Get ready to pick your jaw up off the floor, because these aren't your average neighborhood houses of worship. From a jaw-dropping Norwegian stave church that looks straight out of a fantasy novel to a Colombian sanctuary perched impossibly on a cliff, these 90 spectacular images show that churches have been redefining #ArchitectureGoals long before it was cool. We're talking about soaring Gothic arches that'll make your neck hurt, psychedelic Mexican facades that put modern art museums to shame, and minimalist modern designs that look like they were beamed down from heaven itself.
Whether carved into mountainsides, floating in lavender fields, or rising from misty Scottish lochs, these architectural masterpieces prove that when it comes to places of worship, humans have always gone big or gone home. So prepare for some serious wanderlust as we take you on a global tour of the most stunning, bizarre, and absolutely magnificent churches that'll make you say "Holy wow!"
#62 Church Of The Holy Trinity, Trowbridge, England
Built 1837-38, Architect A F Livesay in neo-Gothic (Early English) style.
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9points
#63 Medieval 14th Century Church Of St. Andrew's, Ipplepen, Devon
Perpendicular style tower. The tower was built in the fourteenth century and is 91ft 6ins high. It holds an ancient clock and a peal of eight bells. Some of the bells are from pre-Reformation times. Two were added in 1934.
8points
#66 Second Congregational Church, Rockford, Illinois
Burned Dec. 19, 1979. Rockford, Illinois, USA
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8points
#67 St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church, Belleville, Ontario, Canada
8points
#68 Husaby Church, Västergötland, Sweden
Husaby church, originating from about 1100, when the tower was added to an earlier wooden stave church. The church has been restored several times. Photograph by: Werner Lindhe, 1902
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8points
#71 Sweetest Heart Of Mary Roman Catholic Church: Built 1893 In The Gothic Revival/Polish Cathedral Style. I Have Been Through Every Nook And Cranny Of This Church And It Still Amazes Me How They Built It
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8points
#72 Knox Presbyterian Church, Kincardine, Ontario, Canada
8points
#75 St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church
8points
#77 Cleeve Church (Holy Trinity), Somerset
Built 1840 by George Phillips Manners in neo-Norman style.
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8points
#78 Saint Augustine Church, Paoay
Commonly known as the Paoay Church, is the Roman Catholic church of the municipality of Paoay, Ilocos Norte in the Philippines. Completed in 1710, the church is famous for its distinct architecture highlighted by the enormous buttresses on the sides and back of the building. It is declared as a National Cultural Treasure by the Philippine government in 1973 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the collective group of Baroque Churches of the Philippines in 1993. Belltower. Adjacent to the facade is a three-storey coral belltower constructed separately from the church building on the right side resembling a pagoda. It was in 1793 when the cornerstone of the belltower was laid. It stands at some distance from the church as a protection against earthquake. It served as observational post for Filipino revolutionaries against the Spaniards in 1898 and by Filipino guerillas against Japanese soldiers during World War II.
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7points
