(upbeat music) - [Narrator] Sacred buildings are designed to inspire, humble, and awe.

To provide a space for those of faith to commune with their divine.

Before the advent of skyscrapers and mega-factories, these were the largest buildings in the world, and among the most expensive.

Completely dominating the terrestrial landscape, or soaring to the heavens above.

These sacred structures stand as enduring icons for the communities they were built to influence and serve.

(upbeat music) While the popularity of different faiths waxes and wanes, religious buildings abide.

Providing billions of people with a space for reflection, and connection to a higher power.

(bell chimes) In terms of design, our churches and cathedrals, temples and St upas, synagogues, mosques and shrines, couldn't be more diverse, but collectively they are testament to the universal appeal of the sacred, and its role in shaping human civilization, from its very beginnings.

In Wiltshire, England, stands one of the world's most recognisable icons Stonehenge.

One of Britain's most-visited sites, Stonehenge has stood on Salisbury plain for between three and a half and 5,000 years.

But, despite its longevity and familiarity, much about this extraordinary monument remains a mystery.

(upbeat music) One of Stonehenge's enduring mysteries is how it got here in the first place.

Recent experiments suggest that the stones could have been hauled to the site on logs, no mean feat given where these stones came from.

Archeologist's believe that the smaller blue stones which weigh between two and five tonnes, each originated in hills 250 Kilometres west of Stonehenge.

The larger upright St.

Stupas weighing in at an average 25 tonnes, are thought to be from the edge of Marlborough downs, 25 kilometres to the north of Stonehenge.

We may never know exactly how the stones got here or indeed how they were erected, but given the herculean effort involved we can be sure Stonehenge was incredibly important to the people who built it.

A number of theories exist about why Stonehenge was built.

some suggest it was an ancient temple, aligned with the movements of the sun.

Others that it was a prehistoric computer to predict eclipses, or even a cult centre where the sick and injured came to be cured.

One of the most popular theories about Stonehenge, is that it was a place of worship for druids, high priests and healers of the Celtic culture.

(gentle music) True or not, today, modern adherents of the druidic faith, gather annually at Stonehenge to mark the winter and summer solstice.

To contemporary eyes, Stonehenge might not look like a conventional place of worship, but for modern druids, Stonehenge is a sacred space, an icon that connects them to eternal and spiritual forces.

The story of Stonehenge's origins continues to grow.

Recent excavations suggest it might also have served as an ancient crematorium and cemetery.

Perhaps even a temple for venerating the dead.

If so, it's a practise which links Stonehenge to one of humanity's greatest civilizations, and to one of its most iconic buildings.

(upbeat music) The ancient Egyptians were master builders.

The first perhaps, to understand the use of space, scale and light to create a sense of Theatre, and awe.

Firm believers in the afterlife, they built elaborate tombs and two different kinds of temples.

Shrines, or mortuary temples, for the funerary cults of dead kings and queens, and cult temples dedicated to the Gods they worshipped .

Stunning examples of both can be found up and down the Nile, but the most impressive collection lies in Luxor, the former capital of Thebes.

Rising from the east bank of the Nile, Thebes was once the world's largest city.

Three and a half thousand years ago, it boasted a population of about 80,000.

Today, it's home to over one million and two of the most iconic temples in Egypt.

The temple of Luxor, was built over hundreds of years by a succession of famous pharaohs, including the likes of Amenhotep the third, Ramses the second, and Tutankhamun, the "Boy King."

Dedicated to the God Amun, his wife Mut and their son Khonsu, Luxor temple famously hosted the annual Opet festival, a fertility rite performed to ensure the recreation of the cosmos, the regeneration of Amun-ra and the transfer of power from God to Pharaoh.

The second of Thebes's great temples, is a structure equal to Luxor in grandeur and presence, Karnak.

(gentle music) In the past, Luxor temple was linked to Karnak by a three kilometer-long avenue, flanked by as many as 1,350 sphinxes.

Those closer to Luxor bore human-like heads, while those nearer to the first pylon of Karnak, combined the body of a lion with the head of a ram, a potent symbol of the God Amun.

built over the course of 2,000 years, Karnak was remarkable in scale and complexity, a veritable city of temples dedicated to Amun and his family.

