During the holidays, I find myself drawn into churches. I am not a churchgoer in the traditional sense, but these spaces appeal to me as a showcase of humanity’s highest architectural ambitions. There, under the grand ceilings, in the special quiet among the pews, one can’t help but feel a sense of awe.
In the Bay Area, the sacred has inspired some breathtaking buildings in a wonderfully eclectic pastiche of styles.
Here are 10 churches worth a pilgrimage for their spectacular design alone. All are welcoming to visitors.
Swedenborgian Church of San Francisco
The quaint exterior of the Swedenborgian Church in Pacific Heights. | Source: Courtesy Jim Karageorge
Inside the Swedenborgian Church. | Source: Courtesy Laurie Passey
This redwood-and-stone sanctuary tucked behind a discreet gate feels like a woodland retreat. Built in 1895 by A. Page Brown, of Ferry Building fame, it has a shingled exterior and hand-carved details that reflect the early Arts and Crafts movement. Inside, filtered light, exposed beams, and a hushed atmosphere conjure a medieval vibe.
3200 Washington St. Book a tour (opens in new tab).
Mission of San Francisco de Asís
The city’s oldest surviving structure, this mission’s thick adobe walls and spare interior stand in stark contrast to the bustle of the Mission district outside. The adjacent basilica may draw the crowds, but the original chapel — dim, cool, time-worn — offers a rare glimpse into pre-Gold Rush San Francisco, with a beautiful native garden that was featured in the Alfred Hitchcock movie “Vertigo.”
3321 16th St. Get info (opens in new tab).
Saint Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church
Saint Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church is a pastiche of architectural styles. | Source: Courtesy Paul Fromberg
Part Byzantine revival, part community art project, St. Gregory’s is among San Francisco’s most visually exuberant sacred spaces. Inside, floor-to-ceiling iconography — created over decades by local artists and parishioners — transforms the church into an immersive mural. The wood-shingled exterior blends orthodox, Shinto, and Craftsman influences into a distinctly Bay Area hybrid.
500 De Haro St. Get info. (opens in new tab)
Holy Virgin Cathedral
An unmistakable onion dome announces this cathedral — one of the largest in the Russian Orthodox Church outside of Russia — from blocks away. Inside, the space unfolds as a dense layering of gold, icon screens, and candlelight, designed to overwhelm the senses and draw the eye upward.
6210 Geary Blvd. Get info. (opens in new tab)
Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption
The interior of St. Mary’s is a master class in brutalism, with an enormous concrete cone. | Source: Jessica Christian/SF Chronicle/AP
The pulpit. | Source: Courtesy
Love it or loathe it, San Francisco’s modernist cathedral demands attention. Designed by Pier Luigi Nervi and Pietro Belluschi, the soaring paraboloid structure creates a dramatic tent of concrete and light. Critics call it the city’s great washing machine, but it rewards visitors who step inside: Daylight filters down through the lantern tower, softening the monumentality into something unexpectedly serene and brilliant.
1111 Gough St. Book a tour (opens in new tab).
First Church of Christ, Scientist
The only building in Berkeley to be designated a national landmark, First Church of Christ, Scientist, is considered architect Bernard Maybeck’s masterpiece, eclipsing even the Palace of the Fine Arts. The church is a must-see for architecture lovers and a compelling case for how belief systems — in this case, Christian Scientists — translate into spatial minimalism.
2619 Dwight Way, Berkeley. Book a tour. (opens in new tab)
Cathedral of Christ the Light
The futuristic interior of the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland. | Source: Courtesy Cesar Rubio
This oval, futuristic structure was conceived as an abstracted redwood grove. Wrapped in glass and Douglas fir louvers, it glows softly by day and lantern-bright at night. The organ, with 5,298 pipes, flanks Christ’s visage, reinforcing the building’s symmetry and sense of scale.
2121 Harrison St., Oakland. Get info (opens in new tab).
Chapel of the Chimes
Not technically a church but impossible to exclude. Designed by visionary Bay Area architect Julia Morgan, this crematory complex feels straight out of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Rivendell. Moorish, Gothic, and Art Deco elements intermingle among gardens, courtyards, and indoor-outdoor corridors.
4499 Piedmont Ave, Oakland. Get info (opens in new tab).
Old Saint Mary’s Church
Located 40 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge, Old Saint Mary’s Church feels a world away from San Francisco. The modest wooden building, which dates to the 1860s, is flanked by rolling pastureland and the quaint town of Nicasio. The simple white exterior and unadorned interior draw attention to setting as much as to structure. Come for the building; stay for the quiet, expansive views that do half the spiritual lifting.
4100 Nicasio Valley Road, Nicasio. To visit, call (415) 488-9799.
St. Columba’s
With the look of a hunting cabin outside and warm, dark wood within, St. Columba’s sits a short walk from Tomales Bay. Inside, vivid stained glass and simple, deliberate craftsmanship create a perfect stop during a trip up north. The church even has a quiet retreat house that can be rented for overnight stays.
12835 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Inverness. Get info (opens in new tab).