14 devotional sites along the way where people stop to pray, none of which existed in the earliest centuries -...

The Western Wall (also: Wailing Wall) located in Jerusalem, is considered by both Jews and Muslims as a significant and holy site. The Western Wall would have been built along with the rest of Herod’s expansion of the Temple area, sometime between 37 BCE and 6 CE. The temple along with most of the city of Jerusalem were torn down by Roman...

The Baptistery of Constantine is located adjacent to the Basilica of St. John Lateran. This church is second only in importance to St. Peter's in Rome. The pope is also the bishop of Rome and his 'home church' is here, not St. Peter's. Until the papal court was moved to Avignon in France, this was the main cathedral of Rome and the official...