church spires

[muppeteer]

why do churches have spires?

[delboy3]

So that they could be seen from a distance, and country folk could find their way there. In early times, they were the tallest structures in the land.

[sddsddean]

Its also the origin of the horse race called a 'steeple chase'. A couple of blokes, with nothing better to do than oppressing peasents(!) would challenge each other to race to 'that steeple' on their horses, so it became known as a 'steeplechase'.

[Quizmonster]

There may also be an element of symbolism involved, in that such a structure points, as it were, towards 'heaven' , according to old beliefs. When Christians pray, putting the hands together with fingertips upwards is called 'steepling' - because they resemble the spire/steeple shape - and may also be thought of as a means of 'directing' the prayer-message 'upwards', too.

[garybfsl]

Not all churches have a spire on there tower. But the church would almost certainly be built on the highest piece of ground. This is (a) so it could be seen and (b) the sound of the bells would travel further. Likewise it was always built with the altar at the east end.