most extraordinary churches of the world

Most Extraordinary Churches Of The World

Some are amazing and glorify God. Some are just plain wacky. All are interesting.
1. The Church of Hallgrimur ReykjavA k Iceland
The Church of Hallgr?mur 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
Las Lajas Cathedral was built in 1916 inside the canyon of the Guaitara river where, according to local legend, the Virgin Mary appeared. You can find it in southern Colombian Department of Narino, municipality of Ipiales, near the border with Ecuador.
3. Device to Root Out Evil Calgary AB Canada
It was too hot for New York City; too hot for Stanford University. But a controversial, imposing sculpture by renowned international artist Dennis Oppenheim finally found a public home in laid back Vancouver. 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
This is the chapel of St Gildas, which sits upon the bank of the Canal du Blavet in Brittany, France. Built like a stone barn into the base of a bare rocky cliff, this was once a holy place of the Druids. Gildas appears to have travelled widely throughout the Celtic world of Corwall, Wales, Ireland and Scotland. He arrived in Brittany in about AD 540 and is said to have preached Christianity to the people from a rough pulpit, now contained within the chapel. (from Cruising French Waterways by Hugh McKnight p.150)
5. Shell Church Huntington Beach CA USA
Panda has no info on this one, only the location Huntington Beach, CA, USA. The best thing about this church is a huge Shell logo.
6. Notre Dame du Haut Ronchamp France
People say that the roof of this building looks like Elvis hair and Panda 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.
7. St Joseph Ukrainian Catholic Church Chicag IL USA
I don t want to tell what kind of thing those domes remind me. Its massiveness and gray color looks like Soviet architecture. I was amazed when I read that it was actually in USA and not in Soviet Union. St. Joseph Ukrainian Catholic church is best known for its ultra modern thirteen gold domed roof symbolizing the twelve apostles and Jesus Christ as the largest center dome. It is celebrating its 53 years, so it was built in 1956 (if my calculations are right).
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. Located at 265 Baltimore, MD, USA.
10. Basilica de Higuey Dominican Republic
Basilica de Higuey, inaugurated on January 21, 1971, 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. Panda thinks it is actually a huge basket, and not a church.