Metropolitan and Primatial Cathedral Basilica of Santa Tecla (Tarragona Cathedral), Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain

Soccorpo Cathedral (Lamia dei Morti) (Cemeterio) (Church of S. Croce), Cathedral of S. Maria Assunta, Gravina, Bari, Alta Murgia, Apulia, Italy

Main Altarpiece, Cathedral of the Holy Savior, UNESCO, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain

Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, Altamura, Bari, Apulia, Italy

Cathedral, Trani, Barletta-Andria-Trani, Apulia, Italy

Chiesa di San Carlo al Corso interior, Noto, UNESCO, Noto Valley, Sicily, Italy

Landscape including Chiu Gompa beside Lake Manasarovar on the Barga plain with Mount Kailas (Mount Kailash), sacred to Buddhists and Hindus behind, in Tibet, China, Asia

Part of Nourlangie Rock, sacred aboriginal shelter and rock art site, Kakadu National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Northern Territory, Australia, Pacific

Church of Santa Chiara, Lecce, Salento, Apulia, Italy

Basilica of St. Nicholas, Bari, Apulia, Italy

Sacred Tibetan Yamdrok Tso Lake (Yamzho Yumco) with mountains in background beside the Friendship Highway, Tibet, China, Asia

Views from the Nadab lookout, at the sacred Aboriginal site of Ubirr, Kakadu National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Northern Territory, Australia, Pacific

Sacred Valley of the Inca, Urubamba, Peru, South America

Horses roaming free, Wutaishan (Five Terrace Mountain) one of China's sacred Buddhist mountain ranges, Shanxi province, China, Asia

View over Yamdrok Lake one of the three largest sacred lakes in Tibet, Tibet, China, Asia

The sacred waterfall of Riandahy in Andringitra National Park in southern Madagascar, Madagascar, Africa

Gurla mandata. Tibet. Symbolizing interpenetration of phenomena, sacred sites in tibet often places where male female elements in landscape joined-a mountain a lake, example

Swimming at Cenote Ik Kil in Yucatan, Mexico, a natural pit, or sinkhole near Chichen Itza. Yucatan Peninsula, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Ik Kil was sacred to the Mayans who used this cenote for both relaxation and ritual services centuries ago.

Gran Cenote de Tulum in Yucatan Peninsula, Quintana Roo, Mexico. There are thousands of cenotes dotted all over Mexico���s Yucatan Peninsula, and their existence is as much a defining characteristic of the region as is the distinct geological feature from which they result. Once revered by the ancient Mayans as sacred wells, they are now magnets for tourists, adventurers, and explorers alike.

Inside Basílica de Santa María la Real de Covadonga catholic church in Cangas de Onis, Picos de Europa, Asturias, Spain, Europe. In 1777 a fire destroyed the old temple, which stood adjacent to the Holy Cave where Our Lady of Covadonga is revered. It was then decided to raise a new church as a monumental sanctuary, raising donations from all of Spain; the plan was opposed by the local council, as the canons wanted to rebuild the temple of the Holy Cave and build an ambitious sanctuary that had once been designed by Ventura Rodríguez, but never completed. One century later, the project was resumed by King Alfonso XII of Spain, who was interested in completing this work. The classic design of Ventura Rodríguez was very difficult and expensive and was replaced by a new neo-Medieval design.

Our Lady of Covadonga. The Blessed Virgin Mary, and a Marian shrine devoted to her at Basílica de Santa María la Real de Covadonga catholic church in Cangas de Onis, Picos de Europa, Asturias, Spain, Europe. In 1777 a fire destroyed the old temple, which stood adjacent to the Holy Cave where Our Lady of Covadonga is revered. It was then decided to raise a new church as a monumental sanctuary, raising donations from all of Spain; the plan was opposed by the local council, as the canons wanted to rebuild the temple of the Holy Cave and build an ambitious sanctuary that had once been designed by Ventura Rodríguez, but never completed. One century later, the project was resumed by King Alfonso XII of Spain, who was interested in completing this work. The classic design of Ventura Rodríguez was very difficult and expensive and was replaced by a new neo-Medieval design.

