Holy city

"Holy City" redirects here. For other uses, see Holy City (disambiguation).

A holy city is a city important to the history or faith of a specific religion. Such cities may also contain at least one headquarters complex (often containing a religious edifice, seminary, shrine, residence of the leading cleric of the religion and/or chambers of the religious leadership's offices) which constitutes a major destination of human traffic, or pilgrimage to the city, especially for major ceremonies and observances. A holy city is a symbolic city, representing attributes beyond its natural characteristics.

List of holy cities in the world

Africa

City Country Religion(s)
Axum Ethiopia Christianity
Alexandria Egypt Christianity[1]
Ewu Nigeria Christianity
Harar Ethiopia Islam
Ifẹ Nigeria Yoruba religion
Lalibela Ethiopia Christianity
Nkamba Democratic Republic of the Congo Kimbanguism
Kairouan Tunisia Islam
Nri-Igbo Nigeria Odinala
Point of Sangomar Senegal Serer religion
Yaboyabo Senegal Serer religion

Asia

Western and South Asia

City Country Religion(s)
Amritsar India Sikhism
Anandpur Sahib India Sikhism
Antakya (Antioch) Turkey Christianity
Ayodhya India Hinduism
Balkh Afghanistan Islam (Shia)[2]
Beirut Lebanon Christianity
Bethlehem Palestine Christianity, Judaism[3]
Bodh Gaya India Buddhism, Hinduism
Dwarka India Hinduism
Haifa Israel Baháʼí Faith
Hebron Palestine Judaism,[4] Islam
Hittin Israel Druze faith[5]
Jerusalem Israel / Palestine
(Status of Jerusalem) 		Judaism, Christianity, Islam
Kanchipuram India Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism
Haridwar India Hinduism
Karbala Iraq Islam (Shia)
Kathmandu Nepal Hinduism
Khalwat al-Bayada Lebanon Druze faith[6]
Kufa Iraq Islam (Shia)
Kushinagar India Buddhism
Lahore Pakistan Islam, Sikhism
Lumbini Nepal Buddhism
Mashhad Iran Islam (Shia)
Mathura India Hinduism
Mecca Saudi Arabia Islam[7]
Medina Saudi Arabia Islam[8]
Meron Israel Judaism[9]
Mtskheta Georgia Christianity[10]
Nashik India Hinduism, Buddhism
Nablus Palestine Judaism,[11] Samaritanism[12]
Najaf Iraq Islam (Shia)
Nankana Sahib Pakistan Sikhism
Nazareth Israel Christianity[13]
Prayagraj India Hinduism
Qom Iran Islam (Shia)
Safed Israel Judaism
Sarnath India Buddhism
Tiberias Israel Judaism
Vagharshapat Armenia Christianity (Armenian Apostolic Church)
Varanasi India Hinduism, Buddhism
Yazd Iran Zoroastrianism

Central and East Asia

City Country Religion(s)
Beigang Taiwan Folk religion
Dajia Taiwan Folk religion
Ise Japan Shinto
Kyoto Japan Buddhism, Shinto
Tenri Japan Tenrikyo
Lhasa China Buddhism
Turkistan Kazakhstan Sufism

Southeast Asia

City Country Religion(s)
Besakih Indonesia Balinese Hinduism
Cebu City Philippines Christianity[14]
Cigugur Indonesia Sunda Wiwitan[15]
El Salvador, Misamis Oriental Philippines Christianity[16]
Iloilo City Philippines Christianity[17]
Mandalay Myanmar Buddhism
Naga, Camarines Sur Philippines Christianity (Roman Catholicism)
Siem Reap Cambodia Buddhism, Hinduism

Europe

City Country Religion(s)
Assisi Italy Christianity
Athens Greece Christianity, Hellenism
Avila Spain Christianity
Barcelona Spain Christianity[18]
Canterbury England, United Kingdom Christianity (Anglicanism)
Caravaca de la Cruz Spain Christianity
Cologne Germany Christianity
Corinth Greece Christianity
Częstochowa Poland Christianity (Roman Catholicism)
Fátima Portugal Christianity
Glastonbury England, United Kingdom Christianity, Druidry
Istanbul (Constantinople) Turkey Christianity (Eastern Orthodoxy)[19][20]
Kilkenny Ireland Christianity[21][22]
Kraljevo Serbia Christianity
Madrid Spain Christianity
Marija Bistrica Croatia Christianity
Medjugorje Bosnia and Herzegovina Christianity
Milan Italy Christianity
Moscow Russia Christianity (Russian Orthodox Church)
Munich Bavaria, Germany Christianity
Veliky Novgorod Russia Christianity
Ohrid North Macedonia Christianity
Paris France Christianity
Prague Czech Republic Christianity
Rome Italy Christianity
Santiago de Compostela Spain Christianity[23]
Santo Toribio de Liébana Spain Christianity
Sergiyev Posad Russia Christianity
Thessaloniki, Mount Athos Greece Christianity (Greek Orthodox Church)
Toledo Spain Christianity
Trondheim Norway Christianity
Uman Ukraine Breslov, Hasidic, Judaism[24]
Uppsala Sweden Christianity, Norse Paganism
Vatican City Vatican City Christianity (Roman Catholicism)
Varallo Sesia Piedmont, Italy Christianity (Roman Catholicism)[25]
Vladimir Russia Christianity
Walsingham England, United Kingdom Christianity
Warsaw Poland Christianity
Wittenberg Germany Christianity (Lutheranism)
York England, United Kingdom Christianity (Anglicanism)

