Hanging off the sides of mountains or suspended across a forest, these are some of the most skillful examples of sacred architecture
The human desire to build places for worship has often resulted in some of the most breathtaking architectural masterpieces in existence. From historic sites like the Pyramids of Giza or the Parthenon to modern marvels like the Lotus Temple in New Delhi or the Jubilee Synagogue in Prague, humanity has shown the best version of itself when it comes to creating spaces to honor, pray to, and worship a higher power.
While there are plenty of examples of stunning religious architecture that prove this, few fully reimagine the limits of human innovation quite like these places of worship that are built directly into nature. From a temple in Datong, China that appears to defy gravity to a hand-hewn stone church in Ethiopia, AD has scoured the globe for the 17 most inspiring, extraordinary houses of worship built into the natural world.
Church of Apostle Andrew (Priozerskiy rayon, Russia)
Just two hours north of St. Petersburg, you’ll find a small stone island in Lake Vuoksa holding the Church of Apostle Andrew. Designed by Andrei Rotinov, the Russian Orthodox Church doesn’t have any scheduled masses, though it can be booked for weddings and baptisms. Accessible via a bridge, the church is named for the patron saint of fishermen.
Sanctuary of Madonna della Corona (Spiazzi, Italy)
If you’re taking a trip around Verona, don’t miss the opportunity to visit the Sanctuary of Madonna della Corona nestled in the Baldo rocks above the Adige River. Built in 1530, the site is a popular pilgrimage location now open year-round for those who would like to meditate or pray in quiet. While it may look like the structure is dangling off the mountainside, it actually sits on a rock shelf.
Chapel of the Holy Cross (Sedona, Arizona)
This church built into the red rocks of Sedona was commissioned by a local sculptor and rancher, Marguerite Brunswig Staude. Staude, inspired by the newly-constructed Empire State Building, originally worked with Lloyd Wright, the son of Frank Lloyd Wright, to construct the temple in Budapest. The outbreak of World War II stopped the project, and Staude decided to construct the church in her hometown, where the church was designed by August K. Strotz.
Las Lajas Shrine (Ipiales, Nariño, Colombia)
This Gothic-style church in Colombia is a popular pilgrimage site for Christians in South America because it’s built at the location where an apparition of the Virgin Mary supposedly appeared. According to the tale, a mother and her daughter, who was deaf, were caught in a storm in the area and sought shelter beneath nearby slabs of stone sticking out from the rocky hillside. While there, the daughter said Jesus’s mother was calling her, and she pointed toward a silhouette illuminated by lightning above one of the slabs. The church was built at the site between 1916 and 1949, and its name, Las Lajas, translates in English to “the slabs.”
Paro Taktsang (Paro Valley, Bhutan)
This cliffside temple in Bhutan is built around a cave where Guru Padmasambhava (or Guru Rinpoche) meditated and taught Vajrayana, a form of Tantric Buddhism. Starting in the 11th century, many Tibetan saints came to worship at the site, which is located 3,000 feet above the Paro Valley.
Ad Deir (Petra, Jordan)
This ancient temple in Petra, Jordan, stands at 154 feet tall and is carved directly into the red sandstone. The monastery was built, like the rest of the ancient city, by the Nabataeans in the second century. It’s been theorized that the building was repurposed as a church during the Byzantine empire.
Churches of Göreme (Nevşehir Province, Turkey)
These churches in Göreme were the direct result of the eruption of Mount Erciyes over two million years ago. The volcano’s ash and lava formed soft rocks, and the residents soon realized these could be carved out fairly easily to form churches, monasteries, and houses. Inside, many of the churches still display restored frescoes.
Felsenkirche (Idar-Oberstein, Germany)
Built between 1482 and 1484, Felsenkirche, which translates to “rock church” in English, is a Protestant parish built into the side of a rocky cliff in Idar-Oberstein. Legend has it that a prince constructed the church to atone for his younger brother’s death. The two brothers supposedly fell in love with the same woman, who ultimately chose the younger of the two. When the older found out, he threw his sibling off the mountain, later building the church where his brother died. However, there is no factual evidence that this ever occurred.
Kipina Monastery (Kalarrytes, Greece)
If you look too quickly, you might miss Kipina Monastery. Tucked into the side of the Tzoumerka Mountains above the Kalarytikos River, the structure, which dedicated to the Virgin Mary, was built in the 13th century by a group of monks who had fled the nearby Vyliza Monastery after a disagreement. The monastery is built around a cave using the same stones as the ones from the mountain, making it hard to notice from the ground.
The Minister’s Treehouse (Crossville, Tennessee)
The Minister’s Treehouse, also known as Horace Burgess’s Treehouse, was a huge treehouse built 100 feet in the air across seven trees in Crossville, Tennessee. The structure had multiple rooms, including a chapel with a basketball hoop, before it mysteriously burned down in October of 2019. Burgess, the builder, said God came to him in a vision and told him to build the massive structure. For many years, Burgess, who was also an ordained minister, led services in the property.
Chapel of Saint-Michel d’Aiguilhe (Aiguilhe, France)
It’ll take climbing 268 rock-carved steps to reach this church that sits atop a 279-foot volcanic plug. Built in 969, the chapel is dedicated to the archangel Michael, who is the patron saint of mountaintops and high places.
Church of St. George (Lalibela, Ethiopia)
The Church of St. George is the most famous of the 11 rock-hewn churches in Lalibela, Ethiopia. Made solely from volcanic tuff, the structure was carved downwards and is dated to the late 12th or early 13th century. It is believed to be commissioned by King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela, who wanted to recreate Jerusalem.
The Hanging Temple (Datong, China)
This temple near Datong, China, is notable for two reasons: It hangs off the side of a precipice near Mount Heng in China’s Shanxi Province; and it’s the only temple that represents the three traditional Chinese philosophies of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. The structure is supported by oak crossbeams that are chiseled into the mountainside. It holds 40 halls and pavilions, and, according to the legend, its construction was started by just one monk, Liaoran, in A.D. 491.
Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá (Bogotá, Colombia)
Built 660 feet underground within the tunnels of a salt mine, this Roman Catholic church welcomes as many as 3,000 visitors each Sunday. The chapel includes three sections which represent the birth, life, and death of Jesus.
Marble Mountains (Da Nang, Vietnam)
The Marble Mountains in Vietnam are a collection of five limestone and marble hills that each represent one of five elements: earth, fire, water, wood, and metal. Inside, the mountains hold several Buddhist and Hindu grottoes, sanctuaries, and temples.
Chapel of St. Gildas (Brittany, France)
Along the banks of the Blavet River in Brittany, France, you’ll find the Chapel of St. Gildas built directly underneath a large granite outcrop. The story goes that St. Gildas, a prominent Irish monk, lived with St. Bieuzy in a cave at this exact spot and preached Christianity to a mostly pagan population in the 6th century. The current chapel was built in 1837 and is open to visitors in the summer.
Sumela Monastery (Trabzon, Turkey)
This Greek Orthodox monastery in Turkey was built in honor of the Virgin Mary within the Pontic Mountains. The structure was likely built between A.D. 375 and 395. While it served for religious purposes for hundreds of years, it is now mainly a tourist attraction funded by the Turkish government.
