#1761 New Zealand

Lake Tekapo is the second-largest of three roughly parallel lakes running north–south along the northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island of New Zealand (the others are Lake Pukaki and Lake Ohau). It covers an area of 83 square kilometres (32 sq mi), and is at an altitude of 710 metres (2,330 ft) above sea level.

Wikipedia.org

Than you, Aaron !

Sent on: July 1, 2019

Received on: July 8, 2019

#1734 Norway

Nidaros Cathedral (Norwegian: Nidarosdomen / Nidaros Domkirke) is a cathedral of the Church of Norway located in the city of Trondheim in Trøndelag county. It is built over the burial site of King Olav II (c. 995-1030, reigned 1015-1028), who became the patron saint of the nation, and is the traditional location for the consecration of new kings of Norway. It was built over a long period of 230 years, from 1070 to 1300 when it was substantially completed. But additional work, additions and renovations continued occasionally intermittently for seven more centuries until 2001, and designated as the cathedral for the Diocese of Nidaros in 1152. After going the turmoil and controversies of the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, it was taken from the Catholic Church by the newly reformed established state Church of Norway in 1537, which adopted and following the teachings and reforms of Martin Luther, Phillip Melancthon and others, becoming Evangelical Lutheran. Nidaros is the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world.

Wikipedia.org

Thank you, Tone !

Received on: May 9, 2019

#1722 Poland

This card shows the eldest church in Bełchatów. Unfortunately I couldn't find any information about it from Wikipedia.

Thank you, Olga !

Sent on: April 3, 2019

Received on: April 15, 2019

#1707 Estonia

Jõelähtme Church is one of the oldest churches in Estonia. The church was originally made of wood, and it was established during the period of the Danes’ conquest at the beginning of the 1220s. In written records, the Church of Blessed Virgin Mary in Jõelähtme is first mentioned in 1241, and according to the mediaeval administrative system, it belonged to the Tallinn Dome Church.

The present-day appearance of the church has come to being in three major stages, finally acquiring the traditional “triple jump” silhouette group.

Some of the valuable cultural monuments have remained, such as the Renaissance-style pulpit from 1639, and the Baroque altar from 1670. The oldest church bell of the Harju County is also kept at the church.

Visitestonia.com

Aitäh, Patrik !

Sent on: March 1, 2019

Received on: March 6, 2019

#1704 Turkey

Hagia Sophia ("Holy Wisdom"; Latin: Sancta Sophia or Sancta Sapientia; Turkish: Ayasofya) is the former Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal cathedral, later an Ottoman imperial mosque and now a museum (Ayasofya Müzesi) in Istanbul, Turkey. Built in 537 AD at the beginning of the Middle Ages, it was famous in particular for its massive dome. It was the world's largest building and an engineering marvel of its time. It is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have "changed the history of architecture".

Wikipedia.org

Property No #356

It's in the list of UNESCO as a part of Historic Areas of Istanbul.
Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO: 1985

Thank you, Pinar !

Received on: February 25, 2019

#1685 Sweden

Mora Church (Swedish: Mora kyrka) is a church building in Mora in Sweden. It belongs to Mora Parish of the Church of Sweden. It famous for being seen near the Vasaloppet finish line. The size and opulence of the church building, as compared to other churches in the region, is a result of the fact that in medieval times the whole of northern Dalarna was part of the Mora Parish and the church served as the seat of Mora Parish. The church has been dedicated to the archangel Saint Michael since before the protestant reformation and the establishment of the Church of Sweden in the 16th century. The effigy of Michael and the dragon, as seen in the statue south-west to the churches main gates, was adopted as the coat of arms of Mora in 1946 and continues to be in use to this day. The reason why the church is dedicated to Saint Michael is a mystery, the Mora Parish itself proposes a possible miss identification with the native Scandinavian Saint Olof but nothing conclusive has been put forward as to why this would be the case.

Wikipedia.org

Thank you, Henrik !

Received on: January 14, 2019

#1677 USA

St. Mary's Church is a historic Roman Catholic church complex at 14 William Street (Spring Street at Memorial Boulevard) in Newport, Rhode Island within the Diocese of Providence.

Wikipedia.org

Thank you, Michele !

