Temples, Lleida

The Maison Carrée – the only fully preserved temple from Antiquity – has recently been restored. Inside you can watch the film the “Nemausus, the birth of Nîmes”, that presents the Imperial cult and the heroic past of Nîmes and its surroundings. http://ca.france.fr/en/discover/amphitheatre-nimes-maison-carree-tour-magne

Avignon has a magnficent urban landscape. The Rocher des Doms overlooks the city and the Rhône. Here there is an exceptional architectural group which includes the Pont d'Avignon (also known as Pont Saint Bénezet, the Ramparts, the Petit Palais, the Doms Cathedral and the massive walls of the Palace of the Popes, with four impressive towers in each corner. This unique architectural ensemble has been ranked as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The biggest Gothic palace in the world: tour 24 rooms! Museum space, priceless frescoes. Audioguide in 11 languages http://www.avignon-tourisme.com/Monuments-et-Patrimoine-culturel/AVIGNON/fiche-4615596-2.html

The Old Cathedral is in the Romanesque style with the outstanding Gallo Tower. Inside this temple, the construction of which began at the end of the 12th century, is the San Martín or Oil Chapel. The main reredos, which dates from the 15th century and was created by several painters with Dello Delli at the head, is also worthy of note. http://www.spain.info/en_IN/que-quieres/arte/monumentos/salamanca/catedrales_de_salamanca.html

Inspired by the Muscovite style, it has a very richly decorated interior with many icons, murals and carved woodwork as well as an iconostasis of embossed metal. The primary vocation of this site being a place of worship, certain rules must be respected. http://en.nicetourisme.com/nice/80-cathedrale-orthodoxe-russe-patriarcat-de-moscou

An area devoted to exhibiting the work of amateur artists, particularly from Chambéry, of new exhibitors and Chambéry associations. The sale of works on the premises is prohibited. http://www.chambery-tourisme.com/noesit/!/fiche/vaugelas-chapel-104915

The World Heritage Committee included on its list the Basilica and other sites important to the Franciscan Order, due to the fact that they represent an amalgamation of masterpieces stemming from creative human genius http://www.italia.it/en/travel-ideas/religion-and-spirituality/st-francis-and-the-basilica-in-assisi.html?h=assisi

Departing from Chamonix, this famous rack and pinion railway brings you to the Montenvers site at 1913 m. An imposing panorama of the Mer de Glace glacier, the Drus and the Grands Jorasses. https://www.chamonix.com/montenvers-mer-de-glace,81,en.html

Seen from far, the towers of the cathedral are a reference point for those visiting the city of Viseu.The current cathedral was built next to an ancient Swabian-Visigoth temple possibly dating back to the 10th century during which the city was the capital to a large territory between the Douro and Mondego rivers. http://www.centerofportugal.com/viseu-cathedral-se/

Built between 1070 and 1093 on the remains of a Roman temple the Sé has had many facelifts over the years. The present day styling is a mixture of the Gothic and Baroque. Inside is a museum with a collection of relics https://www.travel-in-portugal.com/attractions/braga-cathedral.htm

The Sao Domingos Church, in Aveiro, was founded in 1423 and went on to be remodelled significantly in the 16th and 17th centuries. Located right in the heart of the city, this attractive cathedral is not to be missed as you spend your time sightseeing in and around the city centre http://www.ezportugal.com/aveiro-portugal/attractions-aveiro-portugal/cathedral-aveiro-portugal

The Jesus Monastery in Aveiro is one of the city’s most important historical buildings and is well worth a visit if you are in the city for a few days. The Jesus Monastery is located right in the heart of the city, opposite to the cathedral and close to many of the city’s major attractions, including the lagoon, Forum Aveiro, the fish market, and the lovely green, park areas. http://www.ezportugal.com/aveiro-portugal/attractions-aveiro-portugal/jesus-monastery-aveiro

Evora was an important Roman trading town, so it is fitting that the city's finest monument is a beautiful preserved Roman temple. The Diana Temple is regarded as the best preserved Roman structure on the Iberian Peninsula, but it has had an eventful history since Roman occupation. http://www.evora-portugal.com/Guides/Evora-sights-attractions-sightseeing-things-to-see.html

The bone chapel is the most ghoulish sight of Portugal and thus one of the most memorable monuments of Evora. Inside the small chapel, the walls are lined with bones of the long-deceased, exhumed from the city's graves as the city expanded to allow further burials. http://www.evora-portugal.com/Guides/Evora-sights-attractions-sightseeing-things-to-see.html

The sanctuary of Madonna del Sasso in Orselina above Locarno is the most famous place of pilgrimage in the Italian part of Switzerland. It is rooted in the ancient tradition of votive gifts. https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-in/interests/tips-for-city-breaks/interests-tips-cities/architecture-1/madonna-del-sasso-locarno.html

The Campo dei Miracoli in Pisa, or the Square of Miracles, was proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO 25 years ago. The square is not located in the center of the city as you might imagine but to the north-west of the fortified wall, almost out of the town; there probably wasn’t enough space to use at the time the project got underway so this is the site decided upon. Since the times of the Etruscans, the three structures found in the piazza have been considered central to religious life, symbolizing the main stages of a human’s life https://www.discovertuscany.com/pisa/piazza-dei-miracoli.html

Its foundations probably date back to the 10th century. Exposed along the city's ramparts, it was rebuilt after the English seats of 1346 and 1417. Ruined in 1944, the building preserved an octagonal lantern-tower from the first half of the 15th century and, standing against the chevet, an equestrian statue from the turn of the 13th century representing Emperor Constantine. http://www.caen-tourisme.fr/en/discover-caen/religious-heritage/saint-etienne-le-vieux

