I traveled the world (with the help of the Internet) and found 49 of the strangest and most extraordinary churches because I was bored of the usual buildings. I’m happy to share them with you. Compiling such an extensive list was a tedious task for a lazy person like me, but I managed to accomplish it! It’s worth noting that I’m more Buddhist than Christian, so churches are just buildings to me.
But I must admit that the most beautiful buildings on earth are probably churches, monasteries, and other religious structures. You can do much more with a lot of faith and a lack of money than with a lot of money but without any faith.
01. The Church Of Hallgrímur (ReykjavÃk, Iceland)
The Church of HallgrÃmur is a Lutheran parish church that is also very tall, reaching 74.5 meters (244 ft). It is the fourth tallest architectural structure in Iceland. It took incredibly long to build it (38 years!) Construction work began in 1945 and ended in 1986.
Architect: Guðjón Samúelsson, More info: Hallgrímur
02. Las Lajas Cathedral (Colombia, South America)
Las Lajas Cathedral was built in 1916 inside the canyon of the Guaitara River, where, according to local legend, the Virgin Mary appeared. It is located in the southern Colombian Department of Narino, municipality of Ipiales, near the Ecuadorian border.
03. Device To Root Out Evil (Calgary, AB, Canada)
It was too hot for New York City and Stanford University. However, a controversial, imposing sculpture by renowned international artist Dennis Oppenheim finally found a public home in laid-back Vancouver.
A country church is seen balancing on its steeple as if it had been lifted by a terrific force and brought to the site as a device or method of rooting out evil forces.
(Update: In 2008, it was moved from Vancouver to Calgary, AB, Canada)
04. Chapel Of St. Gildas (Brittany, France)
Mads: “This is the Chapel of St-Gildas, which sits upon the bank of the Canal du Blavet in Brittany, France. “Built like a stone barn into the base of a bare rocky cliff, this was once a holy place of the Druids. Gildas appears to have traveled widely throughout the Celtic world of Cornwall, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. He arrived in Brittany in about AD 540 and is said to have preached Christianity to the people from a rough pulpit, now contained within the Chapel.” (from ‘Cruising French Waterways’ by Hugh McKnight, p.150)
05. Shell Church (Huntington Beach, CA, USA)
A&D has no information on this one, only the location—Huntington Beach, CA, USA. The best thing about this church is its giant Shell logo.
06. Notre Dame du Haut (Ronchamp, France)
People say that the roof of this building looks like Elvis’ hair, and A&D agrees.
Informally known as Ronchamp, the Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut was completed in 1954 and is considered one of the finest examples of architecture by the late French/Swiss architect Le Corbusier.
Interesting fact: water pours off the slanted roof onto a fountain when it rains, creating a dramatic waterfall. More info: Notre Dame du Haut
07. St. Joseph Ukrainian Catholic Church (Chicago, IL, USA)
I don’t want to tell you what kind of thing those domes remind me of. Their massiveness and gray color make them look like Soviet architecture. I was amazed when I read that they were actually in the USA, not the Soviet Union.
St. Joseph Ukrainian Catholic Church is best known for its ultra-modern thirteen-gold-domed roof, which symbolizes the twelve apostles and Jesus Christ as the most significant center dome. It is celebrating its 53 years, so it was built in 1956 (if my calculations are correct). More info: St Joseph Ukrainian Church
08. Jubilee Church (Rome, Italy)
Jubilee Church has distinctive curved walls that look like sails. These walls serve the engineering purpose of minimizing thermal peak loads in the interior space. They are made from special cement containing titanium dioxide, which destroys air pollution.
Borgarello states, “When the titanium dioxide absorbs ultraviolet light, it becomes powerfully reactive, breaking down pollutants that come in contact with the concrete.”
Architect: Richard Meier, 1996
09. Grace Fellowship Baptist Church (Baltimore Road in Detroit, Michigan, USA)
This weird building is a church. Once, it was famous for being Detroit’s most beautiful Chinese-American restaurant. Later, it closed down and became the Omega Baptist Church and the Grace Fellowship Baptist Church. It is located at 265 Baltimore, MD, USA.
