The most famous temples of the world

Temples are architectural structures that are designed to perform religious rituals and worship services. However, it can be said that the importance of temples is often much broader than their ritual functions and embodied religious ideas.

The first temples of the world appeared in ancient times and not only as religious buildings - they reflected the inherent search for God. Throughout human history, they have been an integral part of the landscape of the city, and many of them have become so famous that they have become symbols.

Temples of the Ancient World

The very first temples in Ancient Egypt, which are known to modern science, were built in the fourth millennium BC. They had the form of huts made of reeds. The last of the completed temples is in Philae. It ceased to be used for its intended purpose only in the VI century.

Carnac

One of the main attractions of Egypt is the heavily ruined Karnak. It is recognized as the largest ancient temple in the world. The structure is the creation of many generations of builders of Egypt.

The Karnak Temple consists of three buildings - small closed buildings and several external ones, located to the north of Luxor (2.5 km). It took several thousand years to build and organize the strengthening of the majestic temple of Karnak. However, most of the work in Karnak was carried out by the pharaohs of the New Kingdom. The most famous structure in Karnak is the Hypostyle Hall, whose area is 50,000 square meters. It has 134 massive columns, which are arranged in 16 rows.

Temples of Abu Simbel

Temples of the world are sometimes striking in their unusualness. For example, the temples (double) of Abu Simbel were cut in the slopes of the mountain. This happened during the reign of Pharaoh Ramses the Great in the 13th century BC. E. Temples became an eternal monument to Ramesses and his queen Nefertari.

Temple of Edfu

Temples of the world were often built and dedicated to the gods. Here is the temple of Edfu built in honor of the God of Falcon Gore. It is the second largest temple in Egypt after Carnac and one of the best preserved. To build it began in 237 BC. E. In those days Ptolemy III was in power. The works were completed in two centuries (in 57 BC). The building is made up of traditional elements of Egyptian temples, as well as several Greek elements, for example, Mammisi (birth house).

Church of the Holy Sepulcher

The Orthodox churches of the world were erected in different countries. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is built on Mount Calvary, the site of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here he was martyred.

Founded by his mother Constantine, Helena, in 335 AD. Once she found in the underground rooms of the temple of Venus, which stood before on this place, a cave with the Holy Sepulcher and the Cross, on which Jesus was crucified. There is a legend that three absolutely identical crosses were found in the dungeon at once. In order to find out which one is real, Elena took turns to touch them with the body of the deceased. When he touched the real Cross, a miracle happened - the deceased resurrected.

Saint Isaac's Cathedral

The most beautiful temples of the world cause admiration not only of parishioners. Beautiful buildings are also admired by tourists visiting them. The majestic St. Isaac's Cathedral is a vivid example of Russian religious architecture. Many experts are sure that this is one of the most beautiful dome buildings in the world. It is located in our northern capital. The temple can accommodate up to 12 thousand people at the same time. Previously, people came here to worship, but now it is often tourists. The temple received the status of a historical and artistic museum in 1937.

The diameter of the outer dome of the temple is twenty-five meters. To cover the central, as well as domes on the bell towers, more than a hundred kilograms of red gold were spent. From the colonnade, a hundred meters high, above the dome, you can see a spectacular view of the city center and the banks of the Neva.

The largest temples

Christian churches of the world are distinguished by architectural styles, interior decoration, the presence of certain sacred objects. Nevertheless, they are all priceless monuments of history and architecture.

The most majestic religious structure of our country is the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, located in Moscow. At first the temple was built according to the project of the famous architect Ton. To build it began in 1839. Unfortunately, in 1931 the temple, as, indeed, many cathedrals and churches in our country, was destroyed, and it was recreated in 1997.

The height of the temple is 105 meters. The structure has the shape of an equilateral cross (width - 85 m). The temple can simultaneously accommodate 10 thousand people. The interior is impressive with luxury, which was borrowed from the Byzantine religion (Orthodox).

Saint Paul's Cathedral

Famous temples of the world are a place of pilgrimage. This fully applies to the Cathedral of St. Peter - the largest temple of the Vatican. It is believed that this is the largest temple in the world. Its length is 212 meters, width is 150 meters, the occupied area is more than 22,000 square meters. Height with a cross on the dome - 136 meters. The cathedral simultaneously accommodates about 60 thousand people.

The temple was built in the XVI century by such great masters as Raphael, Michelangelo, Donato Bramante. A magnificent building for more than five centuries. Earlier in this place there was a circus, in which, during the time of Nero, they tortured and betrayed the terrible death of Christians. And the apostle Peter was brought here . He asked that he be executed not like Christ, and he was crucified head down.

Three hundred years later, the Emperor Constantine ordered to build a basilica in honor of St. Peter, and in 1452 Nicholas V (Pope) began the construction of the cathedral. The temple was built 120 years. In 1667, J. Lorenzo Bernini designed the square in front of the cathedral, which accommodates all believers who wish to receive a blessing.

The Cathedral of St. Peter is a prototype for the creation of many major churches of the world, for example, Dam de la Pe in Yamoussoukro. It was built in 1989. The area of the building is 30 thousand square meters. It accommodates 20 thousand people. In addition, the cathedral served as a model for the church of St. Paul (London). The size of the building is 170 x 90 m. The author of the project is the architect Christopher Ren.

Temples of the World: Forbidden Mosque

This is the main shrine of the Muslim world. In her courtyard is the Kaaba. The mosque was built in 638. Since the decree of the King of Saudi Arabia since 2007, the reconstruction of the mosque has been carried out.

During the construction work in the northern direction the territory increased to 400 thousand square meters. Now the mosque houses 1.12 million parishioners. But still two minarets are being built. Taking into account the territory in the ceremonies held here, two and a half million people can participate simultaneously.

The most beautiful temples

Certainly, for true believers, the most beautiful temples are in their cities, where they go to worship. Nevertheless, there are in the world such cathedrals that cause admiration of all people on our planet. We will tell you about some of them.

Notre Dame Cathedral

The location of this cathedral on the island of Cité (Paris) is not accidental. In ancient times, there was a pagan temple of Jupiter, then - the first Christian church in Paris (the Basilica of St. Stephen). The construction of the cathedral began in 1163. It lasted more than two hundred years.

The temple is made mostly in the Gothic style, but the towers are very different in appearance. This is due to the fact that the work involved various architects.

In the cathedral one of the most important Christian relics is carefully preserved - the Crown of Thorns of Christ, which was brought here from Jerusalem. There is no traditional wall painting inside the cathedral. But huge color stained glass windows illustrate biblical scenes. There is a legend that the famous bell Emmanuel, weighing 13 tons, is cast from female jewelry.

Sagrada Familia

This cathedral is located in Barcelona (Spain). The construction of the grandiose structure lasted more than forty years under the architect Gaudi, and to date it has not been completed.

This is due to the fact that the initiators of the construction put the condition: the temple should be built only on the donations of parishioners. Modern specialists believe that the construction will be completed in 2026. The temple has the form of a Latin cross, the facade is adorned with sayings from the Bible.

St. Basil's Cathedral

A magnificent Orthodox church is located in Moscow, on the Red Square. It is named in honor of Basil (fool), who dared to express discontent, the reign of Tsar Ivan the Terrible.

The temple was called Troitsky until the XVII century. It was built in the middle of the XVI century. As the legend says, Ivan the Terrible ordered to blind the architect, so that in the future he could never create something like that. For several centuries the temple is a visiting card not only of the capital, but of all Russia. Today it is listed in the UNESCO heritage list. Today there is a branch of the historical museum here.