Some temples impress us by their size and luxury and others by exactly the opposite characteristics…

A feature article in Huffington Post describes the most amazing monasteries and churches that are built in caves.

The church of Agios Stephanos (Saint Stephanos) in Syros is one of the most stunning churches mentioned in the article. It is located in a small cave west of the settlements of Galissas and Foinikas. According to folk tales, a fisherman built the chapel inside the cave to thank the saint for saving him from a giant squid.

See the amazing cave churches…

1. A general view of St Samaans (Simon) Church, in a village close to Cairo.

2. The Underground Serbian Orthodox Church in Coober Pedy in Australia.

3. A small chapel built in cave, in Western Syros, Cyclades.

4. An underground Roman Catholic church in Colombia .

5. Sainte-Marie Madeleine Holy Cave, France.

6. The Cave Churches of Goreme, Turkey.

7. Piedigrotta chapel, in Calabria, Italy.

8. Callao Cave Chapel, Philippines.

9. Hermitage Saint Antoineί, Pyrenees.

10. Cave Church of St. Peter, Hatay, Turkey.

11. Agioi Saranta, a cave church near Protaras, Cyprus.

12. Tomb at back of Geghard Monastery complex in Armenia.

13. Orthodox Christian monastery, Jericho.

14. Mihalich Cave Church, Bulgaria.

15. Chapel Of the Blessed King, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Krakow, Poland

16. St. Stephen’s Cave Church, Budapest, Hungary.

17. Jonas caves, Auvergne, Frace.

18. Underground chapel, Barranco de Guayadeque valley.

19. Man praying at Cave Chapel at Modderpoort Prior, South Africa.