Humayun's tomb, Delhi, India

street scene, in Dasaswamedh Ghat, Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Tending the Laundry for drying, Dasaswamedh Ghat, in Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Tending the Laundry for drying, Dasaswamedh Ghat, in Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Taj Mahal, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India

Taj Mahal, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India

pilgrim and sacred pool Amrit Sarovar, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Taj Mahal, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India

Mausoleum of Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco

pilgrims and sacred pool Amrit Sarovar, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

pilgrim and sacred pool Amrit Sarovar, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Taj Mahal, from Yamuna river, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India

Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Taj Mahal, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India

Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Taj Mahal and roofs of the city, Agra, India

Bamboo to hold, at its top, baskets with offerings, in Panch Ganga Ghat, Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Pilgrims in a boat sailing and praying, Ganges river, in background the ghats, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Buffaloes, Lalita ghat, in Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Humayun's tomb, Delhi, India

Taj Mahal and roofs of the city, Agra, India

Manikarnika Ghat, the burning ghat, on the banks of Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Dashashwamedh ghat (main ghat), in Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

pilgrim and sacred pool Amrit Sarovar, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Humayun's tomb, Delhi, India

Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

In first position the rooftop of Manikarnika ghat, general view of ghats rooftops, in Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

pilgrims and sacred pool Amrit Sarovar, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, Delhi, India

Cremation of bodies, in Manikarnika Ghat, the burning ghat, on the banks of Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Lotus Temple of the Bahai faith, New Delhi, India.

Tending the Laundry for drying, Dasaswamedh Ghat, in Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Lotus Temple of the Bahai faith, New Delhi, India.

Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

La Ken La pass or Laken pass at 5190 metres on the road to remote Nam Tso Lake Tibet. Namtso Lake Tibet China. Prayer flags next to the base of Mount Nyenchen Tanglha 7111 meters high, Tibet China. One of the holy mountains for Tibetans. The Nyenchen Tanglha is the highest peak of the Nyainqentanglha mountain. It is located near Lhasa, on the Qinghai-Tibet paved road. It is surrounded by grassy plains from Damshung to the south and to the picturesque sacred Nam Tso Lake (4,700 m, one of the largest lakes in the world) in the north.

Namtso lake or Nam tso lake in Tibet China. Nam Tso Lake is the second largest lake in Tibet, and one of the most famous places on the "Roof of the World". The lake itself is located at an altitude of 4,718 m, and has an area of 1,920 km². This lake is the largest of the lakes in the Tibet Autonomous Region, although it is not the largest on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau, a title that belongs to Lake Qinghai, more than twice the area of Namtso, which is more than 1,000 km, in the northeast, in Qinghai province.

La Ken La pass or Laken pass at 5190 metres on the road to remote Nam Tso Lake Tibet. Namtso Lake Tibet China. Prayer flags next to the base of Mount Nyenchen Tanglha 7111 meters high, Tibet China. One of the holy mountains for Tibetans. The Nyenchen Tanglha is the highest peak of the Nyainqentanglha mountain. It is located near Lhasa, on the Qinghai-Tibet paved road. It is surrounded by grassy plains from Damshung to the south and to the picturesque sacred Nam Tso Lake (4,700 m, one of the largest lakes in the world) in the north.

Tikal Pyramid ruins (UNESCO site), Guatemala. Great Jaguar Temple (Temple I) Pre-Columbian Maya Site at Tikal, El Peten National Park, Guatemala, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Local Girl in Tikal Pyramid ruins (UNESCO site), Guatemala. Great Jaguar Temple (Temple I) Pre-Columbian Maya Site at Tikal, El Peten National Park, Guatemala, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Sulamani Temple, on left, taken from Pyathatgyi Temple which is also known as Pyathadar Temple, Bagan, Myanmar, (Burma)

Sulamani Temple, near centre, taken from Pyathatgyi Temple which is also known as Pyathadar Temple, Bagan, Myanmar, (Burma)

pilgrims and sacred pool Amrit Sarovar, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

pilgrims and sacred pool Amrit Sarovar, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Cenote Ik Kil in Yucatan, Mexico, a natural pit, or sinkhole near Chichen Itza. Yucatan Peninsula, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Ik Kil was sacred to the Mayans who used this cenote for both relaxation and ritual services centuries ago.

Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

pilgrims and sacred pool Amrit Sarovar, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

pilgrims and sacred pool Amrit Sarovar, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Ahilya Bai ghat and Munshi ghat, in Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

landscape, Tashilunpho, buddhism, buddha, buddhist, Tibetan buddhism, shigatse, tibet, tibetan plateau, red robe, religion, prayer, monk, sacred, holy, monastery

Humayun's tomb, Delhi, India

Skyline, downtown, from Montserrate hill or cerro de Montserrate, Bogota, Colombia

View of temples from Soon U Ponya Shin Pagoda, Sagaing Hill, Sagaing, near Mandalay, Myanmar, (Burma)

Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Access door to Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Agricultural fields around the village of Moray and the Andes Mountains rising above Sacred Valley, Peru.

A Saddhu waves from Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal

Skyline, from Montserrate hill or cerro de Montserrate, Bogota, Colombia

Skyline, from Montserrate hill or cerro de Montserrate, Bogota, Colombia

Skyline, downtown, from Montserrate hill or cerro de Montserrate, Bogota, Colombia

Cerro de Guadalupe, from Cerro de Monserrate, Bogota, Colombia

Mie Prefecture, Japan

Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto, Japan

Candles in the holy cave Santa Cueva de Covadonga, Covadonga, Picos de Europa, Province of Asturias, Principality of Asturias, Northern Spain, Spain, Europe

Pilgrimage church and holy cave Santa Cueva de Covadonga in the evening, Covadonga, Picos de Europa, province of Asturias, Principality of Asturias, Northern Spain, Spain, Europe

cast iron statues of temple guardians, Taoist Zhong Yue Temple, Taoist Buddhist mountain, Song Shan, Henan province, China, Asia

Taichi teacher with hair pinned up with a pen, Wudang School of Martial Arts, Purple Cloud Temple, Zi Xiao Gong, Mount Wudang, Wudang Shan, Taoist mountain, Hubei province, Wudangshan, Mount Wudang, UNESCO world cultural heritage site, birthplace of Tai chi, China

Stairs to Pusa Ding temple, White Pagoda, Xiantong Temple in the background, during birthday celebrations for Wenshu, Mount Wutai, Wutai Shan, Five Terrace Mountain, Buddhist Centre, town of Taihuai, Shanxi province, China

pilgrims burn incense sticks and candles, main hall, fire, red, Wannian monastery and temple, China, Asia, World Heritage Site, UNESCO

Taichi master and monk demonstrating a ritual sword fight, Tianzhu feng temple, Mount Wudang, Wudang Shan, Taoist mountain, Hubei province, UNESCO world cultural heritage site, birthplace of Tai chi, China

Prayer, pilgrims, Wannian monastery and temple, World Heritage Site, UNESCO, China, Asia

pilgrims burn incense sticks and candles, main hall, fire, red, Wannian monastery and temple, China, Asia, World Heritage Site, UNESCO

Puji Si, praying pilgrims and tourists, Buddhist Island of Putuo Shan near Shanghai, Zhejiang Province, East China Sea, China, Asia

Animal roof guardians, mythological creatures guarding the Golden Hall, Jin Dian Gong, Golden Palace Temple, protected against lightning strikes by an iron cage, summit 1613 metres high, Mount Wudang, Wudang Shan, Taoist mountain, Hubei province, UNESCO world cultural heritage site, birthplace of Tai chi, China

Fragrant Cloud Pavilion, praying pilgrims and tourists, Buddhist Island of Putuo Shan near Shanghai, Zhejiang Province, East China Sea, China, Asia