There’s wonder all around, but it’s easy to forget to look up. There’s the ever-mutable sky up there, and for centuries, architects, artists, and designers have tried to outdo it, often in churches, libraries, mosques, and museums. Many of those buildings save their greatest, most jaw-dropping sights for their own versions of the heavens: ceilings. We recently asked the readers in our Community Forum to tell us about the most startling ceilings they’ve ever encountered. What we found was heavenly (unsurprising, since many of them reside in houses of worship) and worth all the neck strain.
Take a look at some of our favorite submissions below, and if there’s an incredible ceiling you’d like to tell us about, head over to our forums and keep the conversation going! Here are some ceilings just bursting with the vision and artistry of a dozen Sistine Chapels.
Santa Maria de la Victoria Malaga, Spain
Austrian Academy of Sciences Vienna, Austria
Hampton Court Palace East Molesey, England
Dalí Theatre-Museum Figueres, Spain
Aachen Cathedral Aachen, Germany
Hohenzollern Castle Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Chiesa di Sant’ Ignazio di Loyola Rome, Italy
King’s College Chapel Cambridge, England
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane Rome, Italy
Strahov Library Prague, Czechia
Los Angeles Central Library Los Angeles, California
Christian Science Church Boston, Massachusetts
Galeries Lafayette Paris, France
Thomas Jefferson Building Washington, D.C.
Shah Mosque Isfahan, Iran
Alhambra Grenada, Spain
Palau de la Música Catalana Barcelona, Spain
Gur-e-Amir Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis St. Louis, Missouri
Ohio Theatre Columbus, Ohio
St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral Washington, D.C.
Chiesa Santa Maria dei Miracoli Venice, Italy
Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque Muscat, Oman
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