Sacred Places of the United States

Holy sites across many faiths and traditions.

Some of the most meaningful places in American geography are sacred ones — mountains where Native nations have prayed for centuries, mission churches older than the country, and new temples built by immigrant communities. This guide gathers notable holy sites across traditions, in no particular order.

#	Place	Why it's here
1	Bear Butte Near Sturgis, South Dakota	Prayer mountain of the Lakota and Cheyenne
2	Rainbow Bridge Lake Powell, Utah	Navajo sacred arch, "rainbow turned to stone"
3	Serpent Mound Adams County, Ohio	Ancient earthen serpent effigy in Ohio
4	Devils Tower Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming	Bear Lodge, sacred to many Plains nations
5	Mission San Xavier del Bac Tohono Oʼodham Nation, near Tucson, Arizona	Spanish colonial mission church, still active
6	El Santuario de Chimayó Chimayó, New Mexico	Pilgrimage church of healing earth
7	Touro Synagogue Newport, Rhode Island	Oldest synagogue building in the U.S.
8	Temple Square Salt Lake City, Utah	Headquarters of the Latter-day Saint faith
9	Kirtland Temple Kirtland, Ohio	First Latter Day Saint temple, 1836
10	Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Washington, D.C.	Largest Catholic church in North America
11	Washington National Cathedral Washington, D.C.	Gothic cathedral and site of state funerals
12	Bahá’í House of Worship Wilmette, Illinois	Oldest surviving Bahá’í temple in the world
13	Islamic Center of America Dearborn, Michigan	Landmark mosque in Dearborn, Michigan
14	Hsi Lai Temple Hacienda Heights, California	Fo Guang Shan Buddhist monastery near Los Angeles
15	BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham Robbinsville, New Jersey	Largest Hindu temple in the Western Hemisphere

Place

Why it's here