10. Basilica de Higuey (Dominican Republic)
Basilica de Higuey, inaugurated on January 21, 1971, is one of the most respected monuments of the Dominican Republic. It was built by French architects and is located in Higuey, Dominican Republic.
A&D thinks it is a huge basket and not a church.
11. Church In Stykkishólmskirkja (Iceland)
No, this is not an alien structure – it is another weird church in Iceland. I’ve found two different versions of this church:
Version #1: “It was built in 1990, and the architect is Jón Haraldssyni.”
Version #2: “The church in Stykkishólmskirkja was built in 1879.
The new church was built in 1980. Its look from the sea and land has drawn much attention. In 1939, Fransiskusystur (nuns) built a monastery, school, and church. They also built a hospital, which is still in use.
12. St. Basil’s Cathedral (Moscow, Russia)
The Cathedral of Saint Basil the Blessed was built from 1555 to 1561 by Ivan IV (a.k.a. Ivan the Terrible) to celebrate the capture of the Khanate of Kazan. The multi-tented church stands at the very heart of Moscow, the Red Square.
A legend says that Ivan blinded the architect Postnik Yakovlev to prevent him from building a more magnificent building for anyone else. Postnik Yakovlev built several churches after Saint Basil’s.
A&D thinks it may be a colossal lollypop and wants to taste it. More info: Saint Basil’s Cathedral
13. Cathedral Of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
The Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro was built between 1964 and 1979. Conical in form, it has an internal diameter of 96 meters (315 ft) and an overall height of 75 meters (246 ft).
The church has a standing-room capacity of 20,000 people. Four rectilinear stained glass windows soar 64 meters (210 ft) from floor to ceiling. Looks like a Pyramid of Egypt or Aztecs.
14. Sagrada Familia (Barcelona, Spain)
Sagrada FamÃlia is a massive Roman Catholic basilica under construction in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Construction began in 1882 and continues to this day. A very famous architect, Antoni Gaudà worked on the project for over 40 years, devoting the last 15 years of his life entirely to this endeavor.
In the center, a tower of Jesus Christ will be surmounted by a giant cross; the tower’s total height will be 170 m (557,7ft). I have never seen anything as fabulous as this church! More info: Wikipedia
15. Paraportiani Church (Mykonos, Greece)
According to the photo’s author, “Paraportiani Church is one of Greece’s most famous architectural structures. Its name means secondary gate because it was built on the site of one of the gates of the Medieval stone walls. Some parts of this beautiful church date from 1425 and the rest was built during the 16th and 17th centuries.”
16. Borgund Stave Church (Lærdal, Norway)
Stave churches may have been very usual all over medieval northwestern Europe, but now you can only find them in Norway (that is what Wikipedia says, but I’m afraid that’s not right)
Borgund stave church, located in Borgund, Lærdal, Norway, is the best preserved of Norway’s 28 extant stave churches. This wooden church, probably built at the end of the 12th century, has not changed structure or undergone a major reconstruction.
Interesting fact: the church is also featured as a Wonder for the Viking civilization in the video game Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings.
17. The Green church (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
I want to climb into this church and sit here all day. The only info I managed to find: “a parish church in Buenos Aires, Argentina known as the “Huerto de Olivos,” or “Garden of Olives” – Michael
18. Church Ruins (Goreme, Turkey)
The rock-cut ruins of a church by persecuted Christians. I’m unsure when it was built, but it looks ancient. How did those guys carve the inside of these rocks?
The Cappadocia Valley, where this church stands, is very popular for its rocks, which the people of the villages at the heart of the Cappadocia Region carved out to form houses, churches, and monasteries.
An estimated 150 churches and several monasteries are in the canyon between the villages of Ihlara and Selime. Those rocks are volcanic deposits, which means they are soft rocks, making it possible to carve such structures.
