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At Bhutan’s Tiger’s Nest, white walls and gilded roofs cling to ledges above the Paro Valley. At Georgia’s Katskhi Pillar, a church sits on top of a limestone column. These photographs show how monasteries, temples, and shrines fit into the rock around them, from buildings tucked under overhangs to sanctuaries carved into cliff faces.

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1
Paro Taktsang, Bhutan
Paro Taktsang, Bhutan: The Tiger’s Nest spreads across a series of narrow ledges over the Paro Valley. The white walls, red…
2
Roussanou Monastery, Meteora, Greece
Roussanou Monastery, Meteora, Greece: The monastery’s outer walls follow the edges of a single sandstone pillar. The roof…
3
Sümela Monastery, Türkiye
Sümela Monastery, Türkiye: The monastery forms a pale band across a dark cliff above the Altındere Valley. Its outer facade…
4
Hanging Temple of Mount Heng, China
Hanging Temple of Mount Heng, China: Timber galleries connect the halls of the Hanging Temple across a gap in the rock…
5
Key Monastery, Spiti Valley, India
Key Monastery, Spiti Valley, India: Flat-roofed buildings step up the sides of a rocky hill above the Spiti Valley. The…
6
Upper Ostrog Monastery, Montenegro
Upper Ostrog Monastery, Montenegro: The white facade fills a cleft in the cliff above the Bjelopavlići Plain. The front…
7
Katskhi Pillar, Georgia
Katskhi Pillar, Georgia: A small church stands at the top of a limestone column. The narrow summit leaves room for a few…
8
Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey, Spain
Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey, Spain: The abbey’s long ranges occupy a shelf below Montserrat’s rounded rock towers. Seen…
9
Panagia Hozoviotissa Monastery, Amorgos, Greece
Panagia Hozoviotissa Monastery, Amorgos, Greece: The monastery’s white front wall rises directly against a brown cliff. It…
10
Nageire-dō Hall at Sanbutsu-ji, Japan
Nageire-dō Hall at Sanbutsu-ji, Japan: The small timber hall sits under a rock overhang on Mount Mitoku. Its long, crossed…
11
Risshaku-ji, Yamadera, Japan
Risshaku-ji, Yamadera, Japan: The Kaisan-dō hall and the red sutra repository occupy neighboring ledges on the…
12
Vardzia Cave Monastery, Georgia
Vardzia Cave Monastery, Georgia: Rows of openings puncture the cliff at Vardzia. Among them, the entrance to the Church of…
13
Geghard Monastery, Armenia
Geghard Monastery, Armenia: Masonry buildings stand against the cliffs of the Upper Azat Valley. Several of Geghard’s…
14
Kailasa Temple, Ellora, India
Kailasa Temple, Ellora, India: The temple stands in a courtyard cut into the rock at Ellora. The sheer walls around it show…
15
Maijishan Grottoes, China
Maijishan Grottoes, China: Stairs and galleries cross the steep face of Maijishan between cave openings and large…
16
Nine-Story Pavilion at the Mogao Caves, China
Nine-Story Pavilion at the Mogao Caves, China: The pavilion’s stacked roofs mark the entrance to Cave 96 in the cliff at…
17
Hermitage of San Colombano, Italy
Hermitage of San Colombano, Italy: A rock overhang forms a shelter above the small hermitage near Rovereto. The pale walls…
18
Sanctuary of Madonna della Corona, Italy
Sanctuary of Madonna della Corona, Italy: The buildings rise below a bend in the cliff at Monte Baldo. The church and its…
19
Phugtal Monastery, Zanskar, India
Phugtal Monastery, Zanskar, India: White buildings fill ledges beneath a cave mouth in Zanskar. The upper structures reach…
20
Dhankar Monastery, Spiti Valley, India
Dhankar Monastery, Spiti Valley, India: The old monastery stands at the edge of pointed ridges above the Spiti Valley. The…
21
Taung Kalat, Myanmar
Taung Kalat, Myanmar: The gilded and white shrines of Taung Kalat crowd the top of a volcanic plug near Mount Popa. From…

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