The main precinct alone boasted an assemblage of courtyards and colonnades and as many as 20 temples and chapels.

It is still one of the largest religious sites on the planet, covering an area the size of 150 football fields.

Like all Egyptian temples, Karnak symbolised the nexus between heaven and earth, the relationship between mere mortals and those they considered divine.

The deeper visitors venture into the complex, the more hallowed the spaces become.

Only the pharaoh and high-ranking priests were allowed into the sanctuary of Amun, accessed via the hypostyle hall.

Today, the hall is one of the great architectural wonders of Egypt, a colossal forest of 134 columns, tapered to accentuate their height.

They represent the primordial swamp where sun God, Ra was believed to have risen from the "waters of chaos" at the beginning of all creation.

The walls and columns, and even the roof, are covered in elaborate inscriptions.

Painted and etched over many generations, they honour the Gods and many Pharaohs, who ruled the new kingdom of Egypt.

(upbeat music) The west bank of Luxor is no less impressive than the east.

Located here are significant funerary temples including Midinette Habu which was built for Ramses the third.

Considered the last of the great Pharaohs, Ramses the third ruled the Egyptian empire for 31 years, and the mortuary temple dedicated to his passing, is the best preserved in the land.

The entrance to midinette habu was modelled on the fortresses earlier pharaohs had seen during their campaigns in Syria.

And the illustrations that adorn its walls, leave little to the imagination.

Piles of severed hands and genitals among the victor's gruesome spoils.

The riches that were once housed in this funerary complex, have long since been looted or removed, but one extraordinary treasure remains.

The still-vibrant colour on many of the columns and walls.

Made from minerals, mixed with a plant or animal-based 'glue' they have, somewhat miraculously, withstood the ravages of time.

Beyond the modern-day city of Luxor, thousands of equally remarkable sites vie for attention.

Among them, the truly iconic 3,000-year-old temples of Abu Simbel.

One of the most visited sites in Egypt, after the pyramids of Giza, Abu Simbel is Ramses the second's greatest creation.

It was built during his 66 year reign, to win the respect of his people, and intimidate his enemies from afar.

According to some scholars, Ramses was a bit of a showman.

All four statues at the entrance to Abu Simbel, depict the master of self promotion wearing various costumes and crowns, while inside, he's taken the liberty of placing himself in the company of Gods.

But Rameses's tribute to his Godly status might have disappeared altogether if it wasn't for some clever mortals a few thousand years in the future.

Originally carved into a solid rock cliff, in the 1960s Abu Simbel was completely dismantled, stone by stone, and moved to a new site a few hundred metres away, to prevent it being submerged and lost forever under the waters of the Aswan dam.

Thanks to the toil of 3,000 workers over five years, an extraordinary icon and one of history's great vanity projects, was saved from oblivion.

(gentle music) The ancient Egyptians are rightly renowned for building some of the world's most remarkable and enduring icons.

But they also made a contribution to other, later civilizations, by bequeathing a blueprint for building the sacred icon.

Sitting on top of the acropolis in Athens in Greece, the Parthenon is the most iconic religious structure built by the ancient Greeks.

The Parthenon's size, grandeur, and stone building materials pay architectural props to its Egyptian forebears.

Similarly, in Rome, on the southern side of the piazza Della rotunda, is the Pantheon.

(ceremonious music) This 2,000-year-old icon is the roman empire's crowning architectural glory, and like the Parthenon, owes something to its Egyptian forebears.

Completed during the reign of emperor Hadrian, the pantheon is one of the best-preserved monuments of ancient Rome.

The symmetrical entrance to the temple makes use of granite and marble columns imported from Egypt, which, by then, the Romans had subdued and controlled.

But the real ground-breaking feature of this icon, is the massive roof over the rotunda.

Forty-three metres across, 43 metres high , and weighing over four and a half thousand metric tonnes, the structure is still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world.

(suspenseful music) The dome varies in thickness, and composition, as it nears the oculus a feature that lightens the load, and brightens the mood of the interior.

With the introduction of the dome, the Romans were able to free up space inside their sacred buildings, completely changing the course of architectural history.

