Explore Religious Heritage Across Europe

The Sacra di San Michele is a monastic complex perched on top of Mount Pirchiriano, 960 meters above sea level, one of the most beautiful examples of religious architecture in the Piedmont region. Founded in the 10th century, it became one of the main centers of Benedictine spirituality in Italy from the 12th to the 15th century. In 2018, the old monastery of Sacra suffered serious damage following a fire on the roof.

Much less known than the Cathedral of Saint-Etienne, the Church of the Sacred Heart of Toulouse is one of those hidden treasures that the city offers only to the most curious. And with good reason! This church is actually "hidden" behind a row of buildings and more particularly behind a sort of portal building which is gable on the street.

The Sacro Monte dell'Addolorata complex began to be built when the first small church dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows was erected in 1709. Under the impulse of Franciscan preaching, in 1767 an emigrant from the village of Brissago, Antonio Francesco Branca financed the extension of the original building of worship with the addition of two new bays, the sacristy, as well as the house of the rector and the hospice for pilgrims, which form an architectural complex of three floors. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows is composed of two buildings of different periods, the former chapel with a dome and the church of 1767. The interior is richly decorated according to the stylistic canons of the late 18th century with Baroque stuccoes by Visetti di Valsolda and frescoes by Orelli, executed in 1775.

The sanctuary of the Sacro Monte di Ossuccio was essentially completed in 1537, but its high bell tower was completed later in 1719. It stands on the Sacro Monte di Ossuccio, a sacred site dedicated to the Blessed Virgin of the Savior and part of the group of nine Sacred Mounts of Piedmont and Lombardy inscribed in 2003 by UNESCO on the World Heritage List.

After the collapse of the original Romanesque church in Şaeș in 1802 the ruins were entirely removed and replaced with a neo-classical hall church with narrowed chancel and western bell tower, completed in 1820. The facades of tower and church show a subtle composition of pilasters and cornices. A pyramid roof covered with color glazed tiles caps the tower. On top of the pyramid a lantern is placed covered with metal sheets and decorated with garlands made of metal. The interior of the church appeals by its consistent original design and inventory. A remarkable detail is the entrance door, an empire jewel. The remains of the fortifications consist of parts of the curtain wall, a defense tower and a defense building. The latter is supposed to have served as a chapel during the construction of the new church. Unfortunately the total loss of this building must be faced because of its very bad condition. The church itself shows severe structural problems as well, that should be tackled in the near future.

The Sagene Church, consecrated in 1891, was designed by the architect Christian Fürst. It differs from other neo-Gothic brick churches of that time in Norway because Fürst was inspired by the German neo-Gothic by Johannes Otzen, of which the Heiligen Kreuz church in Berlin is an example.

The church of Sagene was inaugurated in 1891. It is a neo-Gothic brick church whose apparent architectural model Kirche zum Heiligen Kreutz in Berlin.

Sagfjord Church was built in 1775 and originally stood on Presteid, but was demolished and rebuilt in the hamlet of Karlsøy on Finnøya in 1885. The altarpiece and font of the present church in Sagfjord are from an earlier church in Presteid, built around 1660.

Located in the central part of the town, the mosque acquired its name from a clock tower that used to be next to it, for in Tukish the pronuciation of Sahat means clock. Inside the mosque, there is an elegant chandelier surrounded by walls covered with decorative faience tiles.

This mosque was originally built in the 14th century, prior to Ottoman occupation, in order for Muslim sea traders to have a place to pray. In the 18th century, to give thanks to god for his survival of the battle of Krusi and to thank the sailors for their work for his family, Ibrahim Pasha of Scutari had the mosque rebuilt and renamed the "Sailor's Mosque". The current mosque was reconstructed in 2012 by private investors after the original mosque was destroyed in 1931 when Montenegro became part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.