Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family, Barcelona, Spain

The Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family or La Sagrada Família is visible from afar: the towers of the fabulous building rise above the city by 170 m. Each of three facades symbolizes a certain milestone in the life of Jesus Christ: birth, death, and resurrection. This temple is a brainchild of Antoni Gaudí who outpaced his contemporaries with his engineering solutions. He started his work in 1882. Interestingly, the temple was built solely on voluntary donations.

The Catholic temple is notable for its life-size sculptural groups. For many of them, the plaster casts were made. The fantastic interiors and numerous columns with capitals in the form of branches that intertwining cover the arch with a lacy forest web amaze the imagination of a viewer.

Papal Basilica of St. Peter in Vatican

The main residence of the Pope is located on the grave of Apostle Peter executed by Nero. The first altar of the Basilica was built in the fourth century a.d. but the real work began only in the sixteenth century. Such eminent architects as Raphael and Michelangelo were involved in the construction of the building.

The church is crowned with a huge white dome. The area in front of it, framed by a rounded colonnade, can accommodate up to 600 thousand people. This is the main holy place for more than one billion Catholics.

The official opening of St. Peter's Basilica took place in 1626. Until 1990 it was the largest temple complex in the world.

Notre-Dame de Paris, Paris, France

Notre-Dame Cathedral, or Notre-Dame de Paris, was seriously damaged in a fire on April 2019. Nevertheless, it remains an outstanding monument of Gothic architecture. Royal weddings, elegant funeral ceremonies, and even Imperial coronations were often held in this Catholic cathedral, built in the XII-XIV centuries.

About 14 million tourists annually came on the island of Cité in the center of Paris attracted not only by sacred relics, picturesque stained glass windows, and terrible gargoyles of Notre-Dame but also by numerous legends.

It was Victor Hugo who made it one of the most world-famous cathedrals having written his prominent novel. Subsequently, many theatrical and film adaptations were based on it.

Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed, Moscow, Russia

St. Basil's Cathedral, built in Moscow in the middle of the 16th century, is one of the most recognizable cathedrals of the Orthodox church. It was built at Ivan the Terrible behest in order to perpetuate the memory of the Kazan campaign.

The Cathedral is a symmetrical group of nine pillar-like churches crowned with onion domes and based on the same foundation. The domes are decorated with many cornices, kokoshniks, windows, and niches. Nowadays, St. Basil's Cathedral is joint ownership of the State Historical Museum and the Russian Orthodox Church.

Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, Saint Petersburg, Russia

This church is one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Russia. It is an Orthodox Church and a memorial monument at the same time. The church is located in the historical center of Saint Petersburg, on the Griboyedov Canal embankment. It was built on the spot where Russian Emperor Alexander II was murdered.

The theatrical decor of the facade, with mosaics and tiles glittering in the sunlight with different colors, gives this monumental structure a look of a carved box of gems. Many additional details and multi-colored decorated materials only enhance the impression.

Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence, Italy

The Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore is one of the most important monuments of Italian and world Gothic architecture. It was designed as a cathedral church in the late 13th century. However, it was built and rebuilt until the early 20th century. The Cathedral is included in the list of the monuments of the historic center of Florence and protected by UNESCO.

The reddish dome and the bell tower are visible from almost every corner of the city. At a close distance, you can clearly see the fine facade cladding of colored Italian marble, stained glass windows, mosaics and frescoes, carved doors, and bas-reliefs. It is the world's largest temple with a brick dome.

Wat Rong Khun, Chiang Rai, Thailand

Wat Rong Khun, better known as the White Temple, was built in 1997 on funds of art enthusiast Chalermchai Kositpipat. The architectural complex is a mixture of Buddhist art traditions and modern design solutions.

White marble is used for construction, the interiors are decorated with frescoes and glass mosaics. Each element and architectural form have their own meaning.

Neatly paved paths run around the buildings along which snow-white alabaster sculptures stand. From afar, under the bright rays of the sun, Wat Rong Khun resembles a house from a fairy tale.

Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon, Myanmar

The Shwedagon pagoda is a giant brick stupa in the shape of a bell. Its lower levels are covered with sheets of gold, and the upper levels and the top are decorated with precious stones.

The impressive building stands at the highest point of Yangon at an altitude of 51 m above the city and rises into the sky for almost 100 m. The main stupa of the pagoda is the oldest in the world: it contains eight hairs of the last earthly incarnation of Buddha and relics of the previous three earthly Buddhas.

The entrance to the pagoda is guarded by mythical creatures. There are 64 small pagodas and chapels nearby. Apart from the Buddha’s monument, the images of the creators of the pagoda, king Okkalana with his mother, were immortalized on one of the walls.

Taj Mahal, Agra, India

The mausoleum-mosque Taj Mahal, included in the list of the New Seven Wonders of the World, amazes tourists with the perfection of architectural forms and interior decoration. It has five domes and four minarets standing on a white marble platform at 74 m. All the splendor of the grandiose buildings symmetrically reflected in the waters of an artificial pond.

The mausoleum was built in the 17th century by Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife. In accordance with Islamic religious tradition, the interior of the building is decorated with abstract symbols and lines from the Koran.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan's mosque, opened in 2007, bears the name of the first President and founder of the UAE. He was buried in the mosque after his death on November 3, 2004.

The interior of the mosque includes luxurious Iranian carpets and Swarovski chandeliers. It looks as if it were an illustration to the "Tales from the Thousand and One Nights". The building is surrounded by artificial lakes paved with dark floor tiles. The spires of minarets, columns, and domes of the mosque, the main dome reaches 87 m, make an indelible impression.