Although the pantheon was originally built to honour pagan Gods, it was the first of many roman temples consecrated by the Christians, and historians believe it was this conversion that saved the icon from becoming a ruin.

(gentle music) One of the oldest and holiest cities in the world, Jerusalem is today the shared capital of Israel and Palestine.

Five thousand years in the making, it sprawls across a rocky plateau in the Judaean mountains, between the Mediterranean and the dead sea.

It is home to some of humanity's most sacred icons.

Revered for centuries by three great western traditions, Islam, Judaism and Christianity, Jerusalem continues to attract a vast number of pilgrims.

The temple mount, or Haram al-sharif, is revered by Muslim's as the site where the prophet Mohammad ascended to heaven.

the wailing wall, is prized by the Jews.

And for Christians, the church of the holy sepulchre, marks the site where Jesus was buried and rose again from the dead.

For Christians, Jerusalem is the origin of their faith.

But soon after the death of Christ, his story spread beyond the walls of this city to gave birth to Christianity, One of the world's truly global religions.

There are six main branches of Christianity, divided between eastern and western theologies.

But, regardless of sect, the essence of belief is consistent.

And this revolves around the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the son, according to Christians, of the "One true God."

To celebrate their religion, Christians have erected hundreds if not thousands of iconic sacred buildings around the world.

Places like St mark's basilica, the heart and soul of Venice, Italy.

The cologne cathedral in Germany, the tallest twin-spired church in the world, and Barcelona's sagrada Familia a dazzling monument over 100 years in the making.

(upbeat music) Spain is also home to the largest gothic cathedral in the world the cathedral of St Mary in Seville.

St Mary's is, of course, a Christian place of worship, but it has its foundations, quite literally, in another faith altogether.

The cathedral was founded in 1401 on the site of a former mosque, and even makes use of its predecessor's minaret to create the Giralda tower which now houses the cathedral's 25 bells.

Converting sacred spaces from one religion to another, has been a common practise throughout history, and the saving grace for many an icon that might otherwise have become redundant.

(gentle music) The mosque of Cordoba was converted to a cathedral after the Spanish city was captured by Christian forces in 1236, but it is still regarded as an iconic monument in the history of Islamic architecture.

It was the first to use double-tiered arches to create height in the hypostyle prayer hall, an idea reminiscent of roman aqueducts.

In the original mosque, the columns supporting them were probably recycled from earlier roman and Visigothic monuments.

But over time, as the complex expanded, these have been replaced with 850 columns made from jasper, onyx, marble, granite and porphyry, a purpley rock with imperial appeal, used extensively during the byzantine and roman eras.

Cordoba's minaret was converted into a bell tower for the cathedral, and as with the Giralda tower in St Mary's, topped with the symbol of the cross.

Over the centuries this sacred building has seen it's fair share of additions, renovations and restorations, keeping pace with societal changes and architectural trends.

The one constant, however, remains the sanctity of the space it encloses, which regardless of personal beliefs, reflects the continuum that unites us all.

After Christianity, Islam remains the second most popular religion, with 1.8 billion followers, world-wide.

Islam dates from the 7th century and originated in mecca in modern-day Saudi arabia, the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad.

Muslims who practise this doctrine, believe that Muhammad was Allah's ultimate prophet, sent to reveal their faith to mankind.

And a pilgrimage, or hajj, to the city of his birth is one of the five pillars of Islam.

(upbeat music) Most devotees make a bee-line to Masjid Al-haram, a.k.a, the Grand Mosque.

Equivalent in area to four football fields, this is not just the most expensive religious structure on earth, it's the most expensive building in history, period.

The price tag in today's money?

one hundred billion u.s dollars.

Visitor numbers to the Grand Mosque swell annually during Ramadan, the last month of the Islamic calendar, when more than a million Muslims pour into the city.

in accordance with tradition, Muslims who perform a hajj, or pilgrimage, to this mosque must walk, counter-clockwise, seven times around the Kaaba.

Sitting in the centre of the great mosque of Mecca the Kaaba is the most important building in the Islamic religion, considered by Muslims to be the "Bayt Allah" or "House of God."

