BEAUTIFUL PLACES TO SAY THANK-YOU

Giving thanks is a beautiful thing. It’s also a very powerful thing. It humbles us and lifts us all at once. It spreads love and joy. It creates a spiritual connection between the giver and the receiver.

Places of worship are monuments to giving thanks as much as they are to prayer. Their beauty is designed to convey the sentiment of “thank-you” and honor. Churches, synagogues, mosques, and other structures all have thanks as part of their architecture and design. Some are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. And regardless of your own religious or spiritual beliefs, you can feel the power of “thank-you” when you see the artistry.

As we focus on beautiful thank-yous in our run up to Thanksgiving, we’ve curated a collection of beautiful places of worship that you can visit to get you in the spirit. From massive breathtaking wonders to quirky marvels, from ancient to contemporary, check out the art and architecture of giving thanks below.

1. THE CHURCH OF TRANSFIGURATION -- KIZHI ISLAND, RUSSIA

The Church of the Transfiguration, on Kizhi Island, Russia, is a remarkable structure, with 22 onion-shaped domes and spires. Built in 1714 on the site of an older church that was struck down by lightning, this church is one of the tallest wooden buildings in Asia, standing at 37 meters.

The Transfiguration Church building was built of entirely of wood, with no nails, while its domes are clad with 60,000 wooden shingles secured with approximately 180,000 nails

The church iconostasis has four levels and contains 102 icons.

2. SANCTUARY OF LAS LAJAS -- IPIALES, COLOMBIA

Las Lajas Sanctuary is a Gothic Revival style basilica church located in the southern in Ipiales, Columbia. It sits in the Guáitara River canyon -- a beautiful stone bridge brings worshipers to its doors.

The inspiration for the church's creation was a miraculous event in 1754, when Amerindian Maria Mueces and her deaf-mute daughter Rosa sought refuge from a storm and saw an apparition of the Virgin Mary lit up by lightning.

The remarkable ornate detailing inside and out, along with the surrounding dramatic landscape are transformative.

3. LA SAGRADA FAMILIA -- BARCELONA, SPAIN

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The complex design is magical, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. It has taken more than a century to to build and is still not complete. While Gaudí devoted his life to the project, at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.

Sagrada Familia was built entirely relying on private donations. Progress was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War and subsequent events which added to its slow build. But with the advancements of technologies such as computer aided design, the building has progressed more quickly.

Construction finally passed its midpoint in 2010. Ten more spires, each symbolising an important Biblical figure in the New Testament are still slated. It is anticipated that the building could be completed by 2026—the centenary of Gaudí's death, however there is still plenty of beauty to see right now.

4. NOTRE DAME DE LA GARDE - MARSEILLE, FRANCE

Notre-Dame de la Garde (Our Lady of the Guard), a Catholic basilica is a Neo-Byzantine church, built by the architect Henri-Jacques Espérandieu on the foundations of an ancient fort at the highest natural point in Marseille, France.

The lower church or crypt, built in the Romanesque style, was carved from the rock. The upper church is decorated with elaborate mosaics. The square bell tower topped by a 12.5 m (41 ft) belfry supports a monumental statue of the Madonna and Child made of copper gilded with gold leaf.

5. CHAPEL OF THE HOLY CROSS -- SEDONA, ARIZONA

The Chapel of the Holy Cross is a Roman Catholic chapel built into the red rock buttes of Sedona, Arizona. The chapel was inspired and commissioned by local rancher and sculptor Marguerite Brunswig Staude, who had been inspired in 1932 by the newly constructed Empire State Building to build such a church.

Richard Hein was chosen as project architect, and the design was executed by architect August K. Strotz, both from the firm of Anshen & Allen.

In the sculptor's words, “Though Catholic in faith, as a work of art the Chapel has a universal appeal. Its doors will ever be open to one and all, regardless of creed, that God may come to life in the souls of all men (and women) and be a living reality.”

Chapel of the Holy Cross is designated as one of the Seven Man-Made Wonders of Arizona and it is the site of one of the so-called Sedona vortices.

6. JUBILEE SYNAGOGUE -- PRAGUE, THE CZECH REPUBLIC

Jubilee Synagogue, synagogue in Prague, Czech Republic was built in 1906, designed by Wilhelm Stiassny and named in honor of the silver Jubilee of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria.

The synagogue is designed in Moorish Revival form with brilliant Art Nouveau painted decoration.

During the period of Nazi German occupation it was used to store confiscated Jewish property.

7. SULTAN OMAR ALI SAIFUDDIEN MOSQUE -- BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, BRUNEI

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque is beautiful Islamic mosque located in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of the Sultanate of Brunei.

