In Vienna, Austria St. Stephen's Cathedral was first built as a small church in 1147. In 1511 it was turned into a towering cathedral renovated by Duke Rudolf IV of Hapsburg who ordered the complete remodeling of the church in Gothic style.

This large stone pulpit is an example of late gothic sculpture. In the 16th century pulpits were raised above the congregation so that people could hear the sermon better.

Prague St. Vitus' Cathedral makes a beautiful silhouette against a beautiful Czech sunset. Beneath the cathedral are the ancient tombs of Czech kings. Begun in 1344 the construction on St. Vitus only ended in 1929.

St. Stephens is also a cathedral in Hungary. St. Stephen had an illustrious upbringing. His father was the Magyar prince Géza while his mother was Sarolt, the daughter of the Transylvanian chieftain. Stephen was married in 995 to Gizella of Bavaria and the two of them had at least three children. After uniting nearly all of the warring Magyar clans by 1006 Pope Silvester II sent a jeweled gold crown to Stephen along with a cross recognizing Stephen as the Christian king of Hungary. After retiring to a life of introspection, Stephen was canonized by Pope Gregory VII as Saint Stephen of Hungary in 1083.

If you look closely on the left, you will see a massive mammoth bone hanging from this Polish church. This was thought to have been a dragon bone and was hung at the church door as a reminder of the dragons that once ruled the city.

Canterbury Cathedral in England has some of the world's finest stained glass windows.

Mont Saint Michel is a Benedictine abbey built on the sand and surrounded by waves when the tide comes in. Le Mont St Michel was originally used in 400 AD as an Armorican stronghold of Roman power until it was overcome by the Franks and the Romans were forced out in 459.

Mont St. Michel at night is a mystical experience. In the summer the abbey hires musicians to play in the depths of the thirteen hundred year old stone fortress. Here, it was midnight and I was listening to an oboist play a haunting tune that echoed through the chambers. Our group of five were the only remaining tourists.

In St. Stephen's Cathedral this image is thought to be a self-portrait of the unknown sculptor gawking (in German "gucken") out of a window (in German "fenster") and is thus known as the Fenstergucker.

The Cathedral of Pisa in Italy was built by an unknown architect in 1603 and leans just like the tower next to it, though not as noticeably. Although Pisa is a small city today only visited because of its famous tower, this Romanesque cathedral was built at a time when Pisa was one of the most powerful maritime cities in Europe.

Dresden's baroque cathedral is a sight to behold. In 2005 it was restored after the Allied bombs destroyed both the church and its bell-shaped dome during World War II.

This is a bejeweled crown that Pope Silvester II sent to Stephen recognizing him as the king of Hungary.

Canterbury Cathedral was first built by St Augustine around 597 AD. However, none of what Augustine built remains. The current Cathedral's building began in 1070 and was finished in the 1500s. Canterbury Cathedral became a site of pilgrimage when Henry II exclaimed to his guards in frustration that he wished someone would take care of his pesky bestfriend once and for all. When the guards took his words to heart and murdered Thomas Beckett inside the Cathedral, Henry turned it into a shrine.

Geoffrey Chaucer immortalized this cathedral in his collection of short stories called The Canterbury Tales.

According to legend, the archangel Michael appeared to St. Aubert, bishop of Avranches, in 708 and instructed him to build a church on the rocky islet. Here, Saint Michael kills a dragon in a painting that hangs at the top of the abbey.

In the day when the tide rolls out you can walk to Mont St. Michel. Although the mount was first built on in the 400s, in the 900s and Italian architect named William de Volpiano was chosen to design the Romanesque church of the abbey.