Photos: 10 Most Beautiful Churches

A photo tour of the world's 10 most beautiful churches.

By Terry Ward, Wednesday, Apr 20, 2011, 9:00 AM | Subscribe to the magazine

Source Article: 10 Most Beautiful Churches

Duomo di Milano, in Milan, Italy, viewed from the Piazza del Duomo.
(Courtesy Jiuguang Wang/Wikimedia Commons)
An up-close view of the Duomo di Milano, from Piazza del Duomo.
(Courtesy Evan Blaser/Flickr)
A view from the top of Duomo di Milano, in Milan, Italy, overlooking the city.
(Courtesy Prayant/Flickr)
The Leifur Eirksson monument and the iconic Church of Hallgrímur, in Reykjavík.
(Courtesy Bernt Rostad/Flickr)
A close-up view of the architecture of the Church of Hallgrímur.
(Courtesy Tristian Ferne/Flickr)
A view of Reykjavík from the tower of the Church of Hallgrímur.
(Courtesy Andreas Tille/Wikimedia Commons)
The Borgund Stave Church, in western Norway, dates to 1180.
(Courtesy zoetnet/Flickr)
The interior of the stave church Borgund.
(Courtesy Micha L. Rieser/Flickr)
The roof of the stave church Borgund.
(Courtesy Micha L. Rieser/Flickr)
Las Lajas Sanctuary sits at the end of a bridge that stretches over a dramatic gorge, deep in the mountains of southwestern Colombia.
(Courtesy aniara/Flickr)
A closer look at Las Lajas, in rural Colombia.
(Courtesy medea_material/Flickr)
Las Lajas looms over the rushing muddy waters of the Guaitara River, in Colombia.
(Courtesy Martin St-Amant/Wiki)
La Sagrada Família, in Barcelona, Spain, is still under construction—an ongoing masterpiece.
(Courtesy Gavin Gilmore/Flickr)
A closer look at one of the façades of La Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain.
(Courtesy Bernard Gagnon/Wikimedia Commons)
A closer look at the details of La Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain.
(Courtesy bonniegme/myBudgetTravel)
The Saint Michel d'Aiguilhe Chapel, in rural France, sits atop a 269-foot-high volcanic peak.
(Courtesy Jean-Pol GRANDMONT/Wikimedia Commons)
The Saint Michel d'Aiguilhe Chapel, in rural France.
(Courtesy Torsade de Pointes/Wikimedia Commons)
To reach the Saint Michel d'Aiguilhe Chapel, visitors must ascend 268 stone steps carved into the church's needle-like rocky mount.
(Courtesy EmDee/Wikimedia Commons)
The Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, is built on the site where Czar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881.
(Courtesy Blackness/Flickr)
A close look at the onion-shaped domes of the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood, in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
(Courtesy tetrabrian/Flickr)
An evening view of the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood, in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
(Courtesy Andrew Bossi/Flickr)
You might recognize Ely Cathedral, in England, from several Hollywood films, including 2010's The King's Speech.
(Courtesy Terre/Wikimedia Commons)
The sanctuary of the Ely Cathedral.
(Courtesy John Salmon/Wikimedia Commons)
The east end of the Ely Cathedral.
(Courtesy John Salmon/Wikimedia Commons)