A Sacred Piece of Home:
WASHINGTON D.C.
Watch WETA PBS Broadcasts
The series was broadcast on WETA and WETA METRO in April 2025 and is streaming free nationally until the end of 2025 at https://weta.org/watch/shows/sacred-piece-home-washington-dc
A Sacred Piece of Home
A Documentary Series
Presented by Cultural Literacy Associates, LLC
Hosted by Ori Z. Soltes
Sacred structures are among the most impressive and permanent examples of architecture in the world, some lasting for millennia. Monarchs, nations, and communities have invested vast resources to construct these magnificent and inspiring edifices and people often travel far to see the pyramids of Egypt, the great cathedrals of Europe, exquisite mosques and tombs in the Islamic world and the fascinating Hindu and Buddhist temples of Asia. Every region and religion has a distinctive style and character.
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Discover the Sacred Architecture that Shapes America’s Capital
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A Sacred Piece of Home: Washington D.C. is a captivating four-part documentary series that explores the rich diversity of sacred architecture in the capital of the United States. Over four half-hour films, this series showcases the stunning variety of places of worship that reflect the traditions, faiths, and cultures of immigrants from around the globe.
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From the majestic to the intimate, this series takes you on a journey through time, uncovering the stories behind some of the world’s most iconic and inspiring sacred spaces, now deeply rooted in America’s cultural landscape.
Why this series?
American Pluralism offers an active effort to understand each other across lines of difference. Learning about diverse sacred architecture is an instrument for building a more inclusive and connected society, increasing cultural literacy, and expanding tolerance into embrace. Interfaith education is no longer an option. It is a necessity.
As new people and religions come into the nation, at an ever-accelerating rate —particularly in the Washington area—neighborhoods are increasingly mixed, but not necessarily integrated. Mysteries multiply. Why are there carved snakes on the railings of the Buddhist temple? Why do Carpathian structures have onion-shaped domes? What is the symbolism of the seven-branched menorah on a synagogue facade? Our Host’s commentary will help answer these questions. These films celebrate an array of immigrant communities - European, South and Central American, African and Asian - that have made the United States their home since its founding, and the sacred structures they have built there.