(gentle music) As Islam spread throughout the world, it's architecture followed, and two of its most beautiful and iconic mosques are located in Istanbul in Turkey.

historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople, Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, with a population nearing 15 million.

A melting pot of cultures, Istanbul bridges east and west and at its heart is one of the Muslim world's greatest icons, the Blue Mosque.

(upbeat music) The sultan Ahmed, or "Blue Mosque" as it's popularly known, is the jewel of Istanbul the last great mosque of the classical period.

Built over 400 years ago, the Blue Mosque is today as popular with tourists as it is with the faithful.

And like most iconic sacred buildings in the world, its size, majesty and splendour completely overwhelm.

Much of the interior is covered by ceramic tiles, which together with the blue paint on the ceiling, give the mosque its informal name.

Natural light filters through over 200 stained glass windows, bolstered by the incandescent glow of globes in several chandeliers.

These were also fitted with ostrich eggs, which were thought to repel spiders, thus avoiding the curse of cobwebs.

(gentle music) If one extraordinary icon isn't enough, Istanbul boasts a second, the Hagia Sophia.

Sitting just across from the Blue Mosque in the Sultanah-met district, the Hagia Sophia is a mosque with a chequered past.

It started life as a Christian church in the sixth century and actually qualified as the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years, until St Mary's in Seville was built.

Then, in 1453, the Hagia Sophia finally became a mosque.

But then, in the 1930s, it was secularised and transformed into a museum, before reopening again as a mosque in 2020.

But, true to its eclectic past, the Hagia Sophia welcomes all-comers through its fabled doors.

(bell chimes) (gentle music) With an estimated 1.1 billion followers, Hinduism is the world's third largest religion.

And with 33 million divinities to choose from, Hindus appear spoiled for spiritual choice.

(bell chimes) In reality though, these deities are simply different ways for followers to approach Brahma, the God who created the universe.

However, brahma is not alone.

Two other Gods complete the holy Hindu Trinity.

Vishnu, the God responsible for preserving and protecting the universe, and Shiva, the destroyer.

(ethereal music) Hindu temples and shrines are often located at natural sites popular with pilgrims, such as the Batu Caves near Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

An imposing 42.7 metre statue of Lord Murugan, a beloved deity of the Tamil Hindus, guards the entrance to the caves which honour his incarnation.

made from 1550 cubic metres of concrete, and reinforced with 250 tonnes of steel, the statue took the better part of 3 years to build, and 300 litres of gold paint to finish.

To reach the temple cave, the largest and most significant in the complex, pilgrims and sightseers alike must first make a meritorious ascent, dragging themselves up a steep flight of stairs, 272 in all.

(gentle music) In India, many iconic temples are located near sacred rivers, for it is believed that water washes away sin.

Varanasi is the spiritual capital of India, and at three to 4,000 years, its oldest city.

23,000 temples line the banks of the Ganges and the labyrinthine streets, with the majority dedicated to Shiva, "The Destroyer" A God both feared and revered for his ability to transform the world.

People come from all over the country to pray, bathe, do their laundry, and attend to the dead, with funeral pyres running 24/7.

To be cremated here, and to have ones ashes swept into the Ganges, is to escape the endless cycle of rebirth.

(upbeat music) As night falls, devotees gather at Dashashwamedh, the main ghat or steps, leading down to the river.

they come to witness the Ganga Arti, a special ritual where prayers are offered to the celestial river of India, bringing the faithful to a sacred communion with their river and their Gods.

(bell chimes) (upbeat music) just 10 kilometres north-east of Varanasi, near the confluence of the Ganges and Varuna rivers, is Sarnath.

The birthplace of another great religion, Sarnath is where Gautama Buddha, delivered his very first sermon, the, "Turning of the wheel of law."

Many historians believe Buddha chose Sarnath because of its proximity to Varanasi, which was already an important centre of learning and faith.

Today, around half a billion people practise the religion, pursuing the "Four noble truths" and Nirvana, where desire, hatred, ignorance, suffering and ultimately rebirth, have been extinguished, through the practise of meditation.

There are two main branches of Buddhism Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism.

Theravada Buddhism is the most observed form in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.

95% of all Cambodians now follow Theravada Buddhism, but in the past, Hinduism was widely practised.

