Throughout my travels, I have visited many amazing countries and cities. Within these trips, there have been a number of tourist sites and landmarks that I’ve been to that are, in my opinion, architectural marvels.
So far, my top three have to be the Lyon Basilica, the Duomo in Florence, and the Boudhanath Stupa, located in France, Italy, and Nepal, respectively. Each of these places have displayed something that I don’t think are found anywhere else in the world.
Lyon Basilica
The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière is located in Lyon, France, which is southeast of Paris in the French Alps.
The Basilica is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, as she is thought to have saved Lyon in the 1600's as the bubonic plague (or the Black Death) tried to claim the city. She is also attributed to saving Lyon on multiple other occasions throughout history.
It was designed by Pierre Bossan, who used Byzantine, Gothic, and Romanesque architecture to create this stunning building. It is two churches on top of each other, with a simply decorated lower church, and a richly designed higher church.
Located on the top of Fourvière Hill, the Basilica can be accessed by a funicular or by a series of steps on the backside of the hill. The funicular takes about three minutes and leaves every 15 minutes. At the time, I just took the stairs because I didn’t want to pay or wait in line for the funicular, and I thought it would be a fun walk, but it was a very steep and tiring journey up. It went on for much longer than I was expecting. If you’re not prepared for a bit of a hike, do not take the stairs!
The inside of the Basilica is one of the most beautiful architectural marvels that I have ever seen. Looking at the outside of the building, you wouldn’t guess what is awaiting you through its doorway. Decorated in intricately carved white and gray marble, and accented with blue, green, and gold, the main gallery is a true work of art. There are large naves, domed ceilings, Gothic arches, stained glass windows, and murals painted all around. Almost every inch of the higher church is decorated beautifully.
For my trip to the Basilica, I went on a behind-the-scenes tour, gaining access to places that normal visitors don’t get to see. The tour was about 1h30m long. We climbed into the rafters above the big main gallery of the church, stepped inside the Architects’ Office and saw original sketches and plans, went on the Gallery of the Angels, which is a balcony that looks out over the front of the Basilica, and explored the attic above the Dome where we saw old gargoyles and the raw parts of the construction of the church. To get to all of these places, we had to climb a massive spiral staircase in the base of the front right tower.
We then found ourselves on the roof, where we were able to walk around and see the collection of bells in the Bell Tower, before climbing up to the St. Michael terrace and on top of the observatory tower to see a beautiful view of Lyon.
I thought the tour was going to be in French and English, but it turns out that it was just in French. My French is very beginner/basic intermediate, so I didn’t actually know what she was saying half the time, but it was still such an amazing experience. I kept to the back of the group, and just took in the architecture around me. I had never been on a tour like this before, and it was really cool to go up onto the roof. It is funny, that even though I didn’t understand most of what was being said, it still turned out to be one of my favorite things I’ve ever done in France!
To find out more information about the tour, click here.
Duomo Florence
The Duomo, also known as the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the historic center of Florence.
When I was interrailing around Italy, Florence was my favorite city that I had the chance to visit, and the Duomo was my favorite thing that I saw there.
On the outside, the Duomo is striking. The external walls are covered in white, red/orange and green marble, with geometric figures and flowers dispersed throughout the patterns. I’ve never seen another building like this before.
When visiting the Duomo, there are many different parts that you can explore depending on your ticket type. There are three different ticket options to choose from; I picked the Brunelleschi Pass, which gave me access to everything possible, but was the most expensive. This included the Dome, the Bell Tower, the Baptistery, the Duomo Museum, and the Santa Reparata. For me, if I’m visiting somewhere new, I want to be able to see everything that I can.
The inside of the Cathedral is a bit plain, compared to the outside, but the pièce de résistance was the inside of the Dome. The Dome was built by Filippo Brunelleschi between 1420 and 1436, and still holds the record for the largest masonry vault in the world. Inside the Dome is an expansive mural, titled The Last Judgment, which was painted by Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari between 1572 and 1579. After climbing up to the observation deck at the top of the Dome, you will pass along a balcony indoors where you will be able to see the mural up close.
The Bell Tower is designed in the Italian Gothic style, mirroring the outside of the main Duomo with the multicolored marbles, carved into angular shapes and patterns. Visitors can climb 414 stairs to get to the lookout balconies at the top, with beautiful views over the rest of the Duomo and Florence.
Another beautiful piece is the mosaic that you will be able to see on the ceiling of the Baptistery. This octagonal building is located just off of the Duomo, and is made of white and green marble on the outside, with the same geometric designs. The mosaic was made between the 13th and 14th centuries, and covers the entire vault, the apse, parts of the matroneum, its parapets and parts of the walls. The mosaic was started by artists of the Byzantine school, then was continued and completed by Tuscan masters of the 13th and 14th centuries, including Cimabue, Coppo of Marcovaldo, Meliore and more.
The Duomo Museum and the Santa Reparata were both interesting visits, delving you further into the history of the Duomo, Florence, and religion. While they might not have been as ‘marvelous’ as the other locations, they are still worth a pop in and a walk around.
The stunning marble works, paired with the awe-inducing murals and mosaics, make the Duomo a must-visit stop on anyone’s trip to Florence and Italy.
Boudhanath Stupa
Boudhanath Stupa is another UNESCO World Heritage Site that can be found in Kathmandu, Nepal.
In Buddhism, a stupa is a mound-like structure that contains relics that are used as a place of meditation. Also known as Boudha, this stupa forms a giant mandala and is one of the largest spherical stupas in Nepal, and even the world.
Since the stupa forms a mandala, it represents the five elements: earth, water, air, fire, and space. The structure of Boudha consists of three large platforms that decrease in size, and represents a gateway between heaven and Earth.
The site is a holy place for Buddhists, who come to make pilgrimages and pray to Buddha.
Boudha really is a gigantic structure. It takes up a vast amount of space, and can be clearly seen when looking at aerial shots of Kathmandu.
The stupa itself is white, with a golden spire at its peak. The golden spire has the Eyes of Buddha painted on it, symbolizing the all-seeing wisdom of Buddha. Lines of prayer flags, also representing the five elements, flow down from the spire, blowing colorfully in the wind. Lots of birds have made their homes on the dome, sitting and waiting for bits of food to be dropped from passing visitors.
It is a very busy spot to visit, as it is one of the most popular attractions in Kathmandu. You will see all walks of life here, from other tourists, to monks, to local residents coming to visit the site during their lunch break.
The Boudhanath Stupa is surrounded with streets and alleyways that are lined with restaurants, coffee shops, local artisans, and more. I stopped into one of the stores that surrounded the stupa that sold traditional sound bowls. I was taken through all of the different sizes and metals that they had in-store, and was given a demonstration on how to use it. I ended up buying a medium-sized bowl, which I love to use at home and create the melodic ringing. It was on the pricier side, but I went to a skilled craftsman for mine, rather than a tourist shop that sold cheaper makes.
I also stopped into a Buddhist monastery that was on the perimeter of Boudha, and it was alive with color. I noticed this throughout my trip, that religious sites and monasteries were bright and welcoming, decorated with very detailed and skilled colorful artworks. Inside the temple, you are able to climb up to a balcony that gives you a wonderful look over the entire site.
This place really stuck with me because of its sheer size and the beauty of its simplicity, but also its cultural and religious complexities. I visited Boudha after my trek to Base Camp, and it was so nice to see another stupa, though this was over 10 times the size of any I saw up in the mountains.
I do think it is well worth the 30 - 40 minutes it takes to walk around the site to take in one of the largest stupas in the world. It is such an impressive structure, especially when you think about the magnitude its presence has had on so many individuals, both past and present.
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