The World's Most Beautiful Places
Altar and Sanctuary. The Monte Cassino religious shrine, part of the St. Meinrad Catholic Archabbey in southwest Indiana, was constructed in 1870. It was named after an archabbey in Italy founded by St. Benedict.
Pleasant Hill, Kentucky also known as Shakertown, was a Shaker (the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing) religious community from 1805 to 1910. With many well-preserved buildings, the village was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971.
The Kentucky Shaker village was founded by three New England Shaker missionaries, John Meacham, Benjamin Seth Youngs, and Issachar Bates. They founded the community around the teachings of Mother Ann Lee who believed in celibacy. Kentucky’s Shaker community ultimately died out, in part because of their beliefs in celibacy, problems encountered during and after the Civil War, and a declining interest in their way of life by potential converts . But their legacy of hard work, and fine craftsmanship lives on at Pleasant Hill.
A statue of Saint Francis of Assisi holding a crucifix, at the Mount Saint Francis Center for Spirituality west of Jeffersonville, Indiana. The Mt. Saint Francis retreat center opened in 1975 and is owned by an order of Conventual Franciscan Friars, a group affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church.