Because territory is always being conquered and reconquered, we can't expect a single place of worship to stand forever in service of the same gods. For example, the Pantheon of Rome, Italy, which is around 2,000 years old, was originally built in honor of the many gods of that ancient empire. In A.D. 609, however, the temple was rededicated as a Christian church that is still known to many as the church of Santa Maria ad Martyres. Read on for more pictures of retooled holy sites.
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Like its home city of Istanbul, the Hagia Sophia has traded hands many times. Built in the 6th century under the auspices of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, the large and majestic cathedral has served not only in its original capacity as an Eastern Orthodox church but also as a mosque under times of Islamic rule. Click ahead to see inside.
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In 1935, Turkish authorities converted the Hagia Sophia into a secular museum. Despite the fact that it is no longer primarily a place of worship, the majesty of its great dome can still inspire transcendent inklings. Click ahead to see one of the most awe-inspiring temples of Asia.
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The massive temple of Angkor Wat was built in the 12th century. Standing against the forested backdrop of present-day Cambodia, the stone temple is now part of a UNESCO-protected archaeological park. Before this, however, it was for centuries a Buddhist temple, and before that, it served as a tribute to the Hindu god Vishnu.
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Parts of the Angkor Wat temple are overgrown with banyan trees, which have religious significance to both Hindus and Buddhists. Next, you'll see the Syrian shrine of a prophet honored by more than one religion.
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This is the shrine of St. John the Baptist -- known to many Muslims as the prophet Yahya -- in the Great Mosque of Damascus, Syria. Ancient Arameans are believed to have come to this site to offer propitiations to a storm god named Hadad, but it has since then served as a Roman Temple of Jupiter, a Christian church and (most recently) a mosque. Supposedly, the severed head of Yahya is housed inside this domed shrine.
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The Pantheon of Paris, pictured in the background of a student protest in March 2006, obviously drew some architectural inspiration from the Pantheon of Rome. It was built as a church of the Catholic St. Genevieve in the late 18th century, but the anti-religious French Revolution saw it converted into a secular burial site. It now serves many functions and is considered an important site of French cultural heritage. Next, you'll see one of the most intriguing mosques of Spain.
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Above, you can see the haunting interior design of the Cathedral-Mosque of Cordoba, Spain. Though the site had previously been used as an altar to the Roman god Janus and as a Visigoth church, it was converted into a mosque under the Caliphate of Cordoba in the 8th century. When the Spanish Saint Ferdinand III reconquered the area in 1236, a new Christian cathedral was dedicated inside the mosque.
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Where Romans once praised Minerva, their goddess of wisdom, you can now visit the Siracusa Cathedral, in the Piazza del Duomo of Syracuse, Sicily. As the classical gods of the Roman Empire fell out of favor and Christianity cemented its hold on Europe, many former Roman holy sites became Christian places of worship.
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We know very little about what Stonehenge meant to the Bronze Age Brits who put the standing stones in place, and many of the old theories about the monument's role in the rituals of the ancient Druids have been called into question. This hasn't stopped some modern Druids and Neopagans from ascribing holy power to the grounds, as you can see in this Druid celebration of the winter solstice from 2010.
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Many places of worship have been renovated for secular use, but sometimes, secular structures are appropriated for religious purposes. The popular Lama Temple in Beijing, China, was constructed 1694 as a minor royal palace for the Qing Dynasty, but it was eventually converted into an important Buddhist monastery. Click ahead to see a former church in the United States.
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Saint Vibiana's Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles stood as a place of worship from 1876 until the 1990s, when it sustained extensive earthquake damage. Since then, the congregation has relocated, and the former cathedral building has been converted into an arts and event space, hosting everything from weddings to Emmy Award parties. Next, you'll see a holy site that remains disputed.
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An Israeli policeman guards the Cave of the Patriarchs, located in Hebron in the West Bank. The cave is said to hold the bones of Abraham, who is considered the earthly founder of both Judaism and Islam. As a result of these competing interests, the landmark has fallen under the control of Muslim, Jewish and Christian powers throughout the years. In recent decades, the Cave of the Patriarchs has been the site of numerous religiously motivated bombings and murders.
