Extraordinary Churches of the World

They might not be the most beautiful churches we have on earth , but they are really amazing structurally . Let's take you on a ride to some mind blowing  church buildings . . . . . . 

1. The Church of Hallgrímur (Reykjavík, Iceland)

The Church of Hallgrímur is a Lutheran parish church which is also a very tall one, reaching 74.5 meters (244 ft) height. It is the fourth tallest architectural structure in Iceland. It took incredibly long to build it (38 years!) Construction work began in 1945 and ended in 1986.

 2. Las Lajas Cathedral (Colombia, South America)

To think this was built inside the canyon of the Guaitara near the border with Ecuador is a wonder on its own .  Having the shape of a Bridge. 

3. Device to Root Out Evil (Calgary, AB, Canada)

A country church is seen balancing on it’s steeple, as if it had been lifted by a terrific force and brought to the site as a device or method of rooting out evil forces.

4. Chapel of St. Gildas (Brittany, France) Mads:

Built like a stone barn into the base of a bare rocky cliff, this was once a holy place of the Druids ( a member of the high-ranking professional class in ancient Celtic cultures.) .

5. Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira, (Cundinamarca, Colombia) 

Catedral de Sal (Salt Cathedral) in Zipaquirá, about 25 miles north of Bogotá, is an underground church built in a tunnel of salt mines deep inside a salt mountain. It is built into a space left by salt mining; everything you see here is salt. As you descend into the church, you pass 14 small chapels representing the stations of the suffering of Christ. The sanctuary at the bottom has three sections, representing the birth, life, and death of Jesus.

The first Salt Cathedral was consecrated in 1954, but structural problems and safety concerns led the authorities to shut down the sanctuary in 1990. The current church was built between 1991 and 1996 about 200 feet below the old sanctuary, again using caves left behind by previous mining operations.

 6. Notre Dame du Haut (Ronchamp, France)  

People say that the roof of this building looks like Elvis’ hair and fundanfo agree. Informally known as Ronchamp, the chapel of Notre Dame du Haut was completed in 1954 and is considered one of the finest examples of architecture by the late French/Swiss architect Le Corbusier. Interesting fact: when it rains, water pours off the slanted roof onto a fountain, creating a dramatic waterfall. No wonder their sachet water is common in the part of the world where I live in. Lol!!.

7. St Joseph Ukrainian Catholic Church (Chicago, IL, USA)

 I don’t want to tell what kind of thing those domes remind me of. They look like rockets ready to be launched into space. That's probably the fastest way for prayers to get to heaven (Just thinking aloud)
St. Joseph Ukrainian Catholic church is best known for its ultra-modern thirteen gold domed roof symbolizing the twelve apostles.

8. Jubilee Church (Rome, Italy)

 Jubilee Church has very distinctive curved walls which look like sails and serve the engineering purpose of minimizing thermal peak loads in the interior space. The walls are made from a special cement, which contain titanium dioxide, so it destroys air pollution. According to Borgarello “When the titanium dioxide absorbs ultraviolet light, it becomes powerfully reactive, breaking down pollutants that come in contact with the concrete. .

9. Grace Fellowship Baptist Church (Baltimore Road in Detroit, Michigan, USA)

 This weird building is actually a church. Once it was famous for being Detroit’s most beautiful Chinese-American restaurant. Later it closed down and became the Omega Baptist Church and then the Grace Fellowship Baptist Church.  I suppose it's unique that's why churches patronise the building .

10. Basilica de Higuey (Dominican Republic)

This is one of the most respected monuments of the Dominican Republic. It was built by French architects, and is located in the city of Higuey, Dominican Republic. Fundanfo thinks it is actually a huge basket, and not a church.

11. Church in Stykkishólmskirkja (Iceland)

 No, this is not an alien structure – it is another weird church in Iceland. It looks like one if those nuclear weapon houses I watch in Hollywood films . Fantastic design anyways.

12. St. Basil’s Cathedral (Moscow, Russia)

This multi-tented church stands at the very heart of Moscow,the Red Square.
When I first saw this building, I thought it was a painting (drawing, Art). Fundanfo thinks that it may be huge lollypops and wants to taste it.

13. Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

The church has a standing-room capacity of 20,000 people. Four rectilinear stained glass windows soar 64 meters (210 ft) from floor to ceiling. Looks like a Pyramid of Egypt or Aztecs, doesn’t it?

14. Sagrada Familia (Barcelona, Spain)

Sagrada Fami­lia is a very massive Roman Catholic basilica under construction in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Construction began in 1882 and continues to this day. In the center there is going to be a tower of Jesus Christ, surmounted by a giant cross; the tower’s total height will be 170m (557,7ft). I have never seen anything as fabulous as this church!

15. Paraportiani Church (Mykonos, Greece) 

According to the author of the photo: “Paraportiani Church is one of the most famous architectural structures in Greece. Its name means secondary gate, because it was built on the site of one of the gates of the Medieval stone walls. Some parts of this beautiful church date from 1425 and the rest was built during the 16th and 17th centuries.”

16. Borgund Stave Church (Lærdal, Norway)

This wooden church, probably built in the end of the 12th century, has not changed structure or had a major reconstruction since the date it was built. Interesting fact: the church is also featured as a Wonder for the Viking civilization in the video game Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. 

17. The Green church (Buenos Aires, Argentina) 

Bamboo leaves!?! I want to climb into this church and sit here all day. The only info I managed to find: “a parish church in Buenos Aires, Argentina known as the “Huerto de Olivos”�, or “Garden of Olives” – Michael
That means ghetto the bamboo we have here is wasting. Maybe I should research in the importance of bamboo .

18. Church Ruins (Goreme, Turkey) 

How did those guys carve the inside of these rocks? The Cappadocia valley, where this church stands, is very popular for its rocks that the people of the villages at the heart of the Cappadocia Region carved out to form houses, churches, monasteries. Those rocks are volcanic deposits, so that means they are soft rocks, making it possible to carve such structures.

19. Duomo, Milan Cathedral (Milan, Italy)

“They say that the Cathedral of Milan is second only to St. Peter’s at Rome. I cannot understand how it can be second to anything made by human hands."
The house make sense brotherly .

20. Paoay Church a.k.a St. Augustine Parish (Philippines)

 It is said, that Its construction primarily was intended to withstand earthquakes. And it could test the strength of the walls very soon, because the church was damaged by an earthquake.


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