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  CONTENTS

  Introduction

  Acropolis of Baalbek (also Romanized Triad of Heliopolis)

  Agii Apostoli (Church of the Holy Apostles) Solaki

  Ajanta Caves

  Al-Aqsa Mosque

  Ales Stenar (Ale’s Stones)

  Amorgos

  Anne Frank House

  Apamea

  Aradhana Gala (Meditation Rock)

  Avebury Henge

  Bahá’í House of Worship

  Banteay Srei

  Bardsey Island (Ynys Enlli)

  Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe)

  Basílica de Nuestra Señora de La Altagracia (Higüey Basilica)

  Basilica di San Marco (Saint Mark’s Basilica)

  Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli (Saint Mary of the Angels)

  Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (Duomo)

  Basilica of Divine Mercy

  Basilica of the Dormition (also Hagia Maria Sion Abbey)

  Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary (Basilica at Fátima)

  Basiliek van het Heilig Bloed (Basilica of the Holy Blood)

  Basilique du Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre (Basilica of the Sacred Heart)

  Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine (Basilica Church of Saint Mary Magdalene)

  Baths of Aphrodite/Fountain of Love

  Bete Giyorgis Church of Lalibela

  Bighorn Medicine Wheel

  Borobudur (Borobudur Park)

  Bourges Cathedral

  Brahma Temple

  Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

  Byodo-In Temple

  Canterbury Cathedral

  Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis King of France

  Cathedral Church of Saint Canice

  Cathedral of Christ the Light

  Cathedral of Saint James

  Cathedral of the Madeleine

  Cathedral Rock

  Cathédral Saint-Mammès de Langres

  Chaco Culture National Historical Park

  Chapel of the Ascension

  Chapel of the Holy Cross

  Charminar Mosque

  Chartres Cathedral

  Church of Madonna del Ghisallo (Chapel of the Madonna of Ghisallo)

  Church of Our Lady

  Church of Saint Anne

  Church of the Holy Sepulchre

  Church of the Pater Noster

  Church of the Primacy of Peter

  Convent of San Antonio de Padua (Saint Anthony of Padua)

  Convento de Santa Teresa, Ávila (Convent of Saint Teresa of Ávila)

  Coventry Cathedral

  Cozumel

  Crater Lake National Park

  Crypt of Yogananda

  Dakshineswar Kali Temple

  Dhamek Stupa

  Dilwara Temples

  Dom St. Peter (Trier Cathedral)

  Domkirche (Graz Cathedral)

  Duomo di San Martino (Cathedral of Saint Martin)

  Dura Europos

  Durham Cathedral

  Ek Balam

  El Santuario de Las Lajas (Sanctuary of Las Lajas)

  Ellora Temple Caves

  Futarasan Shrine

  Gandhi Mandapam

  Giant Hill

  Gingee Fort

  Glastonbury Abbey Ruins

  Glastonbury Tor

  Govind Devji Temple

  Grace Cathedral

  Great Mosque of Kairouan

  Great Pyramid of Khufu

  Grotto of Massabielle

  Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum

  Hill of Tara

  Iglesia y Convento de Santo Domingo (Church and Convent of Santo Domingo)

  Il Gesù

  Ise Jingu

  Kamakhya Temple

  La Recoleta Cemetery

  La Sagrada Família (also Basílica y Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Família)

  Lake Baikal (Ozero Baykal)

  Lake Orta

  Lakshmi Narayan Temple (Birla Temple)

  Lateran Baptistery

  Le Mont-St-Michel (Mont-Saint-Michel)

  Leshan Buddha

  Lichfield Cathedral

  Lincoln Cathedral (Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln)

  Machu Picchu

  Mahabodhi Temple of Bodh Gaya

  Mahaparinirvana Temple

  Mar Elias Monastery

  Mariazell Basilica (Basilica of the Birth of Virgin Mary)

  Masada

  Mezquita-Catedral (Mosque-Cathedral)