19. Duomo, Milan Cathedral (Milan, Italy)
Mark Twain once said the following of the Duomo in Milan in his work, Innocents Abroad:
“They say that the Cathedral of Milan is second only to St. Peter’s in Rome. I cannot understand how it can be second to anything made by human hands.” More info: Wikipedia
20. Paoay Church, AKA St. Augustine Parish (Philippines)
Paoay Church reminds me of Aztec architecture. It looks very massive and robust. The church’s walls are 1.67 meters thick and supported by 24 carved and massive buttresses.
Its construction started in 1704 and was completed in 1894 by the Augustinian friars led by Fr. Antonio Estavillo. It is said that Its construction was primarily intended to withstand earthquakes. And it could test the strength of the walls very soon because an earthquake in 1706 and 1927 damaged the church.
The church’s design combines Gothic, Oriental, and Baroque influences.
21. Cathedral Of Brasilia (Brasilia, Brazil)
Victor Soares, Agência Brazil
This is a very famous Cathedral of BrasÃlia designed by Oscar Niemeyer. A&D finds It modern but somehow childish. These columns, having a hyperbolic section and weighing 90 t, represent two hands moving upwards to heaven. The construction was finished in 1970. More info: Cathedral of BrasÃlia
22. St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery (Kyiv, Ukraine)
St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery is a functioning monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine. It is located on the Western side of the Dnieper River, on the edge of a bluff northeast of the St. Sophia Cathedral. The site is located in the historical and administrative Uppertown and overlooks the city’s historical commercial and merchant quarter, the Podil neighborhood.
Initially built in the Middle Ages by Sviatopolk II Iziaslavych, the monastery comprises the Cathedral itself (Mykhaylivs’kyi Zolotoverkhyi Sober), the refectory of St. John the Divine, built in 1713, the Economic Gates (Ekonomichna vrata), constructed in 1760 and the monastery’s bell tower, which was added circa 1716†“1719. The structure’s exterior was rebuilt in the Ukrainian Baroque style in the 18th century, while the interior remained in its original Byzantine style. The Soviet authorities demolished the Cathedral in the 1930s, but it was recently reconstructed after Ukraine gained independence.
23. Church In A Hill (Luxembourg)
This church is built into the hillside on which it perches. One of the reasons the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has survived as an independent state for a thousand years against such powerful neighbors as Germany and France is that the area is eminently fortifiable.
24. San Francisco de Asis Church (Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico)
San Francisco de Asis Church is a small mission in Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico. Construction on the church began around 1772 and was completed in 1815 by Franciscan Fathers, and its patron is Saint Francis of Assisi. It is made of adobe, like many Spanish missions in New Mexico.
The chu is a few miles south of Taos Pueblo and has inspired among the most significant depictions of any building in the United States. It was the subject of four paintings by Georgia O’Keeffe and photographs by Ansel Adams and Paul Strand. Georgia O’Keeffe described it as “one of the most beautiful buildings left in the United States by the early Spaniards.”
25. Pilgrimage Church (Neviges, Germany)
The pilgrimage church was designed by Gottfried Böhm and constructed from 1963 to 1972. The sunken Cathedral is in autumn colors. Böhm used the terrain to lessen the impact of the enormous church on its small-scale context.
26. Church With An A (Madrid, Spain)
A Parish Church at the beginning of Alcalde Sainz de Baranda St. (Madrid, Spain).
27. Mr. Eko’s Church (The Island, Near The Beach Camp)
Architects: Eko and Charlie. It was built in the 3rd season of the Lost series.
28. Grundtvig’s Church, (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Grundtvig’s Church (Danish: Grundtvigs Kirke) is in the Bispebjerg district of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a rare example of expressionist church architecture. Due to its unusual appearance, it is one of the best-known churches in the city.
29. Catholic Church (Uruguay, South America)
Pablo Lambrechts
30. The Felsenkirche, AKA Church Of The Rock (Idar-Oberstein, Germany)
The Felsenkirche (“Church of the Rock”), a church built into a natural niche in the rocks, rises high above the houses of Oberstein. It nicely blends into the mountain, making this place magical.
