The orientation of churches is the architectural feature of facing ("orienting") churches towards the east (Latin: oriens).

The Jewish custom of fixing the direction of prayer and orienting synagogues (Mizrah

Mizrah

In Judaism, mizrah is the direction that most Jews in the diaspora face during prayer, as Jewish law prescribes that Jews face the site of the Temple in Jerusalem during prayer, and most Jews in the diaspora live west of Jerusalem, so they face eastward during prayer...

) influenced Christianity

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

 during its formative years. In early Christianity

Early Christianity

Early Christianity is generally considered as Christianity before 325. The New Testament's Book of Acts and Epistle to the Galatians records that the first Christian community was centered in Jerusalem and its leaders included James, Peter and John....

, it was customary to pray facing toward the Holy Land

Holy Land

The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...

. The orientation of churches toward the east has persevered until the present day in a number of Christian denominations.

The orientation of churches towards the east confused some people into seeing Christianity as being sun worshiping.