This Protestant church was built between 1858 and 1868 on the site of a 12th-century church. Designed by J.B. Schacre, the church was built in the highly fashionable Neo-Gothic style. The stained-glass windows are from the original 12th-century church and are some of the most beautiful in the Upper Rhine region. Located on the Place de la Réunion, Saint-Etienne Temple is also a mecca of culture at the heart of the city with concerts, exhibitions and events, especially during Christmas period. https://www.tourisme-alsace.com/en/234004472-Temple-Saint-Etienne-Protestant-Church.html

The Chapelle Saint-Léon was constructed in neo-Roman style on the site of the former castle keep. Consecrated in 1894, the chapel is dedicated to Pope Saint Leo IX. https://www.tourisme-alsace.com/en/253000969-The-Chapelle-Saint-Leon.html

The strangest sight of Faro, which is hidden away from the main tourist route, is the Capela Dos Ossos, the bone chapel. The bones of the overcrowded cemeteries were stored in the small chapel that is located within the Carmo church complex. These bones were incorporated into the designs of the chapel, with skulls lining the walls – very strange and creepy. http://www.algarve-tourist.com/Faro-portugal-guide.html

The Duomo in Siena lies in a piazza above the Piazza del Campo, a great Gothic building filled with treasures by Pisano, Donatello and Michelangelo as well as frescoes by Pinturicchio. https://www.discovertuscany.com/siena/siena-churches/duomo.html

Looming 102 meters over the Piazza del Campo, the elegant, sleek tower to the Palazzo Pubblico is the third tallest in all of Italy. Built from red brick, as a symbol of its affinity to the “commoner” the tower is 87 meters tall of brick and the remaining is a white travertine, most probably to make it visually more prominent. https://www.discovertuscany.com/siena/tower-of-mangia.html

The Medici Chapels form part of the monumental complex of San Lorenzo. The church of San Lorenzo was the official church of the Medici from their period as private residents in their palace in Via Larga (now via Cavour), becoming their mausoleum up to the time of the extinction of the line. https://www.visitflorence.com/florence-churches/medici-chapels.html

The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is one of the four Papal basilicas of Rome, together with Saint Peter, Saint John in the Lateran and Saint Paul Outside the Walls. https://civitavecchia.portmobility.it/en/basilica-di-santa-maria-maggiore

A prodigy of the gigantesque and the delicate," as Victor Hugo claimed. Strasbourg Cathedral (1015-1439) is an absolute masterpiece of Gothic art. The 142 m high spire looks incredibly lightweight and made the Cathedral the highest edifice in all Christianity until the 19th century. https://www.tourisme-alsace.com/en/223007269-The-cathedral-of-Notre-Dame.html

Built in the XV Century as a replacement for the earlier Romanesque cathedral, is situated in an area considered sacred since the archaic age, as testified in the several layers recently came to light. http://turismo.comune.perugia.it/poi/cathedral-of-san-lorenzo

A great attraction is the Zitouna Mosque, not only is it Tunisia’s largest, it dates from the 8th century. Although non-Muslims are not permitted into the Mosque you can visit the courtyard and take it much of the architecture including the distinctive minaret, a 19th century addition. http://www.tourismtunisia.com/tunis-travel-guide/

The construction of the apse in the Cathedral of Vicenza had begun in 1482 to the design of Lorenzo da Bologna, but in 1531 it was still unfinished. Early, temporary, roofing was erected in 1540, as a result of the possibility that Vicenza might host the Church Council which in the end was held at Trent. http://www.officeoftourism.org/europe/italy/Veneto/vicenza.asp

The Tempio Malatestiano, or the church of San Francesco as it was correctly known up until the nineteenth century, is perhaps the most important monument in Rimini, and certainly one of the best preserved. http://www.visit-rimini.com/general-sightseeing/tempio-malatestiano/

Going back into the early Middle Ages, a wall defined an area surrounding the Cathedral, the close, whose center today comprises, along with the Cathedral, the recently redesigned Cathedral Square with the grandiose view onto the Romanesque west façade of the Cathedral and the Early Gothic Church of Our Lady. http://www.trier-info.de/english/cathedral-square-info

Loreto, a small town of Ancona Province, is known all over the world for its Sanctuary that makes it one of the most important places of pilgrimage and pray for the Catholics, together with Medjugorje and Lourdes. The believers go to Loreto to give prays of devotion to the ruins of the Holy House where Jesus lived in Nazareth. http://www.visitancona.com/en/the-sanctuary-of-loreto-holy-house/

The great keep of Rochester Castle towers over the River Medway, dominating the skyline together with its striking twin, the magnificent cathedral. https://www.visitmedway.org/rochester-castle/

Directly on the market rises the Cathedral of St. Martin. Built in 975, it has suffered many fires, demolitions and rebuilding over the centuries. In addition to the grave monuments of the archbishops, the Romanesque St. Gotthard Chapel and the late Gothic cloister are especially noteworthy. https://www.mainz-tourismus.com/entdecken-erleben/geschichte-entdecken/kirchen-sakralbauten/dom-st-martin/

The Temple, situated in the Forum, is dedicated to goddess Roma and Emperor Augustus. It was constructed between the year 2 BC and AD 14 when the Emperor died. According to its shape, it follows the typical pattern of temples. The function of the Temple changed through the years: with the ending of the pagan ancient era its original pagan function ceased and the temple was afterwards used as a church, granary, and at the beginning of the 19th century it was a museum for stone monuments. In 1944 it was hit by a bomb and completely destroyed. It was reconstructed between the years 1945 and 1947 and nowadays it houses a collection of ancient stone and bronze sculptures. The other twin temple, of which only the back wall is preserved, is believed to have been constructed at the same time and in the same style and was called the Temple of Diana. http://www.pulainfo.hr/where/temple-of-augustus