From the scale and ambition of Europe’s grand cathedrals to humble roadside buildings turned into places of spiritual retreat, church architecture has always been a fertile field for artistic expression and technological innovation. While the form is literally thousands of years old, it doesn’t mean that new spins on established forms can’t continue to amaze. We rounded up some of the most impressive examples of modern church construction from the mid-20th century to date.

Oscar Niemeyer, Church of St. Francis of Assisi

Belo Horizonte, the capital of the state of Minas Gerais. The complex, which was one of Niemeyer’s first, included the radical Church of St. Francis of Assisi. This modernist touchstone with a parabolic roof and polychromatic tiles was such a departure from existing forms that one politician suggested demolishing it. In 2016, the cathedral was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List." layout="undefined" credit="Courtesy Wikimedia Commons" photoUserId=""/>

Marcel Breuer, St. John’s Abbey

Le Corbusier, Notre-Dame du Haut

Bourlémont hilltop in Ronchamp, France, designed by the modernist architect. The bent roof that creates a natural fountain when it rains, as well as the overall sculptural form, make it a celebrated outlier in Corbu’s career. A wall with small slits and squares cut for light produces a glittering, spiritual calm from inside." layout="undefined" credit="Courtesy Wikimedia Commons" photoUserId=""/>

Richard Meier, Jubilee Church

Walter A. Netsch, Cadet Chapel

Fay Jones, Thorncrown Chapel

Arkansas native Jim Reed hired Frank Lloyd Wright protégé Fay Jones to build this 1980 Eureka Springs chapel as a waystation of sorts for visitors on his land, who passed through seeking the magnificent views of the Ozarks. The 48-foot-tall wood-and-glass chapel won Jones the American Institute of Architects’ Design of the Year Award for 1981." layout="undefined" credit="Courtesy David Holmes, Creative Commons" photoUserId=""/>

Philip Johnson, Crystal Cathedral

I.M. Pei, Luce Memorial Chapel

Shigeru Ban, Cardboard Cathedral

Divece Arquitectos, Capilla del Lago