Temple Emanu-El<\/a>\u00a0is one of the largest Jewish temples in the world.<\/p>\nInside, Temple Emanu-El is full of color. The ceiling is painted and gilded, its arches are lined with mosaics of glass and marble, and there are more than 60 stained glass windows. The temple is also home to a museum that houses artifacts important in Jewish history.<\/p>\n
Completed in 1929, Temple Emanu-El’s 5th Avenue and 65th Street location is the fifth home for its congregation, whose members have been worshiping in New York since 1845.<\/p>\n
Mark Heutlinger, administrator of the Emanu-El congregation, said the temple and its members are an important fixture “on the greatest street in the greatest land in the greatest city of religious freedom.”<\/p>\n
“We are a part and parcel of the mosaic society of New York \u2014 the quilt of cultures that represents New York City,” Heutlinger said.<\/p>\n
Admission to Temple Emanu-El is free, and it is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.<\/p>\n
Palace of Gold in Moundsville, West Virginia<\/strong><\/p>\nA name like Palace of Gold comes with high expectations, and this West Virginia shrine doesn’t disappoint.<\/p>\n
The Indian-inspired palace is expansive, with marble floors, crystal chandeliers, stained-glass windows, wood-carved furniture and walls covered in leaves of 22-karat gold. The grounds surrounding the building feature an impressive rose garden, a fountain, thousands of different bushes and a lotus-filled lake.<\/p>\n
It’s hard to believe this exquisite palace, which opened in 1979, was initially intended to be just a simple house.<\/p>\n
In 1973, West Virginia devotees of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, a Hindu organization more commonly known in the U.S. as the Hare Krishna movement, had decided to build a home for their leader, Srila Prabhupada.<\/p>\n
But when Prabhupada died in 1977, the disciples’ course of construction changed, and they began instead to build a memorial for Prabhupada. And with that, the elaborate Palace of Gold was born.<\/p>\n
April through August, the Palace of Gold is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, and tours are available: $8 for adults and $6 for children ages 6 to18. From September to March, its hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and tours are $6 per adult and $3 per child.<\/p>\n
Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah<\/strong><\/p>\nNot everyone who travels to the Salt Lake City Temple is allowed inside the walls, but that doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy its splendor.<\/p>\n
Only temple recommended Mormons may step foot inside the structure, which is used for special instruction and ordinances, such as celestial marriages. But the view from outside the temple is inspirational enough.<\/p>\n
The Neo-Gothic building, which was dedicated in 1893, took 40 years to construct. Except for some of its hardware and glass, the temple was built completely of native materials. With five floors, six spires — the tallest standing at 210 feet — and a granite facade, the structure is definitely imposing.<\/p>\n
Salt Lake Temple is at the heart of Temple Square, three blocks containing nearly 20 attractions significant to Latter-day Saints’ life and history, such as Assembly Hall and the Salt Lake City Tabernacle.<\/p>\n
In 2011, Temple Square saw about 2,750,000 visitors from all over the world. And for those not allowed inside the temple, a scaled model is on display in the Temple Square South Visitors’ Center, which shows off the building’s interior.<\/p>\n
Most buildings in Temple Square are open daily to the public, free of charge.<\/p>\n
St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City<\/strong><\/p>\nAlthough St. Patrick’s Cathedral isn’t as tall as the skyscrapers that surround it, the cathedral has an old-world grandeur that’s rare in New York.<\/p>\n
The design of this Neo-Gothic church, which features soaring spires, an elaborate marble exterior and colorful stained glass windows, was inspired by the great cathedrals of Europe. Replacing a church of the same name, St. Patrick’s Cathedral opened its doors in 1879 to help accommodate a growing Catholic population in the city.<\/p>\n
The cathedral is iconic in Midtown Manhattan, known as a place of retreat, Monsignor Robert Ritchie said.<\/p>\n
“It’s kind of an oasis of quiet inside the hustle and bustle of the surrounding area,” Ritchie said. “It’s a place people can go with their problems, a place where people can just go and look at some beautiful scenery, a place where people can pray.”<\/p>\n
Open from 6:30 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. daily, the church welcomes visitors. Free guided group tours can also be scheduled during weekdays.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(CNN)\u00a0— People visit Jerusalem for the rich history, interwoven religious narratives and crumbling holy walls. They visit Europe for ornate churches with painted ceilings and golden trim. They visit India … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2101],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/1001harf.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6209"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/1001harf.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/1001harf.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1001harf.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1001harf.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6209"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/1001harf.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6209\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/1001harf.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1001harf.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1001harf.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}