Aug 8, 2015

World's Holy Places

Christianity :

Bethlehem, Israel: birthplaces of Jesus
Nazareth, Israel: where Jesus lived and began ministry
Jerusalem, Israel: where the early Church was started

Catholic :

The Vatican: also known as "Vatican City" and the "The Holy See" (an independent state within Rome, Italy)

Eastern Orthodox :

Constantinople, Turkey: seat of the Patriarchate of Constantinople
Mt. Athos - Mt. Athos is a peninsula in eastern Greece (near Thessaloniki) that is extremely revered by Orthodox believers. It is inhabited exclusively by monastics. There are twenty large monasteries plus countless small sketes, brotherhoods and hermitages. It is a major pilgrimage sight for Orthodox males.

Anglican :

Canterbury, England: seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury

Latter-day Saints :

Salt Lake City, Utah: World headquarters of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; site of Salt Lake Temple, Temple square, Mormon Tabernacle, etc.
Palmyra, New York: site of First Vision; city where Book of Mormon was first printed.
Kirtland, Ohio: site of first Latter-day Saint City; Its Temple
Nauvoo, Illinois: site of second Latter-day Saint city; 2nd temple (Its full-service temple)

Islam :

Mecca, Saudi Arabia: destination of the hajj
Medina, Saudi Arabia
Jerusalem, Israel


Hinduism :

Varanasi (Banaras), India - on the banks of the River Ganga

Buddhism :

Lopburi, Nepal: birth place of the Buddha
Bodh Gaya: Where the Buddha reached enlightenment
Sarnath: Where the Buddha preached his first serman

Juche :

Pyongyang, North Korea- seat of government; headquarters of the Juche Idea

Sikhism :

Amritsar, Punjab, India - site of Golden Temple

Judaism :

Jerusalem, Israel: Holy City, site of the historic temple, Wailing Wall

Baha'i Faith:

Haifa, Israel: world headquarters; site of the holy historic events

GLBT :

Stonewall Inn, New York City: birthplace of the modern GLBT-right movement (1969)

Tenrikyo :

Tenri-shi, Japan: holy city and headquarters of Tenrikyo

Jainism :

Palitana, Gujarat, India: Where 838 Jain Temple are on one mountain.