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EVERY YEAR, THE World Architecture Festival creates a shortlist of the most awe-striking buildings on the planet.

From that list, the Building of the Year is determined.

The 2015 festival features 338 finalists but we’re looking at the seven in the religious category, which is especially noteworthy since last year’s big award went to a simple community chapel.

The festival and awards announcement will take place in November at the luxurious Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore.

From a ribbon-like chapel in Japan to a spectacular outdoor church nestled in the mountains of El Salvador, here are seven sacred spaces that could be 2015′s best building of the year.

Cardedeu by EMC Arquitectura (Lago de Coatepeque, El Salvador)

Light of Life Church by Shinslab Architecture (Gapyeong, South Korea)

Mahabodhi Monastery by Multiply Architects LLP (Lorong Kilat, Singapore)

Ribbon Chapel by Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP Co. Ltd. (Hiroshima, Japan)

Pagoda by a21 studio (Nha Trang, Vietnam)

Stella Maris by Denton Corker Marshall Jakarta – PT Duta Cermat Mandiri (Jakarta, Indonesia)

Catholic City Hub by Eco-id Architects (Singapore)

More: This mansion could become one of the most expensive houses ever in the US

Read: Inside the London flats that billionaires spend £100 million to rent

Related; Vince Vaughn’s multi-million dollar LA home is pretty boring

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