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The Hagia Irene is another of Istanbul's great historical treasures. Like the Hagia Sophia, the Hagia Irene finds its Christian roots in the days of Constantine and the Roman Empire. Also like the Hagia Sophia, this holy dome has seen both Christian and Muslim worship throughout the years. Today, the building is used for secular purposes. Next, you'll see a modern cathedral more than a hundred years in the making.
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There's no disagreement about religious affiliation of the Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona, but while most cathedrals of this magnitude are ancient relics, this one still awaits the completion of its initial construction effort. Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí began his involvement with the project in 1883, bringing these bright spires toward the sky. Construction continues to this day.
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Fire temples, like the one shown above in Tehran, Iran, in 1996, are the official houses of worship for Zoroastrians. People of the Zoroastrian faith have a long history in Persia. During and after the Islamic conquest of the region, some former fire temples were converted into mosques to accommodate the widespread changes in religious adherence. Next, you'll see a site that dates back to medieval Europe.
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Photographed here around 1930, before the damage it sustained from German firebombing during World War II, the Temple Church in London has seen a shift in its mission over the years. The structure was built in the 12th century to house the rituals of the secret society known as the Knights Templar. Click ahead to see the effigies inside the Temple Church.
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Knight effigies like these line the floor of the Temple Church in tribute, posed in various positions as if each enacting a different personality. Obviously, this site is no longer officially dedicated to the secret rites of the Knights Templar. The sanctuary holds regular Anglican church services, as well as weddings and funerals. Next, you'll see a contested site in India.
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The Babri Masjid, a mosque built in the Indian city of Ayodhya in 1528, is seen above under the guard of Indian border security officers in this photo from 1990. At the time, a group of militant Hindus threatened to raze the mosque, due to allegations that it was built on the foundations of a former temple that marked the birthplace of the Hindu god Lord Ram. This dispute was the reason for continuous religious violence at the site throughout the years.
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In 1992, crowds of outraged Hindus overcame the security barricades and tore the Babri Masjid to pieces. The Ayodhya controversy has been a source of strife ever since, causing sectarian riots, suicide attacks and constant arguments over religious ownership of the tract that originally bore the mosque. In the photo above, taken 10 years after the Babri mosque was demolished, police set up tents in the city in hopes of preventing further mayhem in the wake of a terrorist bombing and a series of riots.
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The formerly Orthodox Church of the Holy Cross is perched on the small island of Akdamar in Lake Van, Turkey. The structure itself, which suffered many years of vandalism and neglect before it finally saw restoration efforts beginning in 2005, is built from a distinctive, pink-colored tufa stone. Hundreds of years ago, it was an Armenian cathedral. Now, like the Hagia Sophia and the Hagia Irene, the holy site has been designated a secular museum by the Turkish authorities. Next, you'll see a colorful holy site in Malaysia.
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Kek Lok Si is a Chinese Buddhist temple in Penang, Malaysia. Over the years, Kek Lok Si has embraced an inclusive role in the community, serving as a monastery and prayer hall for Buddhists, but also accommodating Taoists and others. In recent years it has become a dependable tourist attraction, with bright decorations and souvenir shops throughout. Click ahead to see one of the world's most famous disputed holy sites.
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This site in Jerusalem, which now houses the Islamic shrine known as the Dome of the Rock, also happens to be the location of Solomon's Temple, an ancient Jewish altar that was destroyed, rebuilt and destroyed again across a span of centuries. The Dome of the Rock is shown here at sunrise. Read on for another view of this shrine.
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Just like the hills and pastures on which they're built, sacred temples are bound to change hands. Whether the stone platform inside the Dome of the Rock really was the site of the Prophet Muhammad's ascension into heaven, or whether it truly was the foundation of the inner sanctuary where the Ark of the Covenant was once kept, believers give the place a palpable power with the strength of their convictions alone.
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