Explore Religious Heritage Across Europe

The Cathedral of Sovana dates back to the 8th and 9th centuries, and from that time until the 17th century it was subject to repeated structural interventions or decorative modernisation. Tradition has it that the Bishop of Palermo, Mamiliano, carried out evangelisation work in Sovana at the beginning of the 4th century. This early conversion to Christianity earned Sovana its appointment as an episcopal see in the 5th century.

The Spangereid church is a 12th century church whose oldest parts, made of stone, are still visible. The wooden structure was added to the medieval church in 1840.

The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in Manchester was completed in 1874 and is an example of Victorian architecture in Moorish style. The beautiful stained glass windows are especially notable. It is the oldest surviving synagogue building in Manchester, and is now the Manchester Jewish Museum

The Spanish Synagogue of Prague was built between 1868 and 1893, and is located at the heart of the Josefov, the Jewish Quarter of Prague. The synagogue is called "Spanish" because of its Moorish style. It is currently administered by the Jewish Museum in Prague, the synagogue hosts exhibitions and concerts of classical music.

The Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral is an Orthodox church that was built at the time of the city's foundation in the early 1680s. The five-domed cathedral, with a cross-shaped plan, was consecrated in 1684 and in 1751 it was renewed after repairs. From 1846 to 1866, the church was enlarged by adding a vestibule and a bell tower on the west side. In 1902-03 the building was rebuilt according to the design of the engineer M.I.Lovtsov: the pear-shaped domes were replaced by onion-shaped domes and corbelled arches were placed above the vaults. In the 1930s the church was closed and at the beginning of the Second World War the cathedral was looted and used as a warehouse. In the autumn of 1941, the Soviet army blew up the bell tower and the narthex during its retreat. In 1953-55, the cathedral was rebuilt in large moulded bricks, as it was, according to the restorers, before the renovations in the early 20th century.

The Agios Loukas parish church is located in the northern part of the original settlement area and was probably built around the 19th century. The church was converted into a mosque after 1974 and was used until a new mosque was completed in the village (between 2008 and 2012). After that, the building was abandoned and left to its own devices.

Speyer Cathedral was founded around 1030, under Conrad II (1027-1039). The crypt was consecrated in 1041, and the cathedral in 1061. From 1082 to 1106, it was transformed by Henry IV (1084-1105). The cathedral of Speyer suffered many fires, notably in 1137 and 1159. In 1689, it was seriously damaged by the troops of Louis XIV during the sacking of the Palatinate and burnt down on 31 May 1689. It was rebuilt between 1758 and 1777. After the French Revolution, which damaged the building, the cathedral was repaired again between 1818 and 1821. The interior was painted in the middle of the 19th century but the paintings were removed for some of them during a complete restoration of the cathedral from 1957 to 1961. The cathedral is the largest preserved Romanesque church in the world, an example of Rhineland Romanesque construction that has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1981.

The Spieghelkerk, built in 1924 by architect Theo Rueter as Dutch Reformed Church, was expanded in 1998-1999 with meeting rooms, to make the church suitable for merging in the context of the Samen op Weg (SoW) process. The interior had already been restored in 1997. (Source: Contact letter for Church Collectors no. 55-06)

Spind Church is a wooden church dating from 1776. The architect of the church is Lars Albertson Øvrenes. The first historical traces of the church date back to 1328, but the old stave church was probably built in the 1200s. Little is known about the old church, but it is known that in 1776 a new church was built on a higher ground, about 20 metres west of the old one.

St. Martin's Cathedral is a Gothic cathedral, originally Romanesque, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Levoča, Spiš Castle and Associated Cultural Monuments". The cathedral was first built as a Romanesque church in the years 1245-1273. In the 15th century, a Gothic choir was built. Although the new church with the main altar was consecrated as early as 1478, the vaults of the side aisles were not completed until 1497. The later Baroque alterations were reversed during a renovation in 1873-89. Since 1776, the church has been the seat of the Spiš diocese.