Every great church makes a statement, and it is seldom simply theological. An offering of thanks to a beloved minister, a monument to a powerful ruler, a colonialist vaunt – a church is never really just a church.

Ornate or spartan, immense or intimate, from the Middle East and across Europe, from Alaska to Argentina, Asia to Africa, the construction of churches has given the world some of its most beautiful buildings – its most splendid interiors, its most atmospheric spaces, an inspiration not just to Christians but to humankind.

Including Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox, Coptic, Lutheran, Baptist, Calvinist, Pentecostal and Mormon places of worship, Amazing Churches features early basilicas and magnificent medieval cathedrals, mud-hut churches and soaring 21st century edifices. In exploring these sacred places, Michael Kerrigan reveals not just the different approaches to faith across continents and over centuries, but gives us a glimpse into a wider history of the world touched by Christianity.

Illustrated with more than 190 photographs, Amazing Churches includes more than 150 chapels, basilicas and cathedrals dating from the Middle Ages to the present day.