20 World's Most Brilliantly Colored Religious Edifices

Houses of worship are found anywhere but not all of them are colorful. Let’s travel around the world and see

some religious edifices with the most attractive and captivating color combination.

Moldovan Orthodox Church: Moldova

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The blue, white and gold combinations make Moldovan Orthodox Church one of the most brightly colored

churches in the world. It is an autonomous church under the Church of Russia. The church currently holds the

majority of the Eastern Orthodox population, parishes, monasteries, and churches in Moldova. The Moldovan

Orthodox Church has 1,080 parishes, 30 monasteries, 1 academy and 2 seminaries.

Laxminarayan Temple: India

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A number of colorful temples can be seen in India, one of which is the fabulous Laxminarayan Temple also called

the Birla Mandir. This colorful temple is located in Delhi, built in honor of Laxmi - the Hindu goddess of wealth and

of her consort, Lord Vishnu – the Preserver in the Trimurti.

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Laxminarayan is a temple with many shrines, fountains and a large garden. It attracts thousands of devotees on

the day of Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna.

Kazan Cathedral: Russia

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The Kazan Cathedral is a lovely-looking and beautiful Russian orthodox church located in Red Square in Moscow

– the capital of Russia. The current building is a reconstruction of the original church which was destroyed at the

direction of then Premier of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin in 1936. The original church was erected as a shrine

in the early 1630s to mark the city’s liberation from the Polish aggressors by the Russian people’s volunteer army

at the close of the Time of Troubles.

Sripuram Temple: India

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If this temple is made of pure gold, it will surely be regarded as the most expensive temple in the world. The

magnificent and elegant Sri Puram or Golden Temple is a Spiritual park situated at the foot of a small range of

green hills in a place known as Malaikodi in Vellore City, Tamil Nadu in India. The salient Feature of Sri Puram is

the Lakshmi Narayani Temple or Mahalakshmi Temple whose Vimanam and Ardha Mandapam have been coated

with gold both in the interior and exterior.

Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ: Russia

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Russia has many colorful and flamboyant churches. One of this is the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, one

of the main sights of St Petersburg, Russia. It is also variously called the Church on Spilt Blood and the Cathedral

of the Resurrection of Christ, its official name. The name refers to the blood of the assassinated Alexander II of

Russia, who was mortally wounded on that site on March 13 1881.

Shwedagon Zedi Daw: Myanmar

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The official title of the amazing and wonderful Shwedagon Pagoda which is also known as Golden Pagoda is

Shwedagon Zedi Daw. This world’s wonder is a 98-meter or about 321.5 feet gilded stupa located in Yangon.

The pagoda lies on Singuttara Hill, thus dominating the skyline of the city.

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The Golden Pagoda is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda for the Burmese with relics of the past four Buddhas

enshrined within, namely the staff of Kakusandha, the water filter of Konagamana, a piece of the robe of Kassapa

and eight hairs of Gautama, the historical Buddha.

Russian Orthodox Cathedral: France

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The splendid and colorful Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Nice is a national monument of France. It is the largest

Russian orthodox cathedral outside Russia. There is currently an ownership dispute over the property. The

parish, which belongs to an overseas Russian Orthodox jurisdiction under the authority of the Ecumenical

Patriarchate, opposes a claim on the property by the Patriarchate of Moscow, which has the backing of the

Russian government.

Golden Temple: India

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A temple similar to the Sri Puram also located in India is the Golden Temple or Temple of God. This temple is

culturally the most significant place of worship of the Sikhs and one of the oldest Sikh gurdwaras. It is located in

the city of Amritsar, which was established by Guru Ram Das Ji, the fourth guru of the Sikhs.

Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary: Philippines

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Girls are pretty in pink and so with the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a church located in the

municipality of Minglanilla and is part of a metropolitan area known as Metro Cebu. The Church of the Immaculate

Heart of Mary or the Most Pure Heart of Mary was built from 1880 to 1886.

Tuban Great Mosque: Indonesia

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The Great Mosque of Tuban is probably one of the most brilliantly colored mosques of all if it is not the best. This

colorful and very pretty mosque is located in Tuban, Java in Indonesia. You will surly be captivated by its amazing

and captivating beauty. Please click the link below to witness its adorable elegance.