The building was completed in 1958 and is an example of modern Islamic architecture, uniting Mughal architecture and Italian styles.

Built in an artificial lagoon on the banks of the Brunei River at Kampong Ayer- the "village in the water", the mosque has marble minarets and golden domes, a courtyard and is surrounded by a large number of trees and floral gardens.

The mosque's most recognizable feature - the main dome, is covered in pure gold. It can be seen from virtually anywhere in the city.

The interior of the mosque features magnificent stained glass windows, arches, semi-domes and marble columns, using materials imported from around the world.

8. HALLGRÍMSKIRKJA -- REYKJAVIK, ICELAND

Hallgrímskirkja is a Lutheran parish church in Reykjavík, Iceland, named after the Icelandic poet and clergyman Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614–1674), author of the Passion Hymns.

State Architect Guðjón Samúelsson's design of the church, commissioned in 1937, resembles the trap rocks, mountains, and glaciers of Iceland's landscape. The design is similar in style to the expressionist architecture of Grundtvig's Church of Copenhagen, Denmark.

The church is also used as an observation tower. An observer can take a lift up to the viewing deck and view Reykjavík and the surrounding mountains.

9. TEMPIO MAGGIORE (GREAT SYNAGOGUE OF FLORENCE) -- FLORENCE, ITALY

Tempio Maggiore (aka the Great Synagogue of Florence) rises up from the terracotta rooftops of Florence, with its gleaming turquoise domes. It is one of the largest synagogues in South-central Europe. It was built between 1874 and 1882, integrating the architectural Italian tradition with the Moorish style, harkening to origins of Sephardic Jewry in ancient Arab-occupied Spain.

The structure is built from travertine and granite, in a red and beige striped pattern. Every square inch of the synagogue’s interior is covered with colorful Moorish mosaics and frescoes by Giovanni Panti.

While Nazi and Italian Fascist soldiers planted explosives in an attempt to destroy the synagogue, the Italian resistance fighters managed to defuse most of them to minimize the damage -- yet another reason to give thanks.

10. GERGETI TRINITY CHURCH -- GERGETI, GEORGIA

Gergeti Trinity Church, near the village of Gergeti in Georgia, sits in a majestic setting, on the right bank of the river Chkheri, at the foot of Mount Kazbegi.

The church was built in the 14th century, is a popular waypoint for trekkers in the area, and can be reached by a steep 3 hour climb up the mountain, or around 30 minutes by jeep up a rough mountain trail.

Read more about Beautiful Thank-Yous all this week on BeautifulNow.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Mind/Body, Soul/Impact, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Arts/Design, and Place/Time, Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: “October Morning.” Courtesy of Sterling College. Craftsbury Common, Vermont.
2. Image: by John Menard. “Belfry, Church of Transfiguration, Church of Profit of God's Mother.” Kizhi Island, Russia.
3. Image: by Gérard Janot. “Kizhi Transfiguration Church.” Kizhi Island, Russia.
4. Image: by Diego Delso. “Sanctuary of Las Lajas.” Ipiales, Colombia.
5. Image: by Diego Delso. “Sanctuary of Las Lajas.” Ipiales, Colombia.
6. Image: by Jordiferrer. “Catalunya en Miniatura-Sagrada Familia.” Barcelona, Spain.
7. Image: by Wenjie, Zhang | A Certain Slant of Light. “La Sagrada Familia Interior.” Barcelona, Spain.
8. Image: by Paul Bica. “Notre Dame de la Garde.” Marseille, France.
9. Image: by turcottes78. “Chapel of the Holy Cross & Madonna.” Sedona, Arizona.
10. Image: by Jim Liestman. “Chapel of the Holy Cross.” Sedona, Arizona.
11. Image: by Traveltipy. “Jubilee Synagogue.” Prague, Czech Republic.
12. Image: by Jorge Láscar. “The golden domed Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque.” Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.
13. Image: by Bernard Spragg. “The Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque.” Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.
14. Image: by Olya Sanakoev. “Hallgrímskirkja.” Reykjavik, Iceland.
15. Image: by Rachel Titiriga. “Piazzale Michelangelo.” Tempio Maggiore. Florence, Italy.
16. Image: by Roberto Strauss.”Georgien, Georgia, Kasbek, Dsminda Gergeti in the morning.” Gergeti, Georgia.
17. Image: by Mariusz Kluzniak. “Gergeti Holy Trinity Church.” Gergeti, Georgia.
18. Image: by Levan Gokadze. “Sameba.” Gergeti Trinity Church. Gergeti, Georgia.
19. Image: by Paul Bica. “Notre-dame.” Notre Dame de la Garde. Marseille, France.