From tiny chapels and Medieval market town churches, to magnificent Minsters - Yorkshire has it all. These impressive and inspirational buildings offer a warm welcome to visitors and an insight into the area's rich and diverse cultural heritage.

Just as important to the communities they serve are the many parish churches, chapels and places of worship that are scattered across Yorkshire. Leave the main roads and take the time to explore some of Yorkshire's best kept secrets.

• York Minster dominates the skyline of this historic yet vibrant city. It is the largest medieval gothic cathedral north of the Alps, has traces of every age from the Roman occupation of York, and is home to over 800 years of stained glass.
• Beverley Minster in East Yorkshire is a place of pilgrimage for visitors. It stands as one of Britain's finest examples of medieval gothic architecture featuring 68, 16th Century misericords, a saxon sanctuary chair, Percy tomb canopy and a large collection of medieval musician carvings in stone and wood.
• Bradford Cathedral is a hidden jewel waiting to be discovered. Set in tranquil gardens where once battle raged, the Cathedral is alive with a sense of story from its 13 centuries right in the heart of Bradford.
• The Church of St Michael & All Angels at Barton-le-Street - described by Pevsner as 'A sumptuous small Norman church, rebuilt without any restraint.'
• Halifax Minster With a medieval font cap, stunning prize winning Victorian east window, 18th century marigold window, unique Reformation box pews, Commonwealth period windows a rare survival) and monuments to the rich and the poor, industrialists and beggars - the Minster is a great place to start a visit to Halifax and its many attractions.
• Leeds Parish Church is a Grade I listed Victorian building and at its opening in 1841, it was the largest church to have been built in England after St Paul's Cathedral.
• Ripon Cathedral is a wonderfully atmospheric building that inspired the likes of Lewis Carroll and Wilfred Owen. 
• St Hildas Church in Ampleforth is mentioned in the Domesday Survey of 1086. 
• St John the Evangelist, Denby.  Denby is a Danish settlement dating back to the 9th century and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. 
• Selby Abbey: One of the most notable parish churches in the country, founded in 1069 by Monk Benedict.
• Wakefield Cathedral is a landmark in this West Yorkshire city. Worship began on the site of the Cathedral around Saxon times and the Normans began the first build in the 11th Century.
• Rotherham Minster has stood at the centre of the town for over a thousand years. Beginning as a small Saxon church sometime around the tenth century and then devloping via a larger Norman structure to the present perpendicular church that has graced the town centre since the fifteenth century.

To search for similar religious sites in the county, including local parish churches, click here.

The Churches Conservation Trust is the national charity protecting historic churches at risk. Ranging from the virtually untouched medieval in idyllic rural settings, to ornately impressive Victorian in busy town centres.

Below is a selection of churches in Yorkshire for you to enjoy:

• All Saints, Harewood House
• Christ the Consoler, Newby Hall
• Holy Trinity Church, Wensley
• Holy Trinity Goodramgate, York
• Holy Trinity Old Church, Wentworth
• St. Stephens Old Church, Robin Hoods Bay

Treasures Revealed

Treasures Revealed aims to inspire and attract residents and visitors to experience and celebrate West Yorkshire's vibrant faith heritage.

A number of multi-faith trails have been developed to give visitors the chance to experience West Yorkshire's Places of Worship, as well as the opportunity to visit some stunning and fascinating buildings and artefacts. Click on the links below for more details.

Bradford Trail
Calderdale Rail Faith Heritage Trail (first Saturday of the month)
Heptonstall & Hebden Bridge Faith Heritage Trail (first Saturday of the month)
Huddersfield Trail 
Leeds Trail

Join the annual Treasures Revealed Kirklees Festival from Friday 15-Sunday 17 July 2011 when places of worship across Kirklees will be opening their doors for a multi-faith festival,m giving residents and visitors the opportunity to experience what goes on inside local places of worship, including offerings from the local Christian, Sikh, Hindu and Baha'i communities.

Heritage Inspired

South Yorkshire has a wonderful heritage of faith buildings peppered across the countryside and nestling in our towns. Churches, chapels, mosques, gurdwaras, synagogues and other faith sites are literally 'treasure houses' of history.  Explore one of their four walks and scenic drives and discover them for yourself.
Four Waterway Walks
Five Churches Walk
Pilgrims Scenic Drive
Six Churches Walk

Whether you're interested in history and heritage or simply seeking a place of peace and tranquility, Yorkshire's religious ruins will not disappoint.

• Bolton Priory - Explore the ruins of the Priory and discover a landscape full of history and legend on the historic Bolton Abbey Estate.
• Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal is Yorkshire's finest Cistercian Abbey ruin, with over 10 historic buildings, spanning over 800 years of history.
• Jervaulx Abbey, Ripon is set in a large parkland area and is an area of peace and tranquillity - ideal for visualising the quiet life of the Monks who once lived there.
• Kirkstall Abbey, Leeds is one of the best-preserved medieval Cistercian monasteries in the country. Constructed between 1152 and 1182, many of its buildings still survive virtually intact up to eaves level.
• Monk Bretton Priory, Barnsley: Discover a well preserved ground plan amongst other delights at this old Monastery site.
• Rievaulx Abbey, North Yorkshire, is one of the most complete and impressive abbeys in Britain. Explore the atmospheric ruins, which are surrounded by stunning moorland, and visit the interactive museum to explore 900 years of history and view unique archaeological finds.
• Roche Abbey in South Yorkshire is beautifully set in a valley landscaped by Capability Brown in the 18th century. 
• Whitby Abbey, North Yorkshire: The moody and magnificent ruins of Whitby Abbey have drawn successive generations - from Saints to Dracula - to this site of settlement and religious devotion.