sacred architecture
Churches and mosques
Sacred architecture is the design and construction of buildings for religious or spiritual purposes—temples, churches, mosques, synagogues, shrines.
These structures typically embody symbolic elements: orientation toward holy sites, geometries reflecting cosmic order, spaces designed to inspire awe or contemplation.
The cathedral's soaring vaults exemplify medieval sacred architecture.
The term also applies to the study of such buildings across cultures and eras.
- sanctuaryProtected sacred space
- shrineSacred devotional place
- holy of holiesMost sacred inner chamber
- basilicaColonnaded church with apse
- altarSacred ritual table
high altar · temple · cross · mosque · prayer hall · cathedral · Byzantine · pagoda · gurdwara · torii · synagogue · dome · church spire · nave · rose window · cloister · pilgrimage site · ziggurat
- Gothic artGothic art, pointed arches, rose windows, tracery, flying buttresses
- sacred artsicon painting, religious sculpture, religious painting, religious poetry, religious drama
- architectureEiffel Tower, buildings, architects, design, thatching
- Templar Symbolsred cross
sacred architecturecommercial architecture
Design of business buildings
industrial architecture · domestic architecture · office buildings · warehouses · factories