The spire of Salisbury Cathedral rises 123 metres above the Wiltshire plain. It is the tallest church spire in the United Kingdom and the fourth tallest in Europe. The cathedral was built in a single architectural period, Early English Gothic, between 1220 and 1258. Most English cathedrals are palimpsests of styles layered over centuries. Salisbury […]
Categories: Religious Monuments, Sights, Sights, United Kingdom
The Mosta Dome is one of the largest unsupported domes in the world. Only the Pantheon in Rome and St. Peter’s basilica surpass it in span. The church was built in the 19th century by local architect Giorgio Grognet de Vasse, inspired by the Pantheon. The dome rises an impressive thirty-seven metres above the floor. […]
Gold covers nearly every surface inside Monreale Cathedral. Six thousand four hundred square metres of Byzantine mosaics tell stories from the Old and New Testaments. The figures stare down from the walls with enormous eyes, their robes shimmering in the dim light. King William II built this cathedral in the twelfth century to outshine the […]
Categories: Islands, Italy, Nature, Religious Monuments, Sicily, Sights, Sights, Virtual Travel
Five centuries of construction produced one of the most extraordinary buildings on earth. Milan’s Duomo is a mountain of white marble covered in 135 spires and more than 3,400 statues. From the rooftop terraces you can walk among the pinnacles, coming face to face with saints and gargoyles carved in exquisite detail. The interior is […]
Categories: Cities, Italy, Religious Monuments, Sights, Sights
The onion domes, nine of them, the shapes (the twisted, the patterned, the smooth, the faceted) no two alike, the colours (emerald green, cobalt blue, gold leaf, the deep red that Russians call “kumach”, the colour of celebration, of blood, of the Soviet flag) catching the last light of a Moscow summer evening, rise from […]
Categories: Uncategorized
The red-tiled dome of Florence Cathedral dominates the skyline of the Tuscan capital, a masterpiece of Renaissance engineering that has inspired architects and artists for over 500 years. The cathedral, formally named the basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, was begun in 1296 by Arnolfo di Cambio and completed structurally in 1436 with the topping […]
Categories: Cities, Italy, Religious Monuments, Sights, Sights
The longest Gothic cathedral in Europe stretches over 170 metres from its west front to the eastern Lady Chapel, a testament to the ambition and faith of its medieval builders. Winchester Cathedral is one of the greatest churches in the world, a repository of over a thousand years of English history. It was here that […]
Categories: Religious Monuments, Sights, Sights, United Kingdom
St. Mary’s Church in Gdańsk (Bazylika Mariacka) is the largest brick Gothic church in the world, a colossal 14th-15th-century basilica in the heart of Poland’s most beautiful Baltic city whose soaring nave, 78-metre tower, and capacity of 25,000 worshippers make it one of the most awe-inspiring religious buildings in northern Europe. Built over 159 years […]
The builders of Seville Cathedral had a single ambition when they began construction in 1401. They declared that they would build a church so magnificent that future generations would call them mad. The result is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world and the third largest church of any kind, covering 11,520 square metres of […]
Categories: Cities, Religious Monuments, Sights, Sights, Spain, Virtual Travel, Wellness, Relax & Sports
The twin spires of Cologne Cathedral rise 157 metres above the city, visible from the Rhine bridges long before you reach the old town. This Gothic masterpiece took 632 years to complete, from the laying of the foundation stone in 1248 to the final topping-out ceremony in 1880. The cathedral survived 14 bombing hits during […]
Categories: Germany, Religious Monuments, Sights, Sights