See more colorful image HERE

Sagami-ji Temple: Japan

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Most Japanese people are either Shinto or Buddhist. Plenty of temples can be seen in the Land of the Rising Sun,

one of its beautiful and colorful temples is the Sagami-ji or Sagami-dera. This Buddhist temple is located in Kasai,

Hyogo Prefecture. It was built in 745 AD.

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According to the temple records, the priest Gyoki received an oracle from Sagami Myojin instructing a temple to

be built on these grounds. Gyoki took the request to Emperor Shomu, who then ordered the construction of

Sagami-ji. When finished in 745, it was named Sagami after the oracle’s origins.

St Andrew’s Church: Ukraine

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Saint Andrew’s Church is a baroque church in Kiev. It was constructed in 1747–1754. The church is currently one

of four architectural landmarks of Ukraine, which were put down on the List of Mankind Treasures of Five

Continents by the world society.

Jami-Ul Alfar Mosque: Sri Lanka

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This intricately colored mosque is one of the most striking buildings in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque

was completed in 1909. The Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque is striped red and white like a layer cake, a design that is

reminiscent of another mosque which was also completed in 1909, the Masjid Jamek of Kuala Lumpur.

St Basil’s Cathedral: Russia

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The Cathedral of Intercession of the Virgin on the Moat is arguably one of the most colorful religious edifices in

the world. The intricate design of this cathedral makes it one of the most famous landmarks and tourist attractions

of Moscow. It is also known as Cathedral of the Protection of the Mother of God, or simply Pokrovskiy Cathedral

but better known as the Cathedral of Saint Basil the Blessed. Saint Basil’s Cathedral also features distinctive

onion domes.

Blue Mosque: Malaysia

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One of the most elegant and largest mosques in the world is the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque,

simply known as “Blue Mosque”. It is the state mosque of Selangor, Malaysia. It is the biggest mosque of Malaysia

and also the second biggest mosque in Southeast Asia.

Ascension Cathedral: Kazakhstan

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_of_the_Ascension_of_the_Lord,_Almaty

The flamboyant and elegant Ascension Cathedral, a Russian orthodox cathedral is located in Panfilov Park in

Almaty, Kazakhstan. It is also known as Zenkov Cathedral which was completed in 1907 and regarded as the

second tallest wooden building in the world.

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The cathedral was used to house the Central State Museum of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic after the

Russian Revolution. From 1930 to 1940 it was used by important public organizations. The first radio transmitters

in Almaty were situated in the cathedral’s belfry

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple: India

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Another colorful temple of India is the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu. This Hindu temple

is dedicated to Lord Raganatha, a reclining form of Lord Vishnu. The temple occupies an area of 156 acres or

6,31,000 m² with a perimeter of 1,116m or 10,710 feet making it the largest temple in India and one of the largest

religious complexes in the world. In fact, Srirangam temple can be easily termed as the largest functioning Hindu

temple in the world (Angkor Wat being the largest non-functioning temple).

St Michael’s Golden Dome: Ukraine

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St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery is a beautiful and colorful monastery in Kiev. The site is located in the

historic and administrative Uppertown and overlooks the city’s historical commercial and merchant quarter, the

Podil neighborhood. The cathedral was demolished by the Soviet authorities in the 1930s, but was recently

reconstructed after Ukraine gained its independence.

St Francis Xavier Chapel: Macau, China

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This brightly colored Catholic Church is located in Macau, China. The church was originally a nursery under the

Canossian Sisters. In 1928, it was reconstructed in commemoration of the missionary St. Francis Xavier, one of

the founding members of the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits.

St Sophia Cathedral: Ukraine

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Saint Sophia Cathedral is one of the city’s best known landmarks of Kiev, Ukraine’s capital. It is also the first

Ukrainian patrimony to be inscribed on the World Heritage List. The complex of the Cathedral is the main

component the National Sanctuary “Sophia of Kiev” the state institution responsible for the preservation of the

Cathedral complex along with several other historic landmarks of the city.

See also

Bizarre and Unique Architectural Designs of Houses of Worship

Amazingly Unique Architectural Design of Houses of Worship