  Milk Grotto

  Mono Lake

  Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin

  Mount Croagh Patrick

  Mount Desert Island

  Mount Diablo

  Mount Kailash

  Mount Olympus

  Mount Shasta

  Mount Tai Shan

  Museum Our Lord in the Attic (formerly Museum Amstelkring)

  National Cathedral

  Newgrange Passage Tomb

  Normandy American Cemetery

  Norwich Cathedral

  Old Ship Church

  Our Lady of Częstochowa (Black Madonna)

  Our Lady of the Spasm Church

  Pamukkale (Hierapolis)

  Panagia Ekatontapyliani Church

  Panagia Gorgoepikoos (Church of Our Lady Who Hears Swiftly)

  Pashupatinath Temple

  Peace Memorial

  Père Lachaise Cemetery

  Petra

  Pipestone National Monument

  Plaza Uta el-Hammam

  Prambanan Temple

  Puerta de Hayu Marca or Doorway of the Amaru Meru (Gate of the Gods)

  Pura Luhur Uluwatu Temple

  Pyramid of the Sun—Teotihuacán

  Queen of Peace Shrine (Shrine of Medjugorje)

  Rollright Stones

  Rosslyn Chapel (Collegiate Chapel of Saint Matthew)

  Russian Church of Mary Magdalene

  Saint Catherine’s Chapel

  Saint Catherine’s Monastery

  Saint Gabriel Church

  Saint Ives Parish Church

  Saint Michael’s Chapel

  Saint Patrick’s Cathedral

  Saint Peter’s Basilica (Blessed Sacrament Chapel)

  Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré Sanctuaire (Shrine)

  San Fernando Cathedral

  Sanchi Stupa (also Sanchi Hill)

  Sanjusangendo Hall

  Santiago de Compostela Cathedral (Shrine of Saint James)

  Sheela Na Gig (Kilpeck Church)

  Shiprock

  Shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat

  Shrine of Rumi

  Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple

  Sri Senpaga Vinayagar Temple

  Stonehenge

  Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque)

  Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple

  Taj Mahal

  Taos Pueblo

  Temple Church

  Temple Emanu-El

  Temple of Aphrodite

  Temple of Apollo

  Temple of Artemis

  Temple of Demeter

  Temple of Heaven (literally, Altar of Heaven)

  Temple of Hera (Heraion)

  Temple of Isis (Greece)

  Temple of Isis (Egypt)

  Temple of Tellus

  Temple Square (Mormon
Temple)

  Temples at Khajuraho

  Temppeliaukio Kirkko (Rock Church)

  The Abbaye de Notre-Dame-de-Sénanque (Abbey of Sénanque)

  The Asclepeion of Kos

  The Baths of Caracalla

  The Catacombs of Saint Callixtus

  The Cave of the Apocalypse

  The Church of All Nations

  The First Church of Christ, Scientist (The Mother Church)

  The Golden Temple

  The House of Peter

  The Saadian Tombs

  The Sacred Garden

  The United States Memorial Holocaust Museum

  The Valley of the Kings

  The Western (Wailing) Wall

  Thian Hock Keng Temple (Temple of Heavenly Bliss)

  Tikal

  Tiwanaku (Tiahuanaco)

  Tomba di Giganti di Coddu Vecchiu

  Tulum

  Ulun Danu Bratan Temple

  Uluru

  Umayyad Mosque (Great Mosque of Damascus)

  Waipoua Forest

  Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)

  Winchester Cathedral

  Yosemite Chapel

  About the Author

  INTRODUCTION

  Humans have long sought sacred places to express their faith, find meaning, gain guidance, receive healing, mourn a loss, and experience renewal. From Mecca to the energy vortexes of Sedona, Arizona, and from the sacred stones of Stonehenge in England to Crater Lake in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, these hallowed places are as varied as the people who visit them.

