TEMPLE PALENQUE, MEXICO
ARCHITECT UNKNOWN Long hidden in the Mexican rainforest, the Temple of the Inscriptions is one of the best examples of religious architecture from the Classic period (c. 250-900) of …
Category: Great Buildings
HAGIA SOPHIA TURKEY
Hagia Sophi c. 532-37 CE CHURCH ISTANBUL, TURKEY a ISIDORUS & ANTHEMUS After the fall of Rome in the 5th century ce the eastern part of the Roman empire …
AMPHITHEATER ROME, ITALY
ARCHITECT UNKNOWN In ancient Rome, perhaps the most popular entertainments were the gladiatorial games, in which men fought one another to the death or wrestled with wild animals such …
Ducal Palace URBINO, ITALY
LUCIANO LAURANA In its stunning hillside setting the Ducal Palace at Urbino is the perfect Renaissance house. It was built for Federico da Montefeltro, a war leader who employed …
Temple of Heaven TEMPLE COMPLEX BEIJING, CHINA
ARCHITECT UNKNOWN One of the major religious complexes in Beijing, the Temple of Heaven was built by the emperor Cheng Zu in the 15th century. Although it is often …
Chateau de Chambord CASTLE LOIRE VALLEY, FRANCE
DOMENICO DA CORTONA The most famous of the Loire chateaus, Chambord was commissioned by King Francois I as a base for hunting and entertaining. Its location was conveniently near …
ABBAYE DE STE-MADELEINE FRANCE
Abbaye de Ste-Madeleine c. 1120-38 CHURCH VEZELAY, FRANCE ARCHITECT UNKNOWN The basilica of St. Mary Magdalene, Vezelay, is one of the greatest examples of Romanesque architecture, a style influenced …
BULGUKSA TEMPLE SOUTH KOREA
Bulguksa Temple c. 751-774 CE TEMPLE JINHEON-DONG, SOUTH KOREA KIM DAESEONG The Temple of the Buddha Land is a masterpiece of Korean architecture. It was built in the 8th …
CHAPEL AACHEN, GERMANY
ODO OF METZ Commissioned by Charlemagne, the king of the Franks (later Holy Roman Emperor), as part of his great palace complex at Aachen (also known as Aix-la-Chapelle), the …
BOROBUDUR INDONESIA
Borobudur c. 825 CE TEMPLE MAGELANG, JAVA, INDONESIA ARCHITECT UNKNOWN The world’s greatest Buddhist monument, Borobudur is a vast 9th-century temple that combines a stupa (shrine to the Buddha), …