Sacred Spaces in Spain

Discover 50 sacred spaces in Spain.

Cave of Saint Ignatius

The grotto where Saint Ignatius of Loyola lived as a hermit for nearly a year.

El Palmar de Troya

The cathedral of a controversial, conservative, schismatic sect that declared the Catholic Church heretical and founded its own succession of popes.

Ermita de San Pelayo y San Isidoro (Hermitage of Saint Pelagius and Saint Isidore)

The remains of this misplaced church were moved here stone by stone.

Sinagoga El Transito

Once the grandest synagogue in medieval Spain, it now stands as a memorial of the 15th-century Jewish exile.

Flies of Saint Narcís

These fly sculptures are scattered around the city and represent the patron saint of Girona.

San Martín de Montalbán, Spain

Santa María de Melque

This ancient Visigothic church might hide an ancient treasure.

Barcelona, Spain

Monasterio de Pedralbes

Occupied for six centuries by Franciscan Order nuns, this monastery is an amazing ode to Catalán Gothic architecture.

San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain

Silla de Felipe II (Phillip II’s Chair)

According to tradition, King Phillip II supervised construction of the seat of his empire from this seat carved into rock.

La Palma, Spain

Roque Idafe (Idafe Rock)

Indigenous cultures believed all life would end if this enormous rock toppled.

Relics of St. Valentine at Iglesia de San Antón

Inside this church are the alleged remains of the patron saint of lovers, epileptics, and beekeepers.

Cartuja de Miraflores

This Gothic church houses ornate royal tombs and a magnificent gilded altarpiece.

Portada de la Antigua Iglesia de San Isidoro (Arch of the Old Church of San Isidoro)

The surviving remnants of a destroyed medieval church now stand in a public park.

Muslim Gravestones of the Alhambra

Spanish architects used seized Muslim gravestones to rebuild parts of the fortress.

Novelda Shrine of Mary Magdalene

The 20th-century church looks like a rustic version of the Sagrada Familia.

St Michael's Russian Orthodox Church

The magnificent sanctuary is Spain's first purpose-built structure of its kind.

Torrelavega, Spain

Vaulted Ceiling of Iglesia de la Virgen Grande

This magnificent brick dome was made with an unusual design method.