19 most beautiful religious buildings in the world (20 photos)

Towering skyscrapers are certainly impressive, but "beautiful" doesn't quite describe many of them. The same cannot be said about religious buildings, since their architects - both modern and ancient - put beauty at the forefront. Throughout human history, few things have motivated people to be creative as powerfully as religion, so these temples and cathedrals were built to honor deities.





1. Meenakshi Temple, Tamil Nadu, India



2. Durham Cathedral, UK





3. Hallgrimskirkja, Iceland



4. Szeged Synagogue, Hungary



5. Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto, Japan



6. Temple-monument of St. Alexander Nevsky, Sofia, Bulgaria



8. Dilwara Temples, Rajasthan, India



9. Abu Simbel, Egypt



10. Fanjing Mountain Temples, Guizhou, China



11. Umayyad Mosque, Damascus, Syria



12. Notre-Dame de la Paix, Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast



13. St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican



14. Ellora Caves, Verul, India



15. Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, UAE



16. Kuslat Mosque, Zvornik, Bosnia and Herzegovina



17. Linh Phuoc Pagoda, Da Lat, Vietnam



18. Pantheon, Rome, Italy



19. Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence, Italy



20. Angkor Wat, Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia