Architecturally Genius Church Designs

Even for an atheist the beauty of these churches will not go unnoticed. The amount of time, patience and commitment that went into building these beautiful masterpieces of faith is commendable and worthy of our appreciation.   

The very first church to be added in the list would be:

The Church of Hallgrímur Reykjavík, Iceland

The Church of Hallgrímur is a 73 metres long edifice, the sixth tallest architectural structure in Iceland. The church took 41 years to complete, the construction started in 1945 and ended in 1986. More than the embodiment of religion and faith this church is also used as an observation tower. The observer can go up to the viewing deck and see the surrounding mountains.

Las Lajas Cathedral Colombia, South America

The basilica church is built inside the canyon of the Guáitara River. It was built in Gothic Revival style between 1916 and 1949. According to the legend,the site holds significance because of appearance of Virgin Mary and occasional reports of miraculous healing

Jubilee Church Rome, Italy

It is said that Rome was not build in a day, well we partially know the reason why, it is because of the time it took to build these churches. According to Richard Meier, its architect ths Roman Catholic Church and community centre is an “Architecture Genius”. The church has a very distinctive design with curved walls which look like snails and solve the purpose of minimizing thermal peak loads. The walls are made of a special cement, which contains titanium dioxide, so when it contacts with ultraviolet light it destroys air pollutants.

St. Basil’s Cathedral Moscow, Russia

St. Basil’s Cathedral was built in 1555-1561 by Ivan IV, commonly known as Ivan the Terrible. The church is located in the heart of Moscow. Legend says that Ivan had the architect, Postnik Yakovlev, blinded to prevent him from building a similar or magnificient building like this for anyone else.  The building’s design occurs to be shaped as a flame of a bonfire rising into the sky. For us hungry at design trends it just feels like a cluster of mushrooms.

Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, Spain

The Basilica–Cathedral of Our Lady of the Pillar is a Roman Catholic church in the city Zaragoza,  Spain. The church is regarded as the first church dedicated to Mary in history.The building is one of the twelve treasures of Spain.

Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro was built between 1964 and 1979. Conical in its design, it has a height of 75 meters. The church has a standing room capacity of 20000 people. The church looks like an inverted ice cream cone to us, guess we are just way too hungry to think beyond food

The Green church Buenos Aires, Argentina

Not much information is available on the beauty and history of the church and by this you can make out how unexplored it is. To describe it out of image we find it (not like food, for starters). The church is covered with bamboo leaves and it feels like a much needed breather for your eyes and soul.

Duomo, Milan Cathedral, Italy

Before starting to write about Duomo, Milan Cathedral, Italy I would just like you to hold on to your breath and absorb the following information. The Gothic cathedral took nearly “six centuries to complete” yes you heard it right 600 years, and you thought taking a week to complete your assignment was too much. It is the 5th-largest church in the world and the largest in Italy.  Mark Twain said 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.”

Grundtvig’s Church, Copenhagen, Denmark

Grundtvig’s Church is located in the Bispebjerg district of Copenhagen, Denmark.  Due to its unusual appearance, it is one of the best known churches in the city. So don’t worry when your idea doesn’t fit in the work guidelines, unusual and unique has its own beauty

 Saint-Michel d’Aiguilhe chapel Le Puy-en-Velay, France

The chapel is one of the most beautiful sights in France as it sits on top of a volcanic plug. This is the Rock of Aiguilhe, on the edge of the town of Puy en Velay, in the Auvergne. Saint-Michel Chapel is 85 meters high and is 1042 years old. Planning to go and visit the chapel well you have to earn it, as it takes 268 steps to reach the hill top.  Who says it was easy to reach the top and this case a “Chapel on a hill top”

The Chapel on the Rock Allenspark, Colorado, USA

To talk about chapels on the rock, there is another one in Colorado, USA worth mentioning. The chapel was designed by noted Denver architect Jacques Benedict.In 1993, Pope John Paul II visited the chapel during his trip to Denver for the World Youth Day and bestowed his personal blessing on the chapel.

St. Augustine Church Brookland, Kent, UK

The church was originally built in the year 1250. The unique design feature of the church is that its bell tower is separate from the rest of the church. Apparently it is the only one of its size and shape in the country. Originally it was open to the elements the cladding being added in the 15th century.

Thorncrown Chapel Eureka Springs, AR, USA

Thorncrown Chapel is a chapel located in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, designed by E. Fay Jones and constructed in 1980. The design recalls the Prairie School of architecture popularized by Frank Lloyd Wright, with whom Jones had apprenticed. Thorncrown was included in Budget Travel’s “12 Most Beautiful Churches in America”

Viscri fortified church

Felsenkirche, Germany

The rich cultural and architectural heritage is what defines the beauty of a city or a country. We must always ensure to put our sincere efforts to preserve it