This is Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Built during the first half of the 12th century, Angkor Wat is considered today to be a Buddhist icon.

But it's also considered one of the largest Hindu monuments in the world, even though it became a Buddhist temple shortly after it's completion.

(upbeat music) This enormous religious complex, which initially served as the capital of the Khmer empire, sprawls across a 400-acre site just north of the city of Siem Reap.

It is the centrepiece of arguably the most extraordinary Archaeological Park on the planet, encompassing all of Angkor.

The galleries that line its walls are etched with thousands of scenes that depict Cambodia's traditional narrative, the historic and legendary deeds of its heroes, and everyday lives of its people, throwing open a window on the past.

Although Angkor Wat was originally dedicated to the Hindu God Vishnu, other temples in the vast archaeological precinct, have been Buddhist monuments from the get go.

Including the other-worldly Ta Prohm, which has almost been swallowed by the jungle.

And the exquisite Bayon temple, located in the exact canter of the ancient city of Angkor Thom.

Known for its huge stone faces, the Bayon temple represents the intersection of heaven and earth.

Surrounded by over 50 smaller towers, each with 4 faces of its own, Bayon was built in the late 12th and early 13th centuries, and represents the shift in religious thinking that came about during the reign of King Jayaraman the seventh.

He was a forceful and productive ruler who expanded the Khmer empire both territorially and architecturally, commissioning a massive building programme that not only included sacred buildings but civic works as well.

The temples of Angkor are truly remarkable in scale, but none can compete with one particular and extraordinary Buddhist icon.

(gentle music) The largest Buddhist temple in the world is on the island of Java in Indonesia.

it is called, Borobudur.

Built on a hilltop in the 7th century, Borobudur is a temple that's meant to be climbed.

According to the tenets of Mahayana Buddhism, pilgrimages must test their faith physically as well as spiritually, and Borobudur achieves this, in spades.

To reach the top, pilgrims pass 72 latticed stupas and 504 statues of Buddha, positioned in the shape of a lotus around the terraced hill.

Together with nearly 3,000 bas-reliefs on the monument's lower terraces, they constitute the greatest single collection of Buddhist sculpture in the world.

Illustrating the life and teachings of Buddha, the reliefs are arranged like pages in a book, guiding the faithful as they climb from one symbolic "Plane of consciousness" to the next.

The third great wonder of sacred architecture in Southeast Asia, is here at Bagan in Myanmar.

(upbeat music) Bagan is an ancient city of temples, monasteries and pagodas, languishing on a bend of the Irrawaddy River, which cuts its steady as she goes swathe through the central plain of Myanmar.

A thousand years ago, Bagan was incredibly prosperous, the political and spiritual centre of an empire that was fast becoming one of the most powerful in South-east Asia.

By the 13th century, it was home to 200,000 people, and at least 10,000 sacred structures.

A litany of floods and earthquakes, incursions and invasions, have robbed the former royal capital of its glory, reducing the town in size and stature.

Today, only 2,229 monuments remain, many in a state of ruin, but they still create a panoramic view, that is, in every sense iconic.

The vast majority of Bagan's residents practise Theravada Buddhism, beginning most days with the ritual of giving alms to the local monks, to show respect.

It would take months, if not years to complete a pilgrimage to each and every monument that remains in this sacred landscape, so devotees tend to visit those with the greatest significance.

The largest of Bagan's temples is Dhammayangyi.

Orientated to the east, it extends some 255 feet on all four sides.

It was built during the reign of King Narathu, who, by all accounts, was a psychopath.

To secure his throne, Narathu killed his father and older brother and executed his stepmother for irreligious behaviour.

Many believe Narathu built Dhammayangyi to atone for his sins.

But, true to form, it's also rumoured that Narathu executed Dhammayangyi's architects, so they could not repeat their design.

No doubt to the great relief of his subjects, Narathu's reign was short lived.

He was assassinated in 1171, before his temple was complete.

One of the oldest surviving temples in Bagan is Ananda, a symmetrical masterpiece constructed over 930 years ago, during the reign of King Kyanzittha.

Reflecting the endless wisdom of the Buddha, the Ananda has six terraces and a central spire that soars 51 metres into the sky.