31. Don Justo’s Self-Built Cathedral (Mejorada del Campo Near Madrid, Spain)
“Justo Gallego MartÃnez is building his own Cathedral in Mejorada del Campo near Madrid, Spain. This is no “model” cathedral; he is neither a qualified architect, engineer, bricklayer, nor farmer. “The plans have only ever existed in my head” and have evolved in response to opportunity and inspiration. He does not have formal planning permission from the authorities of Mejorada del Campo, where it is located (20 km from Madrid under the flight path to the Barajas airport).
He has financed his work by renting some inherited farmland—some of which he has already sold. Donations from supporters and visitors are welcomed. The columns are molded using old petrol drums; the window arches carry the marks of the tires they were molded in, and bicycle wheels have been used as pulleys.
32. Cathedral Of Maringa (Parana, Brazil)
This is a Roman Catholic cathedral 124 m high located in downtown Maringá, Paraná, Brazil. It was completed in 1972 and is the tallest church in South America and the 16th in the world.
Architect José Augusto Bellucci was inspired by the Soviet Sputnik satellites when he projected the modern design with the Cathedral’s conical shape, which archbishop Dom Jaime Luiz Coelho idealized.
33. Salt Cathedral Of Zipaquira, (Cundinamarca, Colombia)
Nidyarincon
Catedral de Sal (Salt Cathedral) in Zipaquirá, about 25 miles north of Bogotá, is an underground church built in a tunnel of salt mines deep inside a salt mountain. It is built into a space left by salt mining; everything you see here is salt. As you descend into the church, you pass 14 small chapels representing the stations of Christ’s suffering. The sanctuary at the bottom has three sections, representing Jesus’s birth, life, and death.
The first Salt Cathedral was consecrated in 1954, but structural problems and safety concerns led the authorities to shut down the sanctuary in 1990. The current church was built between 1991 and 1996 about 200 feet below the old sanctuary, again using caves left behind by previous mining operations.
34. Bruder Klaus Chapel (Mechernich, Germany)
Icon says, “A concrete chapel on the edge of a field in Mechernich, southern Germany, built by local farmers in honor of their patron saint, the 15th-century hermit Bruder Klaus.”
35. Written Stone (Monastery, Romania)
Daria Xenopo
Local tradition confesses that, during the construction of a railway, an icon painted in stone representing the Holy Trinity was found at the opening of a tunnel. The monastery was built at the opening of the tunnel on the rock.
36. Church Of St. George(Lalibela, Ethiopia)
Dylan Cerling
Possibly the most famous of Lalibeli’s churches, the Church of St. George is entirely carved out of stone in the shape of a cross.
37. Trendsetters Church (Phoenix, AZ, USA)
Scott Bruce
Trendsetters Church in Phoenix, AZ, was built in 1973 by Neil Frisby as Capstone Cathedral. I’m sure Neil Frisby visited Egypt just before designing this church.
38. Chapel In The Rock (Arizona, USA)
This fascinating Roman Catholic church is built into the rock. The views from the outside are unbelievable, but the serenity inside is incredible. Some say that Chapel in the Rock can move even the non-religious.
39. The Wireman Chapel At Eckerd College (St. Petersburg, Florida, USA)
A kid on the tour to Eckerd College once said it looked like a “Jesus spider from outer space.” Inspired by 20th-century architect Eero Saarinen, the Chapel was designed by the highly respected Chicago architectural firm of Perkins and Will. Its essential design features are its octagonal shape and in-the-round seating, the oculus at the center of the roof that directs sunlight to the center of the sanctuary, the lower glass panels that reflect light from the water outside to the interior, and the rafters, which recall the flying buttresses of the medieval Cathedral, instilling a sense of timelessness in a contemporary structure.
40. Saint-Michel d’Aiguilhe Chapel (Le Puy-en-Velay, France)
Perhaps one of the most remarkable sights in France is a chapel perched on a volcanic plug. This is the Rock of Aiguilhe, on the edge of Puy en Velay, in the Auvergne. The Chapelle Saint-Michel has stood there for 1042 years since Bishop Gothescalk built it in 962 on his return from a pilgrimage to Santiago del Compostella in Galicia. In 1955, workers found relics under the alter that had been there since it was built.
