10 weirdest temples from around the world, in which people strive to learn the essence of life

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Among the huge number of temples of different religions and confessions, there are special ones on our planet, which sometimes seem to be objects out of time. People did not always build temples in accordance with religious canons and even fashion. Therefore, today in different parts of the world you can find temples that may seem very strange, at least when it comes to religious buildings. But perhaps that is why many people consider them to be special places of power.

1. Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona

Although church architecture has remained remarkably stable over the centuries, the 20th century saw a number of new design ideas. In Sedona, Arizona, USA, the local Holy Cross Chapel was built into red rocks. It was built in the 1950s by a local who was inspired by the Empire State Building. The chapel seems to be jumping out of two rocks, and from its huge windows a magnificent view of the surrounding landscapes opens up.

Interestingly, crowds of people are attracted here not only by modernist architecture, but also by the belief that the chapel is located on an energy vortex. It is believed that in this place the border between the worlds is thinned, and this helps in spiritual healing.

2. Church "Saint-Michel d'Eguille"

The church is unremarkable in terms of the structure of the building. Unusual is where it was built - on top of a volcanic rock. Towering over the French town of Le Puy-en-Valais, the rock has been used for worship for thousands of years. Prehistoric peoples, and later the Romans, installed their shrines on it. The chapel was built in 962 AD. The local bishop Godeshalc and deacon Trianus went on a pilgrimage to Spain.

Upon their return, they decided to build a chapel in memory of their trip, and to do it on top of an 82-meter cliff. You can climb to the chapel by 268 steps carved into the rock itself. And on the neighboring volcanic rock, "looking" at the church, stands a huge statue of the Virgin Mary, which is made of Russian cannons captured in the Battle of Sevastopol.

3. Basilica of St. Ursula

Although Sedlec is home to the most famous ossuary in the world, the largest mosaic made from human body parts is in the Basilica of St. Ursula in Cologne. According to legend, Saint Ursula was a British princess from about AD 300-600. Being very religious, Ursula went on a pilgrimage to Europe.

Since she was a princess, Ursula could not travel alone, so she took 11,000 virgins with her. Their ship miraculously made it from Britain to Rome in one day. From there they went to Cologne. But there Ursula and her 11,000 companions were captured and tortured to death by the Huns, who at that time were ravaging Europe. The relics of Saint Ursula were placed in the basilica built in Cologne.

In the Middle Ages, a pit with bones was discovered under this church. The priests considered that these were the remains of those same 11,000 companions, and decorated the basilica with them. Unfortunately, it was subsequently discovered that the bones of the alleged 11,000 virgin women are in fact the bones of men, babies, and even large dogs.

4. Cathedral in Maringa

The cathedral in Maringa is also a modern church. But if the chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona blends in with the environment, then the cathedral in Maringa stands out strongly from the surrounding background. This huge conical structure is the tallest church in South America (124 meters high). It is argued that the purpose of the church was "to bring people closer to God", and this can be done, at least, climbing the 598 steps to the observation deck, from which opens up a view of the entire city.

It is interesting that those who climb the steps will pass by the places of eternal rest of people who have decided to be buried within the walls of the cathedral. The cornerstone of the cathedral was a piece of marble taken from St. Paul's Basilica in Rome and blessed by Pope Pius XII.

5. Church "Reading Between the Lines"

To eliminate the distinction between classical church design and modern urban design, architects Piterjan Gijs and Arno Van Warenberg built a modern church in Borglon, Belgium, called Reading Between the Lines. It is unusual in that it was built from 100 layers of thin steel, stacked to create an optical illusion.

From one angle it looks like an ordinary building, but from another angle the church looks translucent and through it you can see the landscape behind the church. This church is not used for regular worship, but rather is a work of art. Anyone can worship any god of their choice within Reading Between the Lines.

6. Ossuary in Sedlec

An ossuary (ossuary) is a place used to store bones. It can be the size of a wooden box or the size of a city. For example, in the catacombs near Paris, you can find the bones of about six million people that have accumulated here over the centuries.

To store so many bones in one place, they were neatly placed along the walls of the huge catacombs. In Sedlec (a district of the Czech town of Kutná Hora) there is a church, the entire interior of which is decorated with human bones and skulls (in total, about 40,000 skeletons were used for decoration). In each corner of the church is a pile of bones 3 meters high and 4 meters wide.

A huge chandelier made of bones and skulls hangs from the ceiling. In niches on the walls there are bowls and urns made of bones. Perhaps the most impressive is the coat of arms of a noble family, made of bones. It depicts a raven pecking out an eye from a severed head.

7. "Oak Chapel"

Elsewhere in France, there is an ancient church that was built without the use of stone at all. The Chene-chapelle ("Chapel Oak") is located in the village of Allouville-Belfoss in northern France. The entire church is built inside a huge oak tree. A spiral staircase surrounds the tree and leads to two separate tiny chapels. Although trees have been used for worship in many places, this use of wood for cult purposes is unique.

The oak is at least 800 years old (and according to local legend, the tree is as old as the kingdom of France, and William the Conqueror prayed under its branches before going to England). In the 17th century, the tree was used as a chapel after being struck by lightning. Lightning burned out the insides of the oak, but it miraculously survived. Taking this as a divine sign, the local abbot and priest decided to make a church out of oak.

8. Chapels in the salt mine

Mining has always been a risky business. Given that miners are constantly in danger of being buried alive, it is not surprising that they are often very religious people. At the Wieliczka Salt Mine in Poland, miners carved chapels right underground in rock salt. The salt mine was dug at least in the 13th century, and as it expanded, new underground chapels were built.

Nobody knows how many of them were created over the centuries, as many chapels were probably destroyed and "dismantled" into the salt from which they were originally carved. Today, there are at least five main chapels in the mine, and the newest of them is dedicated to Pope John Paul II, who visited the Wieliczka mine several times. Hundreds of meters underground, these chapels are still used for worship, although they are also a popular tourist destination.

9. Lalibela stone churches

The city of Lalibela in Ethiopia is home to the largest monolithic (single-stone) temples in the world. Instead of building their churches upward, the local people decided to carve them deep into the ground. A total of 11 churches were built in Lalibela, and no one knows their exact age.

Legend has it that they were built by King Lalibela in the 13th century on the orders of an angel sent from God. Experts say churches may actually be hundreds of years older. The largest of the 11 churches, each of which is underground, goes 10 meters deep.

10. Church "Pillar of Katskhi"

Christian monks have always tried to withdraw from society in order to fully focus on God. To find the much-desired solitude, the monks went to deserts, islands and other inaccessible places. In Georgia, they managed to climb a limestone monolith with almost sheer walls, known as the "Katskhi Pillar".

The pagans used the 40-meter pillar to worship the gods of fertility, but this ended when Georgia converted to Christianity in the 4th century. In the 7th century, a small church was built on top of the pillar. Monks and priests have used the top of the pillar for worship for centuries, but by the 18th century no one knew how to climb to the top, so the destroyed church could only be seen from afar.

Only climbers managed to conquer the pillar in 1944. During the exploration of the upper part of the natural column, secluded cells were found, which were used by the monks, as well as a wine cellar. In 1993, the monk Maxim Kavtaradze moved under the pillar, on which the chapel was soon rebuilt, as well as the house for the monk. Today you can climb to the top using a slightly rusted iron staircase.

Does not surprise with architectural delights, but rather causes confusion with the way of observance of rituals Gumball Church is the only temple where alcohol is allowed during the service.