Statues of the Buddha, at various ages, are stationed at each entrance.

While scenes from his life are recorded in terracotta throughout the entire complex.

Although the walls are now white-washed, there is evidence they were once adorned with murals, mediaeval frescoes the locals are hoping to restore.

To visit Myanmar's most sacred temple, pilgrims and traveler's must leave Bagan, and head, due south, to the bustling city of Yangon.

this is the incomparable Shwedagon Pagoda.

which rises like a beacon of hope and calm, amidst the clamour of contemporary life.

Spiritually, and materially, Shwedagon is quite literally, worth its weight in gold.

For Buddhists, the colour symbolises happiness, purity, enlightenment and freedom, but to everyone else?

incredible wealth.

At least 20,000 bars of gold were used to plate the main stupa, a glistening wonder some 112 metres high.

That in itself, is worth a small fortune, and yet it pales against the estimated value of the Stupa's crown, or "Umbrella."

It's difficult to see from a distance, but it is richly adorned with 4,000 golden bells, five and a half thousand diamonds and 2,300 rubies.

The most precious gemstone in this so called, "Crown of Burma" sits at the very top, a 72-carat diamond, weighing 15 grammes.

The whole extravagance, from top to bottom, is worth over 4 billion us dollars, 5% of Myanmar's annual GDP.

It's a steep price tag by any measure, but the simple treasures buried within the stupa are the real draw card for devotees.

Four sacred relics that include eight priceless strands of Gautama Buddha's hair, relics more priceless than the temple itself.

When it comes to naming and fame-ing the most iconic sacred building in the world, few would argue with this nomination.

St.

Peter's Basilica in Rome.

To millions of roman Catholics, St.

Peter's Basilica is their holiest site.

The giant basilica sits in the heart of Vatican City, which at just under half a square kilometre, is the world's smallest state.

Popes have been living in the enclave since 1377, and while St.

Peter's is not the official seat of the papal office, given its proximity to the residence, it still hosts many of the key ceremonies associated with the roman catholic church.

The plaza that leads to the entrance of the basilica is an architectural marvel in its own right, with its Egyptian obelisk, and massive Doric colonnades, which metaphorically embrace those who visit the Vatican in the "Maternal arms of mother church."

The basilica was built on the site where Peter the apostle was crucified and buried, and consequently bears his name.

Consecrated in 1626 after a 120-year period of construction, the scale of this building is stupendous.

The Grand Facade alone is larger than a football field, complete with statues honouring 13 of Christianity's greatest team players, carved in travertine marble.

The central balcony, or loggia of the blessings, is where all new popes are first presented to the world, after their secret, ritualised election by the college of cardinals.

Once a pope is chosen, a cardinal announces to the public in Latin, "Habemus papam" we have a pope.

The Portico, which in its own right is larger than many churches, leads visitors into the interior, which is truly immense.

Big enough to accommodate 20,000 people at a time.

masterpieces by many great renaissance artists count among its treasures.

But even Bernini's 10 storey high solid bronze canopy that sits over the main papal altar, is dwarfed by Michelangelo's dome floating some 448 feet above it, one of the tallest in the world.

The entire structure appears to be painted, but it's actually covered in mosaics, made from millions of tiny glass tiles.

The other remarkable icon that sits within the realm of the Vatican, adding immeasurably to St.

Peter's status, is the incomparable Sistine chapel, where once again, all eyes are compelled to look up, to behold more of Michelangelo's genius, a series of illustrious frescoes that bring the bible's Old Testament teachings to life.

The massive painting over the altar illustrates the second coming of Christ and the last judgement , with those souls who were saved, ascending to the left, and the damned descending to the right.

Impressive in scale, overwhelmingly beautiful, St.

Peter's basilica is an extraordinary icon.

It is at once an expression of the divine, an embodiment of the holy spirit and a lasting testament to human ingenuity.

(upbeat music) Perhaps the most remarkable thing about our planet's sacred icons, is that they endure.

The way they were built.

The reverence they inspire, speaks volumes about the nature, and nurture, of humankind.

Regardless of our religious affiliations, we recognise in these structures a universal appeal.

A sense of community, that draws us together to share a quest, as old as time.

(upbeat music)