5 virtual tours of religious sites you can take while you stay home

An aerial view of Jerusalem’s Old City. Wikipedia Commons photo.

(TRAVEL) With most of the world’s population stuck at home in an effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus, travel has come to a standstill. Springtime, and the approaching summer, are typically a time to take a flight and explore another part of the world.

Since most of us are inside and waiting for this pandemic to subside, you can still visit places virtually — with the help of your computer — from the comforts of home. Religious sites and museums, popular with pilgrims and tourists alike, are very popular this time of year.

Staying home doesn’t mean you can’t travel digitally. It is also a chance to research places you’d like to visit once normalcy resumes. Below are five places you can visit right now:

The Holy Land

A popular travel destination for the world’s three major monotheistic faiths — Judaism, Christianity and Islam — the Holy Land is a geographic area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea in present-day Israel, the Palestinian territories and parts of Syria.

Some popular sites includes the Mount of Olives, Church of the Holy Sepulchre as well as the Western Wall and Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Mosques in the Islamic world

A place of worship for Muslims around the world, mosques can be found everywhere around the world and serve as a place for prayer. The word mosque in English evolved from the Arabic term masjid, which means “place of prostration.”

Special importance is accorded to the Great Mosque in Mecca, where Muslims attend the hajj, the Prophet’s Moque in Medina, Mohammad’s burial site) and the aforementioned Al-Aqsa Mosque, where it is believed Mohammad ascended to heaven.

St. Peter’s Basilica  

Vatican City, one of the most sacred places in Christianity, contains a unique collection of artistic and architectural masterpieces. A city state located in the city of Rome, St. Peter’s Basilica — with its double colonnade and a circular piazza — remains a breathtaking site.

The basilica, built over the tomb of St Peter, is the largest religious building in the world, and highlighted by the works of Raphael, Michelangelo and Gian Lorenzo Bernini. TripAdvisor named a tour of the Holy See’s famous museums at the top of its top 10 experiences around the globe in its second-annual Travelers’ Choice Awards for Experiences, beating out second-place Chicago for their architectural river cruises.

Hagia Sophia

Located in the Turkish capitol Istanbul, the former Greek Orthodox cathedral, and later converted into an Ottoman mosque, is now a museum.

It was built in the years between 532 and 537 on the orders of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I. The site is most-famous for the mosaics that decorate its interior walls. It has been a museum since 1935.

Westminster Abbey

Located in London, the gothic site is one of the United Kingdom’s most notable religious buildings. It is also the site of coronation and burial for members of the British monarchy.

Originally a Benedictine monastery built 1,000 years ago, the abbey was dissolved in 1539. Since 1560, it has been under the control of the British sovereign.

Clemente Lisi is a senior editor and regular contributor to Religion Unplugged. He is the former deputy head of news at the New York Daily News and teaches journalism at The King’s College in New York City. Follow him on Twitter @ClementeLisi.