Amazingly Unique Architectural Design of Houses of Worship

Church, temple, cathedral, chapel, house of worship or whatever we may call it is a vital structure in every

community that plays a vital role in the lives of people.  Literally speaking, there's a house of worship in all

known civilized places in the world. Here's a list of the most peculiar architectural designs of churches from

around the world.

Evry Cathedral: France

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The fascinating Evry Cathedral in the town of Evry in France is designed by the Swiss architect Mario Botta.

Botta also designed the Cymbalista Synagogue and Jewish Heritage Center in Israel. Evry Cathedral is the only

purpose-built cathedral in France of the 20th century. Construction began in 1992 and the building was opened

to the public in 1995. It has now superseded Corbeil Cathedral.

Cathedral of Maringa: Brazil

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The cone-shaped Cathedral of Maringa in Parana, Brazil measures 124 m high. It was completed in 1972 and

considered as the tallest church in South America and the 16th tallest in the world. Architect Jose Augusto

Bellucci was responsible for the design of the building. Construction started in 1959 and was completed in 1972.

Provo Utah Temple: USA

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The Provo Utah Temple of the Mormons was built with a modern single-spire design very similar in design to the

Ogden Utah Temple. Architect Emil B. Fetzer designed both the Ogden and Provo temples.

Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral: UK

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The impressive Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral is short for Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King.

It is located in Liverpool, England and is the seat of the Archbishop of Liverpool, the mother church of Liverpool's

Catholics. The Metropolitan Cathedral is one of the two cathedrals in the city. The other, the Anglican Cathedral

which is situated a mile farther to the south.

La Luz del Mundo Temple: Mexico

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The intricately designed La Luz del Mundo Templo or The Light of the World Temple in Guadalajara is said to

be the largest non-Catholic house of worship in Latin America. It is characterized by its pyramidal shape and

innovative structure. It was erected between 1983 and 1991, largely by the members of the church. The building

can accommodate 12,000 worshipers and is used for annual ceremonies. Members come from all over the world

every August 14 to celebrate the Santa Cena or Last Supper as well as on February 14 to commemorate the

birthday of the Apostle of Jesus Christ, Samuel Joaquin Flores.

St Mary's Cathedral: Tokyo, Japan

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The elegant-looking St. Mary's Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese was designed by

Kenzo Tange and was built with assistance from Wilhelm Schlombs, architect to the Archdiocese of Cologne,

the engineer Yoshikatsu Tsuboi, who worked with Tange on many of his projects and the Zurich architect Max

Lechner.

Sanctuary of Our Lord's Mercy: Poland

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The peculiar-looking Sanctuary of Our Lord's Mercy located in Krakow, Poland is also called Lagiewniki

Sanctuary. It is the world center of Lord's Mercy worship. Every year over 2 million pilgrims come to visit

this beautiful sanctuary.

Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception: Nicaragua

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The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception located in Managua, Nicaragua was dedicated to the

Immaculate Conception of Mary. Construction started in 1991 to replace the Cathedral of Santiago which was

damaged by an earthquake in 1972. It was completed in 1993 with an estimated cost of US$4.5 million. The

cathedral has created much controversy, particularly about its architectural style and finance. Locals refer to it

as La Chichona on account of the plethora of cupolas adorning it like so many ‘chichas' the Spanish slang for

breasts.

Arctic Cathedral: Norway

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The Tromsdalen Church in Norway is more commonly known as The Arctic Cathedral. It was built in 1965 and

was designed by Jan Inge Hovig. Because of its distinct look, the church has often been called ‘the opera house

of Norway', likening it to the famous Sydney Opera House in Australia. The church is noted for the only wooden

cathedral in Norway.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral: Estonia

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The colorful and beautiful Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn, Estonia is an orthodox church. This religious

edifice is Tallinn's largest and grandest orthodox cupola cathedral. It is dedicated to Saint Alexander Nevsky who

in 1242 won the Battle of the Ice on Lake Peipus, in the territorial waters of present-day Estonia. The church has

been meticulously restored since Estonia regained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro: Brazil

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The conical-shaped and unique-looking Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro is the seat of the cardinal archbishop of

Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The edifice is dedicated to St Sebastian, the patron saint of Rio de Janeiro. It was built

between 1964 and 1979 and replaced a series of old churches that had served as cathedrals since 1676. It is

located in the centre of the city and has a 96 meters or 315 ft internal diameter and an overall height of 75 meters

or 246 ft tall. The cathedral has a standing-room capacity of 20,000 people. The cathedral's four rectilinear

stained glass windows soar 64 meters or 210 ft from floor to ceiling.

Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mexico

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The Basilica of Guadalupe or Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico is built on top of Tepeyac hill - the

site where it is said that Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin. It is now known in a

more popular sense La Villa. The Basilica houses the original tilma or apron of Juan Diego that shows the icon

of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Thus it is an important pilgrimage site and is visited by several million people every

year, especially around December 12, Our Lady of Guadalupe's Feast day.

Timi?oara Orthodox Cathedral: Romania

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The unique and colorful Timi?oara Orthodox Cathedral of Romania was built between 1937 and 1940. This

impressive structure has 11 towers, of which the central and the highest has a height of 96 meters. It is home

to many valuable religious objects such as old icons and early writings in Romanian, such as the 1648 New

Testament of Balgrad and the 1643 Homiliary of Metropolitan Varlaam".

St Mary's Cathedral: USA

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The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption is the principal church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San

Francisco in California. It is located in the Cathedral Hill. Construction of this building started in 1967 and was

completed in 1971. On October 5, 1996 - it was formally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the name of

Saint Mary of the Assumption. The first papal mass was celebrated by Pope John Paul II in the cathedral in 1987.

It is also known locally as Saint Mary's Cathedral.

Cymbalista Synagogue: Israel

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The Cymbalista Synagogue located in Tel Aviv University in Israel was designed in 1996 and construction was

finished in 1998. The patrons and namesakes were Paulette and Norbert Cymbalista. From a rectangular base

rise two matching towers both square in plan and merging to circles at their highest points of 13.5 m. A

rectangular lobby connects the two towers.

Cathedral of Brasilia: Brazil

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The unique Cathedral of Brasilia in Brazil is a masterpiece of the architect Oscar Niemeyer. This concrete-framed

hyperboloid structure was completed in 1970 and is based in the hyperboloid of revolution which sections are

asymmetric. The hyperboloid structure itself is a result of 16 identical assembled concrete columns. These

columns, having hyperbolic section and weighing 90 tons, represent two hands moving upwards to heaven.

St Mark's Basilica: Italy

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Saint Mark's Basilica is the most famous church of Venice, Italy. It is also one of the best known examples of

Byzantine architecture. Originally it was the chapel of the Venetian rulers, and not the city's cathedral. It became

the seat of the Patriarch of Venice since 1807. The building is also known by the nickname Church of gold.

Santuario Madonna delle Lacrime: Italy

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This is the site of the Shrine of Our lady of the tears. This odd-looking house of worship is located in Syracuse,

Italy. It was designed by the architects Michel Andrault and Pierre Pamt. Construction of the building started in

1989 and was completed in 1994. It was built to house the reliquary of the tears of Mary from the 1953 miracle on

this site.

Independence Temple: USA

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The spectacular Temple in Independence is a house of worship and education. It is the headquarters of the

Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). It was built in

response to a revelation presented to their 1984 World Conference by then church prophet-president Wallace B.

Smith. This revelation culminated instructions shared over the course of more than 150 years by prior prophet-

presidents recognized by the Community of Christ. The temple dominates the skyline of Missouri, USA.

Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family: Spain

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Our list will be incomplete without the Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family of Spain. This amazingly unique edifice,

often simply called the Sagrada Familia, is a massive, privately-funded Roman Catholic Church that has been

under construction since 1882. Construction is expected to go on until 2026. The vast scale and idiosyncratic

design of this structure has made it one of Barcelona's top tourist attractions for many years. A portion of the

building's interior is scheduled to open for public worship and tours by September of 2010.

Hope you enjoyed this. Thank you!