Religion, Spirituality and Travel?
For some travelers, this is a winning formula.
The primary purpose of their travel journey is a religious or spiritual pilgrimage — a time for reflection and thought. But for most of us, visiting religious or spiritual places is just part of our sightseeing schedule. Our preferences may be more secular in nature — motivated by our interests in art, history, architecture or our own personal history.
I feel privileged to have visited many of the most popular sites as well as many smaller, less known ones. I know, however, that my travels have just scratched the surface of what else the world has to offer.
So far, these various religious and spiritual locations top my list, in no particular order.
So read on…
The Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore) in Florence Italy...
is a dominant feature in the Florentine skyline.
The cathedral complex includes the Baptistery and Giotto’s Campanile and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site covering the historic center of Florence.
Full of history, the cathedral has some interesting facts:
- The dome remains the largest in the world and is considered an architectural masterpiece.
- Fillipo Brunelleschi, a trained goldsmith, designed the domed rooftop but had no previous architectural training. He was the only competitor who didn’t include wood for the dome.
- The dome was completed in 16 years.
- The cathedral was already under construction for 80 years when he was born
- Rome’s Pantheon was the inspiration for the domed cathedral.
- The famous bronze doors on the Gates of Paradise on the Baptistry were designed by a winner in a competition held in 1401
Hawaii’s Relationship with Religion and Spirituality…
has evolved with each new generation. Whereas ancient Hawaiians worshipped a variety of deities, traditional religion took hold in Hawaii with the influx of Europeans and Asians immigrants.
These are three sites that my family visited which exemplify the spiritual side of Hawaii:
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island is believed to be the home of Pele, Hawaii’s fire goddess. The Halema’uma’u Crater is believed to be her home. It is believed that she controls all things related to volcanoes — lava, fire and heat. If someone removes any volcanic rock from this sacred place, they supposedly will be cursed by Pele until that person returns what they took.
Walking through a volcano’s crater was certainly a surreal experience!
Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park is located on the Big Island. It is a sacred place where those who broke the law of kapu would seek refuge. If you were lucky enough to reach its borders, you were safe from punishment or physical harm, including death.
Iao Valley State Park is a beautiful park on the island of Maui. The Iao Needle is a prominent sight in this park. The “needle” is known as the phallic stone of Kanaloa, Hawaiian God of the Ocean. Also, it is here that King Kamehameha’s army from the Big Island battled Maui’s King Kahekeli II to unite the islands.
Misson de Nombre De Dios in St. Augustine Florida…
was on our list of places to visit on our first road trip to Florida.
The Mission was established by Pedro Menendez de Aviles of Spain to bring the Christian faith to the Native Americans. On September 8, 1565, he claimed the location for Spain. The importance of religion to him is evident in that he erected a giant cross on the location before Spain’s flag.
The first parish Catholic mass was held at this location. The Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche, located on the Mission grounds, is the first devotion to Mary in what is now the United States. This shrine is dedicated to motherhood. It houses a statue of Mary nursing Baby Jesus which symbolizes this devotion.
It is truly a peaceful place with beautiful grounds where you can wander among the trees and statues.
Read about how “my family road trip history came full circle” https://followmyyellowbrickroad.com/my-familys-travel-journey-begins/
The Jewish Ghetto in Venice, Italy…
is located in the Cannaregio district of Venice which spans the northern part of the city.
Where its name comes from is not known. It may come from the Regio Canal or from the cane fields or “canneti” that used to blanket this area.
While the term ghetto typically has a negative connotation, when this enclosed neighborhood was created for the Jews in Venice in 1516, “ghetto” referred to the foundry that the district replaced.
Walk through this area and immerse yourself in its synagogues and other religious institutions. It is also the place of cultural integration and an example of heritage shops and restaurants.
Today, it still remains the central point for the Jewish community.
Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France…
is located on the Ile de la Cite.
Although Notre Dame is not a parish church, it draws Catholics for mass, vespers and Penance. It also contains some of the most important Christian relics including: the Holy Crown of thorns placed on Jesus’ head, a fragment of the Wood of Cross believed to be the cross on which Jesus was crucified and one of the nails used for the crucifixion .
I have been lucky enough to visit this beautiful cathedral twice in my life, first as a college student and then with my family, and was heartbroken when I saw the fire that damaged it in 2019.
Read about my ongoing love story with Paris by clicking here:https://followmyyellowbrickroad.com/paris-my-ongoing-love-story-with-the-city-of-lights/
Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah…
is the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, or the Mormons.
We visited it as the last stop on my family’s Utah National Park road trip. (Visit my National Park section to read all about that amazing journey!)
Entry into the Mormon Temple is for church members only so we were unable to tour it. However, we got to view its beautiful architecture from the outside. We also strolled the grounds and stopped by the Visitor Centers to see a model of the Temple, both inside and outside.
A visit to the Family History Library, the largest genealogial library in the world, is a must if you wish to research your family tree.
Mount Rushmore & the Crazy Horse Memorial…
co-exist in the awe inspiring Black Hills of South Dakota , the sacred, spiritual lands of the Great Sioux Nation.
Both monuments are highly symbolic of the controversy surrounding the European settler brutal conquering of the Native Americans.