41. Santuario Madonna della Lacrime (Sicily, Italy)
42. The Hermitage(Island Of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, Spain)
The small church, which is usually closed, dates from the 10th century and seems to have come from the Knights Templar. In the year 1053, it was donated by Don Iñigo López, Lord of Biscay, to the monastery of San Juan de la Peña near Jaca in Huesca. Medieval burials from the 9th and 12th centuries have been found on the esplanade and in the hermitage.
In 1593, Francis Drake attacked and sacked it. Among other incidents, it caught fire several times. On November 10, 1978, it was destroyed in one such fire. Two years later, on June 24, 1980, it was reinaugurated. The hermitage belongs to the parish of San Pelayo in Bakio. The hermitage also houses various votive offerings from sailors who survived shipwrecks. More info: Wikipedia
43. Church Of Arbore (Suceava County, Romania)
Cacalin
The church of Arbore is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. Its painted church was the first Moldavian-painted church to be included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The monastery and the commune are named after the boyar Luca Arbore, who built the church in 1503.
The erection of the church was completed in about five months. Its exterior paintings date from 1541 and were made by DragoÅŸ Coman. Painting the church took about 40 years. More info: Wikipedia
44. The Chapel On The Rock (Allenspark, Colorado, USA)
For years, Monsignor Joseph Bosetti, the founder of Camp St. Malo, had entertained the idea that he would someday build a chapel on this site. In 1916, he and two friends observed a falling meteor during the night, and in his search for the remnants the following day, he came across a large rock. The land’s beauty inspired the priest, and he remembered Jesus’ words to Peter: “Upon this rock, I will build my Church” (Matt 16:18).
Msgr. Bosetti prayed for nearly 20 years to acquire the funds to build a chapel here, vowing one day to do so. During this time, he was in constant battle with the Colorado Highway Department, which planned to dynamite the enormous piece of granite to widen and straighten the road’s curve.
Eventually, Msgr. Bosetti won the battle, and years later, when the Chapel became a reality, it was reported that a group of engineers who laid out the road came to the dedication and thanked him for his perseverance.
The Chapel was designed by noted Denver architect Jacques Benedict. In 1993, Pope John Paul II visited the Chapel during his trip to Denver for World Youth Day and blessed it.
45. Cadet Chapel (Air Force Academy, Colorado, USA)
The United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel, completed in 1962, is the distinguishing feature of the Cadet Area at the United States Air Force Academy. Renowned architect Walter Netsch of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill of Chicago designed it.
Originally controversial in design, the Cadet Chapel has become a classic and highly regarded example of modernist architecture. The Cadet Chapel was awarded the American Institute of Architects’ National 25-Year Award in 1996 and, as part of the Cadet Area, was named a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 2004. More info: Wikipedia
46. St. Augustine Church (Brookland, Kent, UK)
“Yes, the late 12th-century wooden bell tower is separate from the rest of the church! It is the only one of its size and shape in the country. Originally, it was open to the elements, with cladding added in the 15th century. You almost can’t take a picture of this lovely church without getting that litter bin or telephone wires (or both) in the frame; the litter bin is even in all the guidebooks!” More info: here
47. Third Church Of Christ, Scientist (Washington, DC, USA)
“This building is not only hideous but unwelcoming. As anyone who has seen the J. Edgar Hoover Building would agree, maintaining it is extremely difficult and expensive. It does place undue monetary restrictions on how the church can serve the city because it has to sink so much into its maintenance.
Homepage: Third Church DC
48. Thorncrown Chapel (Eureka Springs, AR, USA)
“This small, peaceful, non-denominational Chapel is just outside Eureka Springs in the Arkansas Ozarks–a divine place. Even as I feel the distance between the organized religion I was raised with, and myself grows, places like this remind me of why the underlying faith meant and continues to mean so much to me.
Designed by E. Fay Jones in 1979, completed in July 1980.” Clinton Steeds
49. Church Birdhouse (Greer, South Carolina, USA)
A colorful birdhouse shaped like a church hangs on a Greer, South Carolina fence. The bird in this church must be a bird priest raising donations from other birds through seeds.
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