This rich, beautiful book takes readers from the mountains of Kashmir to a repurposed castle in the west of Ireland, as it tours the most magnificent sacred gardens in the world.

Elements from religious gardens – from labyrinths and grottos to monastic herb gardens and geometrical patterns – have long been familiar in garden design, as has the tradition of seeking spiritual enlightenment through nature. But this book takes the reader straight to the source, showcasing the best gardens designed and informed directly by religious and spiritual teachings.

These include functional gardens created by monks for sanctuary, medicine and food; the sacred bathing pools of Tirta Gangga in Bali; and the kare-sansui garden at Ryoan-ji, informed by Zen Buddhism. Many are ancient sites full of myth, others have been lovingly restored from ruin, and some have been newly created in recent years in a bid to get closer to the Divine, through traditional religion or the worship of nature itself.
 
Earthly Utopias visits cathedrals, monasteries, and ruined abbeys; temples, mausoleums, and shrines; forests, islands, and deserts, in search of these sacred gardens. And each one serves as a prime example of how religion, philosophy, and spirituality can inform and inspire beautiful garden design.

Yolanda Zappaterra is a London-based author, editor, and researcher, who has worked on more than 30 art, design, and travel titles. She has been writing about architecture, art, and travel for 20 years, and contributes regularly to leisure and lifestyle magazines, and specialist art and design magazines, including Time Out, Blueprint, étapes, and Design Week.

Introduction
Hakone Estate and Gardens, USA
Sunnylands Center, USA
Cleveland Cultural Gardens, USA
International Peace Garden, Canada & USA
Rodef Shalom Biblical Botanical Garden, USA
Bishop’s Garden, Washington National Cathedral, USA
San Agustín Archaeological Park, Colombia
Le Prieuré d’Orsan, France
The Bishop’s Palace Gardens, UK
Marburg Garden of Remembrance, Germany
Alhambra, Spain
The Hague Peace Garden, Netherlands
Buckfast Abbey, UK
Neot Kedumim Biblical Landscape Reserve, Israel
Villa d’Este, Italy
Kylemore Abbey, Ireland
Fontevraud Abbey, France
Bahá’í Terraces, Israel
Villandry, France
The Gardens of the World, Germany
Tresco Abbey Gardens, UK
Pagan Tarot Garden, Italy
The Cloister Garden of Utrecht, Netherlands
Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, Nigeria
The Shalimar Gardens, Pakistan
Jingshan Park, China
Bell Gardia, Japan
Bagh-e Fin, Iran
Ryoan-ji, Japan
Mehtab Bagh, India
Milarri Garden, Australia
Sala Keoku, Thailand
The Lion Grove Garden, China
Nishat Bagh, India
Daitoku-ji Compound, Japan
Shambhala Gardens, Australia
Soswaewon Garden, South Korea
Tirta Gangga, Indonesia
Te Parapara and Hamilton Gardens, New Zealand
Saiho-ji, Japan
Index
Picture credits
Author thanks