pilgrimage destinations

St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City is the world headquarters of Roman Catholicism and one of the largest churches in the world. Founded by Constantine the Great in 324, it stands over the tomb of Saint Peter the Apostle.

Originally built by Emperor Constantine in 326, Trier Cathedral is the oldest church in Germany.

Pilgrims from the Middle Ages to the present have walked the Way of St. James for months to arrive at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, home of the relics of St. James. It features a Baroque exterior and Romanesque interior.

The holiest mosque in the world, the Haram Mosque has been much expanded from its original 7th-century form. Today it can accommodate up to 820,000 worshippers in air-conditioned comfort.

This attractive and important Romanesque church on the Loire River has been a major place of pilgrimage since 673, when the relics of St. Benedict were brought here from Montecassino.

Located in the town of Sayyidah Zaynab south of Damascus, the Shrine of Sayidda Zeinab is an opulent Iranian-style Shi'a mosque and shrine. It shelters the tomb of Sayidda Zeinab, the daughter of Imam Ali and granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad.