Explore Religious Heritage Across Europe

The Romanian Orthodox Monastery of Putna was founded by the Moldavian ruler Stephen the Great after his victory over the fortress Kilia at the Danube delta and consecrated to the Virgen in 1470. Stephen himself was buried in the monastery, and his tomb is a lively pilgrimage site now.

Pyhtää Church is a medieval stone church dating from the 1460s and is one of the best-preserved medieval churches in Finland. The church has original medieval vaults and wall paintings as well as wood carvings. The altarpiece was painted by Auguste Joseph Desarnod and was donated to the church in 1848.

The exact period of the cemetery’s establishment is unknown. The cemetery is marked on the Russian map of 1860s, so it can be assumed the cemetery was founded before that time. The oldest preserved tombstone dates to the 19th century.

It was named after Kul Sharif, who was a religious scholar who served there. Kul Sharif died with his numerous students while defending Kazan from Russian forces in 1552. It is believed that the building featured minarets, both in the form of cupolas and tents. Its design was traditional for Volga Bulgaria, although elements of early Renaissance and Ottoman architecture could have been used as well. In 1552, during the Siege of Kazan it was destroyed by Ivan the Terrible. The mosque displays several detail through mosaics, ornaments, calligraphy, and more. Tatar scholars speculate as to whether some elements of Kul Sharif Mosque can be seen in Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow (8 minarets, a central cupola, not typical for Russian architecture). Since 1996, the mosque has been rebuilt in the Kazan Kremlin, although its look is decisively modern. Its inauguration on July 24, 2005, marked the beginning of celebrations dedicated to the Millennium of Kazan. It can accommodate 6,000 worshipers.

The church in Qualitz is first mentioned in 1233. From 1873 to 1874 the church was extensively restored and received a four-storey neo-Gothic tower with two new bells. The two bells were replaced by two steel bells in 1927.

The first Wesleyan Methodist chapel was built in 1786 in the district known as The Wong or Cagthorpe. It was replaced by a new chapel on the same site in 1806.

The current cathedral occupies a place where several sanctuaries have succeeded one another and of which the historian knows little, due to the lack of texts and archaeological excavations.

The Quinta da Regaleira complex is much younger than it seems since it was built at the beginning of the 20th century, from 1904 to 1910. Within the complex, the Regaleira Chapel faces the main façade of the palace. The small building, like the palace, mixes Gothic, Renaissance and Manueline styles. The interior of the chapel is richly decorated with frescoes, stained glass windows and stuccoes. The floor is covered with symbols: representations of the armillary sphere of the Portuguese discoveries and the Order of the Cross of Christ, surrounded by pentagrams.

The church of Quotshausen, built in the third quarter of the 17th century, is a half-timbered church with a wooden choir arch inside and a gallery on four sides.

The church building was built in 1921 and has undergone a number of makeovers since then. The building was originally built and furnished traditionally. Over the years, the appearance has changed somewhat and the interior in particular has been given a low-threshold appearance.