• Home

The Complete Pilgrim - Religious Travel Sites

Howard Kramer's, The Complete Pilgrim, Religious Travel Site

  • AMERICAN RELIGIOUS SITES
  • CHRISTIAN SITES
  • JEWISH SITES
  • CATHOLIC SITES
  • ISLAMIC SITES
  • INDIAN/HINDU SITES
  • HOLIDAY SITES
  • CASTLES
  • BATTLEFIELDS
  • MOUNTAINS
  • NATURE
  • WILDLIFE SITES
  • PHOTO GALLERIES
  • ARCHIVES
  • ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABBEY OF MELK

February 15, 2015 By Howard Kramer 2 Comments

Melk, Austria Throughout the Middle Ages in the west, monastaries, more than any other institution, were the great repositories of knowledge and learning.  Across Christian Europe, monks devoted their lives to the preservation and dissemination of knowledge, creating the forerunners of universities and maintaining great libraries. Few were greater, or more famous, than the … [Read more...]

CATHEDRAL OF ST. STEPHEN

February 15, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Vienna, Austria St. Stephen’s Cathedral is the great church of the city of Vienna. For many centuries it was also the home church of the Hapsburg dynasty, which ruled over much of Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries, making its clergy among the most influential in the world.  Many of the city’s bishops are buried within, as are a few members of the Hapsburg royal family, … [Read more...]

ANCIENT CHURCHES OF SALZBURG

February 15, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

  Salzburg, Austria The city of Salzburg was probably the first place north of the Alps to receive Christianity, and was a major early gateway for the spread of faith into Germanic Europe.  The city boasts a phenomenal collection of Christian sites, both ancient and famous, which collectively make for a worthy pilgrimage destination.  St. Peter’s Church was founded in … [Read more...]

SALZBURG HIGH FORTRESS

December 19, 2014 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Salzburg, Austria The city of Salzburg in western Austria has been an important military, commercial and religious center since the early Middle Ages.  Salzburg was the closest city to Venice north of the Alps, and was consequently a major hub for spreading trade and the Church from Italy into Central Europe.  To guard the area and the traffic passing through, the local … [Read more...]

CHILLON CASTLE

December 18, 2014 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Montreaux, Switzerland The Chateau de Chillon in Switzerland is the unlikely ancestral home of the royal house that ultimately united Italy.  Located on the shores of Lake Geneva in the heart of the Swiss Alps, Chillon is geographically, architecturally and culturally worlds away from Italy.  And yet the rulers of this ancient Burgundian stronghold, in defiance of the vast … [Read more...]

SNOW GLOBE MUSEUM

October 19, 2014 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

SNOW GLOBE MUSEUM

Vienna, Austria Snow Globes have been around since the 19th century, and have long been associated with two traditions: the holidays, and tacky tourist souvenirs.  However, thanks to the efforts of serious artists, as well as prominent appearances in the movies Elf and The Santa Clause, the snowglobe is once again becoming a favorite Christmas collectible.  There are few … [Read more...]

SILENT NIGHT CHAPEL

October 18, 2014 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

SILENT NIGHT CHAPEL

Oberndorf, Austria The city of Salzburg and its environs has three great musical traditions.  The first is that of home town composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; the second is the Von Trapp family of Sound of Music fame; the third is the tradition of the Christmas Carol Silent Night, the most popular carol of the Romantic period and arguably the greatest carol ever composed in … [Read more...]

CHRISTMAS IN VIENNA CONCERT

October 16, 2014 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

CHRISTMAS IN VIENNA CONCERT

Vienna, Austria Christmas is a holiday of spectacular music, and no place is this more true than in Vienna, the epymonious city of music.  Vienna shines during the holidays, when its many great musical institutions, from the small ensembles that perform in cafes and streetcorners to the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, pull out all the stops.  But the hottest ticket in town … [Read more...]

ST. PIERRE’S CATHEDRAL

June 8, 2014 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

ST. PIERRE’S CATHEDRAL

Geneva, Switzerland While Wittenberg is honored as the birthplace of the Protestant Reformation, it was Geneva that served as the unofficial headquarters of Reformation activity throughout the better part of the 16th century.  Although he was not a Lutheran, John Calvin took up the banner of the Reformation in the years following Martin Luther’s death as the next great … [Read more...]

GROSSMUNSTER OF ZURICH

June 8, 2014 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

GROSSMUNSTER OF ZURICH

Zurich, Switzerland Uldrich Zwingli is the oft-forgotten third leg of the Protestant Reformation, almost lost in the shadows of giants Luther and Calvin.  The most prominent Reformer independent of Luther, he established Protestantism throughout much of Switzerland a few decades before John Calvin showed up.  Until Calvin established himself in Geneva, Zurich was the … [Read more...]

« Previous Page

THE COMPLETE AMERICAN PILGRIM – NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

THE COMPLETE PILGRIM

Welcome to The Complete Pilgrim(TM)! This site, created by Howard Kramer, is a combination travel blog and online guide to the world's greatest sites of religious interest (with some historic and recreational places thrown in for good measure). All written content has been originally researched and produced and is provided free for public research and enjoyment. Thank you for visiting!

Site of the Week

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

Wittenberg, Germany The … [Read More...]

Friends of TCP Spotlight

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

by Glory Ali The City of Brotherly Love offers tons to see and do and get this, it’s FREE. That’s right you heard it right it’s FREE. Click here for complete article  

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

by Mary Neuhauser President Trump recently announced his intentions to move the United States Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, thereby recognizing Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel. The purpose of this article is to give you a brief overview of what this decision means and why it matters. Click here for […]

Photo of the Week

BASILICA OF ST. DENIS

Last month, I visited one of the most fascinating churches I have ever been to, the almost completely ignored Basilica of St. Denis in the northern suburbs of Paris.  Almost every French monarch is buried here, and almost nobody goes here.  Here are some pics I took:

Basilica of St. Denis

Tomb of Clovis

Tomb of Clovis

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Royal Tombs

Royal Tombs

The Crypt

The Crypt

 

 

 

 

Follow us!

Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

Contact Us

Have a comment, a great photo or a religious site you'd like to nominate for the weekly spotlight? We would love to hear from you. Email us at hkramer@thecompletepilgrim.com.

About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

Return to top of page
Copyright © 2023 The Complete Pilgrim, LLC || Marietta, GA 30068 || Legal Disclaimers

Website by: Kristina McInerny, Notes From Kris, Inc.