  These mystical environments, which are often associated with mysterious energies or special powers, can serve as oases for an arid heart or lift a spiritually yearning soul. In sacred places, you can engage in a rite of passage, light a ceremonial candle, meditate, pay homage to your ancestors, or simply offer a few words of gratitude to the people or forces of nature that created such a wonder.

  This book is your guide to two hundred sacred places throughout the world. These transformative sites range from hidden grottoes, natural springs, red-colored cliffs, and ancient stone circles to vaulted-ceilinged cathedrals, massive megaliths, stone pyramids, intricately carved temples, and totems. There are even entire towns, mountain ranges, seemingly endless rivers, ancient forests, and Iron Age ring forts that are considered sacred in some traditions.

  Your spiritual journey can take you all over the world. On the following pages, you’ll find different icons for the geographic location where each destination is found:

  Asia

  *

  Europe

  ^

  North America

  ~

  South America

  #

  Africa

  +

  Oceania

  %

  Explore your spirituality. Visit one or more of the many sacred sites in the world to pay respect, meditate, reflect, perform a ritual, or follow the ancient cycle of prayer—that is, praise, worship, and listen. Then let inspiration guide you into action. Repeat the cycle, inspired by the spirits of the sacred places you visit.

  Acropolis of Baalbek (also Romanized Triad of Heliopolis)

  Baalbek, Lebanon

  Love is all we have, the only way that each can help the other.

  —Euripides (ca. 480–406 B.C.), Greek playwright

  After Alexander the Great conquered and Hellenized Baalbek, changing its name to Heliopolis, the Romans assimilated their deities Jupiter, Mercury, and Venus with the indigenous deities Baal (Lord), Aliyan (Baal’s son), and Anat (Baal’s daughter and Aliyan’s consort). Then, on a hilltop in Heliopolis, the Romans spent two hundred years building the Acropolis of Baalbek—one of the largest and finest temple complexes of the Greco-Roman period. For centuries, people worshipped at the monument and at the round Temple of Venus, goddess of love and tutelary deity of the acropolis.

  If you wish to safeguard your love or to contemplate religious tolerance, journey to Baalbek. The best way to tour this World Heritage site is with a local guide. Baalbek is a major town in eastern Lebanon, accessible by road from Beirut (nearest airport) and Damascus, Syria.

  Soothe Your Spirit

  Bring a small stone symbolizing romantic love (red, heart-shaped) or Divine love (white, thunderbolt-shaped). Carry your love talisman as you stroll around the site, soaking in the sacred power of this former city of love and grace.

  A Deeper Look

  In 1200 B.C., long before the Romans arrived, the Canaanites built a sanctuary here, where they honored Astarte, goddess of love and fertility. Archaeologists believe that the Assyrians, Phoenicians, and Israelites may have also worshipped at this site.

  Agii Apostoli (Church of the Holy Apostles) Solaki

  Athens, Attica, Greece

  Give me where to stand, and I will move the earth.

  —Archimedes (ca. 287–212 B.C.), Greek mathematician and intuitive

  This Byzantine church stands below the ancient Acropolis of Athens and along the agora (open-air place of assembly), where saints, philosophers, and orators imparted their ideology and insights to all within earshot. The rose-colored brick exterior features lovely crenulated arches over narrow wooden doors and a heavy metal bell hanging from a large protruding stone (as no bell tower exists) as well as white stone benches in the courtyard. Inside, ornate Corinthian columns support the arches of a dome adorned with frescoes of cherubs, angels, John the Baptist, and the Christ Pantocrator (Almighty, or Sustainer of the World).

  Whether you seek spiritual sustenance or enlightenment, include this lovely church in your visit to Athens. Agii Apostoli Solaki, in the heart of the city, is best seen on foot. Entrance is free.

  Soothe Your Spirit

  Take refuge from the sun’s heat and your racing thoughts in the church’s cool, calm interior. Standing under the dome’s frescoes, pray for the assurance or guidance you seek. Before continuing your exploration of Athens, sit on one of the outside benches and reflect on the sacred message sent to your heart by the apostles, or perhaps Christ Pantocrator.

  A Deeper Look

  The church was built in the tenth century A.D. over a second-century nymphaion (sacred spring) honoring nymphs, the nurturing water deities of Greek mythology.

  Ajanta Caves

  Ajanta, Maharashtra, India

  Be a lamp unto yourself. Work out your liberation with diligence.

  —Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha (563–483 B.C.), father of Buddhism

  On the cliff of a deep forest ravine overlooking the Waghora River in the Sahyadri Hills of southern India is a sacred treasure: twenty-nine rock-cut caves used as Buddhist monasteries and temples from the second century B.C. to the seventh century A.D. The tenacity it took to chisel these monuments out of volcanic rock is testament to spiritual devotion. The beauty of the friezes of the Buddha and bodhisattvas adorning the walls and ceilings of the caves speaks to the liberating light of such devotion.

  If you want to clear your mind of worldly woes and open your heart for inner guidance, visit the Ajanta Caves. Fly into Mumbai (international airport) or Aurangabad (domestic airport). From Aurangabad, take a coach tour, bus, rental car, hired driver/car, or taxi to the caves, which are about an hour away. The caves are open 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and are closed Mondays.

  Soothe Your Spirit

  Explore the caves mindfully, absorbing the beauty and serenity of this holy place. Focus on your breath, exhaling the stale air of doubt, inhaling the fresh air of knowing.

  A Deeper Look

  Around A.D. 650, the monks abandoned their Ajanta sanctuary in favor of the Ellora Caves, 62 miles away. The Ajanta Caves faded into obscurity until they were rediscovered in 1819 by a British hunting party that chased a tiger into one of the caves.

  Al-Aqsa Mosque

  Jerusalem, Israel

  A good word is like a good tree whose root is firmly fixed and whose top is in the sky.

  —Qur’an, 14–Ibrahim

  Al-
Aqsa, the second-oldest and third–most sacred mosque in Islam, stands on a holy site of prayer once occupied by the Crusaders and later by the Knights Templar. Built in A.D. 1033 after an earthquake demolished the existing mosque, Al-Aqsa is also one of Islam’s most important learning and worship centers and the largest mosque in Jerusalem, with the capacity to accommodate five thousand worshippers.

  If you seek spiritual guidance or increased knowledge of the Islamic faith, visit this mosque. Located on Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City, Al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock form the centerpieces of the Noble Sanctuary (Haram al-Sharif), 35 enclosed acres of sacred gardens, fountains, and structures.

  Worshippers are expected to ritually purify themselves before entering the mosque. A woman’s body and hair must be covered, and men and women pray in separate areas. The mosque’s main ablution fountain, al-Kas (the Cup)—situated between the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque—has taps and stone benches.

  Soothe Your Spirit

  Stand attentively, quietly disconnecting from the world, and consider that you are standing in the presence of Allah or God. After the traditional ritual prayer, issue your personal prayer of petition or gratitude.

  A Deeper Look

  Al-Masjid El-Aqsa in Arabic means “farthest mosque” and alludes to Prophet Muhammad’s legendary Night Journey from Mecca to Jerusalem, which the Dome of the Rock venerates.

  Ales Stenar (Ale’s Stones)

  Kåseberga, Sweden

  We should build with the stones we have.

  —Swedish proverb

  This Swedish megalithic monument, an enigma similar to Stonehenge, consists of fifty-nine stones that form the shape of a boat on the green plains of southern Sweden near the fishing village of Kåseberga. Scholars have determined the approximate creation date of the monument was at the end of the Nordic Iron Age or roughly 2,700 years ago. They speculate that the stone formation could have been an ancient burial site, a monument to the Vikings (who believed death was a journey into the unknown), or possibly the earthly stone ship of the god Heimdall of the ancient Scandinavians. The position of this ship on Earth in relation to celestial bodies in heaven has implications for measuring the transit of the sun, cycles of the seasons, and winter and summer solstices.