Tag:amenity=place_of_worship
 amenity = place_of_worship
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| Description |
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A place where religious services are conducted 
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| Group: Religion |
| Used on these elements |
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| Useful combination |
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| Wikidata |
| Q1370598 |
| Status: de facto |
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| Tools for this tag |
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Contents
How to Map
All places of worship independently of the religion or denomination get the tag amenity=place_of_worship. This covers mosques, churches, cathedrals, synagogues, temples, etc. You can use the keys religion=*, denomination=* and service_times=* for more detailed information.
Buildings and open areas
Buildings
The tag amenity=place_of_worship can be added in the surrounding area where the religious services are conducted, or only in the building if the area isn't exactly known (together with the key building=*).
If the place of religious services is located in a part of a multi-purpose building, then the tag amenity=place_of_worship should be placed on a node or area, inside the building outline. Examples are prayer rooms in public buildings or rooms rented for religious purposes in commercial buildings.
Architectural type of buildings for worshipping
The building=* should be applied according to the architectural type, often such religious buildings are recognisable landmarks.
Typical tags in this context are
- building=church
- building=cathedral
- building=chapel
- building=mosque
- building=synagogue
- building=temple
- building=shrine
Whereas the previous tags describe the architectural category, the actual style can be described with building:architecture=*.
For example, a catholic church can be tagged on the building outline with amenity=place_of_worship + religion=christian + denomination=catholic + building=church.
Consequently, a building without the particular architectural distinguishment should not be given such a building value, for example a general-purpose shop building in a strip mall that is currently being used for worshipping should not be tagged as a building=church. Instead, the appropriate building=* tag for the major use of the building should be used, building=yes as the default.
Please note that a building retains this architectural building=* tagging even if it is no longer used for religious purposes. For example, a church building that is now used as a concert hall could be tagged as building=church + amenity=theatre.
Open areas
When ceremonies of worshipping are regularly performed on dedicated areas that are not buildings, these areas should be mapped as closed ways (or node if the shape is unknown), and tagged landuse=religious along with the religion details. Areas of profane, non-ceremonial use should not be included in the landuse=religious area tagging.
Complicated
Note there are some complicated cases - for example open area may be used as place of worship and therefore tagged as amenity=place_of_worship. Inside this area there may be a building, used as a separate place of worship - and therefore tagged as building=chapel+amenity=place_of_worship.
Example rendering
OpenStreetMap Carto renders places of worship at zoom levels:
- >=13 area tagged as amenity=place_of_worship or landuse=religious, gray (#cdccc9)
- >=13 building tagged as amenity=place_of_worship, 20% darker than others
- >=16 includes symbol, depending on religion=* and denomination=*:
- >=17 includes name
See Also
- amenity=grave_yard for burial land that has a relation to the church or place of worship.
- landuse=religious for the area that the place of worship building sits within.
- A draft (still not a proposal) exists for the communities (religious or not).