North America

City Country Religion(s)
Clearwater, Florida United States Church of Scientology
Mexico City Mexico Christianity
Quebec City Canada Christianity
Salt Lake City United States Latter Day Saint movement
Siparia Trinidad and Tobago Christianity, Hinduism[26]

South America

City Country Religion(s)
Aparecida Brazil Christianity[27]
Luján Argentina Christianity[28]

See also

References

  1. ^ Trigilio, Rev John Jr.; Brighenti, Rev Kenneth; Cafone, Rev Monsignor James (10 May 2011). Catholic Mass For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9780470767863 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "Visit Mazar-i-Sharif Afghanistan • The City Of The Noble Shrine". www.joaoleitao.com. 17 January 2020.
  3. ^ "Bethlehem". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Four Holy Cities of Israel: What and Why?". Chabad.
  5. ^ Dana, Nissim. (2003). The Druze in the Middle East: Their Faith, Leadership, Identity and Status, Sussex Academic Press, pp. 28–30.
  6. ^ Nissîm Dānā (2003). The Druze in the Middle East: Their Faith, Leadership, Identity and Status. Sussex Academic Press. pp. 38–. ISBN 978-1-903900-36-9. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  7. ^ "Makkah". www.visitsaudi.com. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  8. ^ "نسك بوابتك لرحلة إيمانية" [Nusuk is your gateway to a journey of faith]. www.nusuk.sa. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Meron: Tomb of Rabbi Shimon Ben Yochai".
  10. ^ "Historical city Mtskheta becomes "Holy City"". Agenda.ge. 7 April 2014. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  11. ^ "Shechem (Nablus)". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  12. ^ UNESCO World Heritage Centre (11 October 2017). "Mount Gerizim and the Samaritans". Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  13. ^ Jeffrey, David L. (1992). A Dictionary of biblical tradition in English literature. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. pp. 538–40. ISBN 978-0-85244-224-1. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  14. ^ "Pilgrimage to the Philippines for the 51st International Eucharistic Congress, 2016".
  15. ^ "Cigugur is home to Sunda Wiwitan shrines".
  16. ^ BusinessWeek Mindanao 26 August 2011: "Divine Mercy Shrine in Misamis Oriental celebrates Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary" Archived 2018-03-16 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ "Marian devotees flock to 'Our Lady of Candles' feast". www.pna.gov.ph. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  18. ^ "10 Destinos únicos para todo o peregrino católico visitar".
  19. ^ Parry, Ken (2009). Christianity: Religions of the World. Infobase Publishing. p. 139. ISBN 9781438106397.
  20. ^ Parry, Ken (2010). The Blackwell Companion to Eastern Christianity. John Wiley & Sons. p. 368. ISBN 9781444333619.
  21. ^ "The Kilkenny Cats - Popular Rhymes and Sayings of Ireland". www.libraryireland.com.
  22. ^ "St Canice's Cathedral is Kilkenny's Sacré Coeur - except that it has ghosts". www.kilkennypeople.ie. 15 February 2013.
  23. ^ Encyclopaedia Britannica; Or A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Miscellaneous Literature. Archibald Constable. 1823. p. 500.
  24. ^ "Pilgrimage to Uman • Abbas • Patrick Zachmann • Magnum Photos Magnum Photos". Magnum Photos. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  25. ^ "Le "Gerusalemme" del Piemonte". Il Torinese. 9 April 2023. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
    "Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  26. ^ Keith McNeal (March–April 2002). "Miracle Mother — Siparee Mai, La Divina Pastora". Caribbean Beat Magazine.
  27. ^ Humanas, Alexandre De Freitas-Graduado E. Pós-graduado Em Ciências (16 July 2012). "Cidades e Lugares: Cidades sagradas para o Cristianismo".
  28. ^ Martin Gray (2022). "Luján". Sacred Sites.
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