Received on: December 2018

#1604 Germany

Aachen Cathedral (German: Aachener Dom), traditionally called in English the Cathedral of Aix-la-Chapelle, is a Roman Catholic church in Aachen, western Germany, and the see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Aachen. It is one of the oldest cathedrals in Europe and was constructed by order of the emperor Charlemagne, who was buried there after his death in 814. For 595 years, from 936 to 1531, the Palatine Chapel, heart of the cathedral, was the church of coronation for thirty-one German kings and twelve queens. The church has been the mother church of the Diocese of Aachen since 1802.

Wikipedia.org

Property No #3

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 1978

Thank you, Anna !

Sent on: May 8, 2018

Received on: May 10, 2018

#1566 Germany

Hildesheim Cathedral (German: Hildesheimer Dom), officially the Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary (German: St. Mariä Himmelfahrt), is a medieval Roman Catholic cathedral in the city centre of Hildesheim, Germany, that has been on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list since 1985, together with the nearby St. Michael's Church.

The cathedral church was built between 1010 and 1020 in the Romanesque style. It follows a symmetrical plan with two apses, that is characteristic of Ottonian Romanesque architecture in Old Saxony. The cathedral's treasures include world-famous artworks, bronze works from the time of Bishop Bernward, Bernward Doors and Bernward Column, as well as two of the four notable Romanesque wheel chandeliers: the Hezilo chandelier and the Azelin chandelier.

After renovations and extensions in the 11th, 12th and 14th centuries, the cathedral was completely destroyed during an air raid on 22 March 1945 and rebuilt from 1950 to 1960. A thorough renovation of the cathedral began in 2010, including technical and conservation measures. Some of the cathedral's treasures have been shown further afield, including at an exhibition at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. The cathedral was reopened on 15 August 2014.

Wikipedia.org

Property No #187

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 1985

Thank you, Heidi !

Sent on: March 23, 2018

Received on: March 26, 2018

#1539 Austria

Maria Alm parish church.

Wikipedia.org

Thank you, Gintare !

Sent on: February 15, 2018

Received on: February 19, 2018

#1520 Czech Republic

The Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord (Czech: Kostel Nejsvětějšího Srdce Páně) is a Roman Catholic church at Jiřího z Poděbrad Square in Prague's Vinohrady district. It was built between 1929 and 1932 and designed by the Slovene architect Jože Plečnik. Plečnik found the inspiration for this construction in old Christian and ancient patterns.

It is considered one of the most significant Czech religious constructions of the 20th century. In the wide 42 m high tower wall is a huge, 7.5 m diameter glazed clock (the largest in the Czech Republic). In the basement is a spacious chapel with a barrel vault. Inside is an altar made of white marble, a three-metre gilded figure of Christ, and six statues of the patrons of Bohemia.

During WWII, the six bells from the tower were melted down for arms production, and in 1992 two copies were returned. Since 2010, the church has been ranked among national cultural monuments.

Wikipedia.org

Thank you, Miroslava !

Received on: February 5, 2018

#1504 Martinique (France)

Sainte-Marie is a town and the fifth-largest commune in the French overseas department of Martinique. It is located on the northeast (Atlantic Ocean) side of the island of Martinique.

Wikipedia.org

The Our Lady of the Assumption Church (French: Église Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption de Sainte-Marie) It is a Catholic church in Sainte-Marie, a town in Martinique, a dependency of France in the Lesser Antilles.

The Fort of Sainte-Marie was erected in honor of the Virgin Mary and gives its name to the parish of Sainte-Marie in 1658. On January 8, 1663, the Superior Council of the island ordered the formal establishment of the parishes of Sainte-Marie, the Grande Anse and Marigot administered by the Dominicans.

Wikipedia.org

Thank you !

Sent on: January 12, 2018

Received on: January 22, 2018

#1489 Estonia

The Ruhnu wooden church, built in 1644, is one of the oldest wood constructed buildings in Estonia. The church's baroque-style tower was finished in 1755.

Wikipedia.org

Aitäh, Patrik !

