15 of the Most Beautiful Church Ceilings From Around the World

By nature a church is meant to inspire, to give its patrons hope in something bigger than themselves. Often, that mantra is translated into the structure's design, specifically church ceilings. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the ceiling is where visitors look to when praying to the heavens, or possibly it's because the ceiling is the largest space for the architect to flex their creative muscles. Regardless of the reason, church ceilings offer some of the most dramatically beautiful designs in all of architecture. As such, AD rounds up fifteen of the best church ceilings in the world.

Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford, England.

Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire, England.

Exeter Cathedral in Exeter, England.

Holy Savior Cathedral in Isfahan, Iran.

Peterborough Cathedral in Cambridgeshire, England.

Chapel of King's College at Cambridge University in Cambridge, England.

The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain.

The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, Italy.

Basilica della Santissima Annunziata del Vastato in Genoa, Italy.

St. Cecile Cathedral in Albi, France.

Henry VII Chapel at Westminster Abbey in London, England.

St. Stephen's Cathedral in Passau, Germany.

Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière in Lyon, France.

Abbey Church of Stift Melk Benedictine Monastery in Austria.