Many visitors are impressed with the sheer scale and beauty of Mount Rushmore with the carving of four presidents — Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. But many come away with a better understanding of this sculpture when they visit the Crazy Horse Memorial nearby.
In 1948, Lakota chief Standing Bear commissioned the construction of another structure near Mount Rushmore. Standing Bear wanted to make sure that white men understood that there are great Indians too. The Lakota’s revered Chief Crazy Horse was chosen as the star of this monument. Said to have proclaimed: “My lands are where my dead lay buried”, his outstretched arm reaching towards the horizon is emblematic of this declaration.
New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral…
is an iconic neo-Gothic cathedral located in Manhattan, New York.
Some interesting facts:
- This beautiful cathedral took 21 years to build and was finally opened in 1879.
- In response to the increase of Irish immigrants into NYC, the Cathedral was named after St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
- It takes up a whole city block, between 50th and 51st Streets and between Madison and Fifth Avenues.
- It has 21 altars and 19 bells, each of which are named after a different saint.
- It contains a total of 2800 stained glass panels.
- There is a crypt under the high altar where eight of New York’s Archbishops are buried.
Growing up outside NYC, a visit to this iconic cathedral during the holidays is tradition.
Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey…
is located on the Montserrat mountain in Catalonia, Spain.
It is famous for its unusual appearance and the Benedictine monastery which houses the famous Black Madonna. The monastery was founded in the 11th century and still operates as one to this day, with over 70 monks.
When my husband and I vacationed in Barcelona, we took a tour to Montserret. Luckily on the day we visited, the Escolania, the Montserrat’s Boy’s Choir, were performing. Breathtaking and beautiful!
Catholic pilgrims from around the world come to see the Black Madonna. After waiting in a relatively quick moving line, we ventured into the church and were able to touch and pass the Black Madonna.
Walking around this place is truly magical. As you can see, the views from this mountaintop are quite beautiful.
Harmony of Christianity, Judaism and Islam in Toledo, Spain
was evident all around when my family took an overnight trip here from Madrid. The architecture, history and beauty of this city should not be missed.
Once Spain’s capital, this city celebrates religious diversity. For hundreds of years, Christians, Muslims and Jews all lived together in peace. With each group taking control of the Iberian peninsula at different points in time, tolerance of each others’ faith prevailed.
In 711, when the Moors or African Muslims conquered the Iberian Peninsula, they were very tolerant of those they ruled, allowing Christians and Jews to freely practice their faiths. And even after the Christians took back control in 1085, the Moors craftsman and builders stayed on.
Their co-existence of these three religions is most symbolic in the history and architecture of the Synagogue of Santa Maria la Blanca. It was constructed under the Christian Kingdom of Castile for Jews by Islamic architects.
Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain…
is a large ,unfinished Roman Catholic basilica and World Heritage Site.
It was designed by Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi. In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church and proclaimed it a minor basilica.
This basilica was the inspiration of a bookseller, Josep Maria Bocabella. The original design of the architect of Francisco de Paula del Villar wat to build a Gothic Revival church. When he resigned, Antonio Gaudi assumed responsibility for its design, which he changed radically.
What my husband and I found most striking was the contrasting style between the outside and inside. Both, however, are absolutely breathtaking!
St Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Italy…
was built to house the body of St. Mark the Apostle brought from Alexandria to who they named protector of the city. It was originally built as an extension of the Doge’s Palace.
Its design is very much a status symbol of Venice’s wealth and power at the time.
Milan Cathedral and The Last Supper in Milan, Italy…
Milan is home to two amazing religious pieces of art and architecture — The Last Supper and the Milan Cathedral.
My family’s first stop on our travel journey in Italy was Milan and I suggest visiting this beautiful city. Although known for being Italy’s financial center, it contains enough sites to spend a couple of days.
Its beautiful cathedral was something that we didn’t expect.
Milan is also where Leonardo da Vinci’s work of art, The Last Supper, can be viewed. It is housed in the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Yes, we have all seen it in pictures but standing in the church that remained intact during WWII bombing is a surreal experience.I cannot explain the feeling of actually standing in front of this masterpiece.
Before heading to Italy, I purchased timed tickets to view this masterpiece. I suggest you do the same.
Monument Valley…
lies entirely within the Navajo Indian Reservation on the Utah/Arizona border.
My family visited this spiritual place of the Navajo Nation while visiting Utah’s National Parks. Yes, many of you know this place was made famous by John Wayne westerns. But to the Navajo Nation, it is a spiritual place. To venture deeper into this special place, one must book a Navajo tour guide. And let me tell you, they do not disappoint.
St. Peter’s Basilica & The Sistine Chapel…
is located in Vatican City.
Saint Peter’s Basilica is the world’s largest Catholic church. Designed in part by Michelangelo, it is the finest example of Renaissance architecture in existence.
Despite not actually being the highest ranking Catholic Cathedral (a distinction held by the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome), Saint Peter’s is often regarded as the greatest church in Christendom.
The magnificent artwork on display throughout St. Peters is breathtaking. But make sure to tour the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel as well. These three sites provide an astounding bounty of religious art and architecture seen in few places around the world.
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