‘One of the most breathtaking cathedrals in the world’: readers’ favourite churches in Europe | Cultural trips

Modernist delight in Norway

The Tromsøysund parish church, commonly called the Arctic Cathedral, in Tromsø is a modernist delight. The simple, elegant exterior that reflects the surrounding scenery and evokes traditional Sami dwellings is matched by an interior that has the most comfortable pews I have ever sat on. The stunning glass mosaic titled the Return of Christ at one end may not be to everyone’s taste, but to me had power and majesty. Exiting this magnificent building after an organ recital to be met by the northern lights flickering overhead was awe-inspiring.
Bruce Horton

Views over Nice from Matisse’s grave

I never understood what people get out of churches. The Monastère Notre Dame de Cimiez is different. The flower and herb filled gardens offer a stunning view over Nice, and the cemetery contains Matisse’s grave, but it is the small chapel that truly captures what a church should be. Although it would never compare with grander establishments, that is the point. It has unostentatiously soaked up belief for centuries. Sitting there I couldn’t quantify the feeling I had. Peace? Tranquillity? Serenity? Yes, all of that, but something more, something that finally made me understand what people get out of churches.
Robert Stroud

Domes and rotundas in Brescia, Italy

Nestled in a labyrinth of squares and winding streets, Brescia’s 17th-century Duomo Nuovo is a perfect example of an Italian church with stunning marble and huge domes. However, the highlight of the complex is the Duomo Vecchio, completed in the 12th century. A romanesque rotunda with an underground crypt, the cathedral is brimming with history and charm. Brescia’s cathedrals serve as a microcosm of Italy’s architectural evolution.
Daniel Baker

Glass and concrete masterpiece in Germany

In the Ruhr, south of Essen, is the town of Neviges in which stands one of the most breathtaking and individual cathedrals in the world. Maria, Königin des Friedens (Mary, Queen of Peace) is a modernist masterpiece built between 1966 and 1968 at the behest of Archbishop Frings of Cologne, a brave opponent of the Nazis during the second world war. Asymmetric galleries of concrete and stunning stained glass create a lofty space of light and warmth that belies any attempt to pigeonhole this design as “brutalist”. And if that’s not enough for a visit to this tourist-free location, then just down the road is the 8-mile Wuppertaler Schwebebahn – an amazing suspension railway.
Richard

Views of the Swiss Alps from Lausanne

Lausanne Cathedral sits up high, with views stretching from the picturesque old town all the way down to the lake and the towering Alps in the distance. The cathedral is free, but for a small fee you can also climb the bell tower. As well as its impressive gothic architecture and breathtaking city views, the cathedral, which dates back to the 12th century, hosts a varied programme of free performances, exhibits and events as a popular venue in Switzerland’s most vibrant and artistic city.
Amy

Orkney shrine built by Italian prisoners of war

Each time I visit the Italian Chapel in Orkney, I feel humbled by the craftsmanship and faith of the Italian prisoners of war who built it. After a request from the camp priest, artist Domenico Chiocchetti and his fellow prisoners were allowed to use two Nissen huts joined together to provide a chapel. Using scraps of metal, wood, paint and anything else they could find, they created a beautiful chapel full of love and peace during a time of war – an inspiring place to visit 80 years later.
Carol Hayden

The restless gargoyles of Rodez, France

The pink sandstone cathedral at Rodez dominates the skyline for miles around. Set on a hill high above the River Aveyron, this huge fortress-like medieval marvel has endured centuries of construction, plague and the hundred years war. The interior is a gasp-inducing chamber of vaulted ceilings and towering pillars, all framing the colossal organ that greets you on entry. The pews and misericords are intricately carved and polished with time. It’s a bewildering feat of engineering that can only be enjoyed if you manage to draw your gaze from the hypnotic leer of the hundreds of writhing gargoyles that seem to burst out of the stonework outside. They don’t look carved, they look fossilised, long dead guardians of this beautiful basilica.
Gareth Roberts

Mysterious beauty in a field in Oxfordshire

Although it’s easy enough to find, St Oswald’s in Widford sits in a remote field and the only access to it is via a rough footpath. Widford itself is a hamlet with only a few houses. Park on a nearby grass verge, walk over the cattle grid and head for what looks in the distance more like a barn than a church. The building is clearly mostly from the 13th century, but once you’re inside parts of an earlier church (Saxon or early Norman) become visible. Excavations of the site revealed Roman floor mosaics and partially uncovered wall paintings from the 14th century. Box pews from the 1700s are still in place. Mysterious, beautiful and powerful.
Michael H

Stunning paint job, Bulgaria

The village of Arbanasi near Veliko Tarnovo surprised us with one of the most magnificent churches we had ever seen. From the outside, bar the braces that now protect it from earthquakes, the Church of the Nativity is rather unassuming, possibly to not raise suspicions with the Ottomans then ruling. But the inside more than makes up for it. Every conceivable surface is painted with Orthodox icons and biblical scenes. It is truly overwhelming.
Marcus

Winning tip: beautiful windows in Kent

A couple of years ago, I went to All Saints Church in Tudeley, near Tonbridge in Kent. It’s a tiny church founded in the 12th century and restored over time. The church itself is quite ordinary, but all the windows are by the brilliant French and Russian artist Marc Chagall. In 1963, a local couple commissioned Chagall to design a stained glass window for the church in memory of their daughter. The artist liked the church so much he also designed the other 11 windows, in collaboration with glass-worker Charles Marq in Reims. The final windows were installed in 1985 shortly before Chagall’s death. The colours – a whole spectrum of blues – are magnificent. Being surrounded by all the blues in a peaceful place was blissful. And entry is free.
Anna Lowy

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this week’s readers’ travel tips. The shortlist here only represents a small proportion of the many wonderful entries we received. If your tip did not appear on the shortlist, please use the comments below to add it.