Sent on: January 11, 2018

Received on: January 12, 2018

#1475 Ukraine

Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev is an outstanding architectural monument of Kievan Rus'. The cathedral is one of the city's best known landmarks and the first heritage site in Ukraine to be inscribed on the World Heritage List along with the Kiev Cave Monastery complex. Aside from its main building, the cathedral includes an ensemble of supporting structures such as a bell tower and the House of Metropolitan. In 2011 the historic site was reassigned from the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Regional Development of Ukraine to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine. One of the reasons for the move was that both Saint Sophia Cathedral and Kiev Pechersk Lavra are recognized by the UNESCO World Heritage Program as one complex, while in Ukraine the two were governed by different government entities.

Wikipedia.org

Property No #527

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 1990

Thank you !

Received on: January 3, 2018

#1473 United Kingdom

The Church of England parish church of St Andrew is a Grade I listed building. Part of the chancel is 13th-century while most of the rest of the building is from the 15th, reflecting the prosperity of the local wool and cloth industry. The tower was begun in 1434 and completed in 1576. In 1850–51 nearly all of the building, except the tower, was taken down and reconstructed to almost the same plan.

Inside the church is a chancel arch with fine carving, and a 14th-century stone font. The Lady Chapel has an effigy of Sir Walter de Dunstanville (d. 1270) and later monuments to the Scrope family. The faceless church clock, probably late 15th-century, is among the oldest working clocks in the country.

Wikipedia.org

Thank you, Agnes !

Received on: December 28, 2017

#1459 Germany

For more info, see received card #515.

Thank you, Uwe !

Sent on: November 30, 2017

Received on: December 4, 2017

#1447 Finland

Left: Taulumäki Church (Finnish: Taulumäen kirkko) is the principal Lutheran church in Jyväskylä, the administrative centre of the Central Finland region. Designed by architect Elsi Borg (1893–1958), its construction began in 1928. The church was inaugurated on October 27, 1929, and replaces the 1885 church designed by Ludvig Isak Lindqvist, which had burned down on January 27, 1918.

Wikipedia.org

Right: Jyväskylä City Church

Thank you, Virpi !

Received on: November 9, 2017

#1436 Romania

Thank you !

Received on: October 24, 2017

#1434 Brazil

The Cathedral Basilica of Salvador (Catedral Basílica de Salvador), officially dedicated to the Transfiguration of Christ and named Primatial Cathedral Basilica of the Transfiguration of the Lord is the seat of the Archbishop of the city of Salvador, in the State of Bahia, in Brazil. The Archbishop of Salvador is also ex officio Primate of Brazil.

The Diocese of São Salvador da Bahia de Todos os Santos, the first in the Portuguese colony of Brazil, was created in 1551, only two years after the foundation of Salvador by nobleman Tomé de Sousa. The first bishop, Pero Fernandes Sardinha, arrived in 1552. A cathedral was built in the centre of Salvador around this time.

In 1676 the city became the seat of an archdiocese. After 1758, when the Jesuit Order was expelled from Brazil, the former Jesuit church of Salvador became the cathedral of the city. The building of the former cathedral was demolished in 1933. A scheme of its foundations can be seen on the pavement of the Praça da Sé (Se Square) in Salvador.

Wikipedia.org

Property No #309

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 1985 

Thank you !

Received on: October 23, 2017

#1411 Slovakia

Carpathian Wooden Churches is the name of a UNESCO World Heritage Site that consists of nine wooden religious buildings constructed between the 16th and 18th centuries in eight different locations in Slovakia. They include two Roman Catholic (Hervartov, Tvrdošín), three Protestant (so-called Articular churches in Hronsek, Leštiny, Kežmarok) and three Greek Catholic churches (Bodružal, Ruská Bystrá, Ladomirová) plus one belfry in Hronsek. In addition to these churches there are about 50 more wooden churches in the territory of present-day Slovakia mainly in the northern and eastern part of the Prešov Region.

Wikipedia.org

The Wooden articular church in Kežmarok (Slovak: Drevený artikulárny kostol v Kežmarku) is a wooden church in Kežmarok, Slovakia. The local Lutherans built it during a period of religious persecution, when they were allowed to erect only wooden churches. That is why even nails were made exclusively of wood. The construction was financially supported by Protestants from various countries, including Sweden and Denmark.

Wikipedia.org

Property No #1273

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 2008

Thank you, Andrea !

Sent on: September 21, 2017

Received on: September 26, 2017