Holy Landmarks: Guess the Country (1)

[B] Vatican City | Michelangelo's dome crowns this papal powerhouse where Bernini's bronze baldachin stands four stories tall. Built over St. Peter's tomb, it holds 60,000 worshippers and enough Renaissance art to stock ten museums.

[A] Spain | Those candy-cane arches? Pure Moorish magic from 784 AD. Christians plonked a cathedral right in the middle during the Reconquista, creating Europe's most successful architectural mashup.

[B] Brazil | Brazil's national shrine pulls in 12 million pilgrims yearly. The brick behemoth fits 45,000 people inside, making Sunday mass feel like a World Cup final with better acoustics.

[C] Spain | Gothic giant with a Moorish bell tower called La Giralda. Columbus supposedly rests here, though DNA tests keep things spicy. The altarpiece alone took 80 years to carve.

[A] Italy | Six centuries of construction created 3,400 statues, 135 spires, and rooftop tours where you can literally walk among saints. Pink Candoglia marble makes sunset visits pure Instagram gold.

[D] United States | Manhattan's "St. John the Unfinished" started in 1892 and still isn't done. Peacocks roam the grounds, Keith Haring's altarpiece lives here, and the Halloween concert features silent horror films.

[C] Poland | Europe's seventh-largest church opened in 2004, proving Poland still builds them big. The golden dome weighs 5 tons and the bell tower climbs 141.5 meters into Polish skies.

[D] United Kingdom | Britain's largest cathedral rocks red sandstone and the world's highest Gothic arches. Great George, the bourdon bell, weighs 31 tons and probably wakes up ghosts when it rings.

[A] Portugal | Fátima's modern marvel seats 9,000 pilgrims without a single interior column blocking views. The circular design means everyone gets front-row seats to witness apparition anniversaries.

[C] Italy | Fire destroyed the original in 1823, but Romans rebuilt it bigger. Every pope since Peter gets a mosaic portrait here – they're running out of wall space after 266 faces.

[B] Romania | Bucharest's new Orthodox giant cost $500 million and counting. The 120-meter height deliberately beats Parliament Palace next door because spiritual superiority needs architectural proof, apparently.

[D] Spain | Zaragoza's Basilica del Pilar claims Mary appeared on a pillar in 40 AD. Goya painted the cupolas, bombs from Spain's Civil War didn't explode inside – locals credit divine intervention.

[B] Italy | Brunelleschi's dome was Renaissance mic-drop engineering – no scaffolding needed. The facade only got finished in 1887 because Florentines spent 500 years arguing about the design.

[A] Mexico | World's most-visited Catholic pilgrimage site after Vatican City. The tilma hangs behind bulletproof glass while moving walkways prevent pilgrim traffic jams beneath Juan Diego's cloak.

[A] Belgium | Cathedral of Our Lady took 169 years to build and houses four Rubens masterpieces. Napoleon's troops used it as a stable, which explains why the art needed serious restoration.

[D] Brazil | This concrete cone seats 20,000 standing worshippers. Four stained-glass windows stretch floor to ceiling, bathing the interior in colored light that changes throughout the day.

[B] Belgium | Brussels' Sacred Heart Basilica mixes Art Deco with Byzantine vibes. The copper dome turned green faster than expected, giving the skyline an unexpected Statue of Liberty moment.

[C] Ivory Coast | President Houphouët-Boigny built this St. Peter's replica in his birthplace. Air conditioning for 18,000 people in African heat costs more than some countries' education budgets.

[D] Turkey | Byzantine masterpiece turned mosque, then museum, then mosque again. The dome seems to float on light, an illusion that's fooled architects for 1,500 years trying to copy it.

[B] Italy | San Petronio's sundial stretches 67 meters across the floor. The unfinished facade showcases medieval brick because Bologna spent the decoration money on university buildings instead.

[A] Germany | Twin spires hit 157 meters, making it Europe's tallest twin-spired church. The Shrine of the Three Kings supposedly holds the Magi's bones – great marketing since 1164.

[C] United Kingdom | Wren's masterpiece survived 57 consecutive nights of bombing during the Blitz. The Whispering Gallery lets you hear whispers from 112 feet away, though shouting tourists usually ruin it.

[B] United States | Gothic Revival complete with gargoyles including Darth Vader – seriously, bring binoculars. The Space Window contains an actual moon rock because American churches need American flexes.

[C] France | France's tallest complete cathedral interior reaches 42.3 meters. Medieval builders carved 4,000 figures into the facade, and summer light shows recreate the original psychedelic paint job.

[A] Italy | Padua's Benedictine basilica sprawls across eight domes. The monks still sing Gregorian chants daily, maintaining a tradition older than most European nations.

[D] Egypt | Home to Africa's largest cathedral and ancient Coptic churches. Hanging Church sits above Roman fortress gates where Holy Family supposedly hid – location, location, location since 690 AD.

[D] South Korea | Seoul's Pentecostal megachurch claims 800,000 members. Sunday services run seven times because fitting everyone in once would require a stadium and really good acoustics.

[C] Czech Republic | Prague Castle's crown jewel took 600 years to complete. Mucha's Art Nouveau window depicts Saints Cyril and Methodius in stained glass that looks like a divine comic book.

[B] United States | America's Catholic headquarters features 70 chapels representing different cultures. The Knights of Columbus bell tower carillon plays hourly, whether Washington commuters want it or not.

[A] Argentina | Neo-Gothic towers reach 112 meters in Buenos Aires Province. Took 117 years to finish because Argentina's economy crashed repeatedly – Gothic architecture outlasted five different currencies.