Mapping Europe’s Holy Places: A Look at 10 Out of 20,808 Locations Compiled by US Intelligence Agency

The US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) has recently created a map of Europe’s holy places, revealing a total of 20,808 locations with “saint” or “holy” in their names. The map, showcased on the Polish newsite Biqdata, highlights some surprising findings.

France takes the lead as the country with the most holy places, boasting 8,963 locations, followed by Spain with 4,444 places and Italy with 2,638. Interestingly, northern European countries like Sweden and Norway have fewer locations with religious connotations.

The UK has 327 holy places, while Ireland has just 34. However, the NGA’s findings did not always consider local languages, such as Gaelic and Welsh, which have prefixes indicating church names. For example, Wales is filled with towns starting with “Llan,” and Ireland has numerous towns with the prefix “Kil.”

One notable town in Wales is Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, which translates to “St. Mary’s church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the fierce whirlpool of St. Tysilio of the red cave.”

For those interested in exploring spiritual locations in the UK, the slideshow offers a glimpse into some of Britain’s most beautiful and oldest towns inspired by lesser-known saints. The map provides a unique perspective on the distribution of holy places across Europe, showcasing the rich religious history of the continent.