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Cathedral - when reading this word, a majestic building, made with a frantic design intent, inevitably comes to mind. As a rule, the cathedral is one of the main city temples, the creation of which is necessarily associated with an important for the country historical event. That is why the construction of cathedrals has always taken place on an extraordinary scale. Despite the many beautiful temples around the world, the first lines of the rating of cathedrals in size were occupied by European buildings. So, it will be interesting to study information about the largest cathedrals in Europe.

The first in the list of the highest cathedrals not only in Europe, but throughout the world, is Ulm Cathedral, which is located in the city of the same name Ulm, Germany. The height of the structure, together with the bell spire, is 161.5 meters. Visitors to this giant have the opportunity to climb the highest point of the cathedral along stone spiral staircases. An interesting fact is that the construction of Ulm Cathedral took place over 5 centuries, starting in 1377, ending with the construction of the spire in 1890. It is also noteworthy that, according to legend, during the construction of the temple, the unlucky builders were faced with the task of how to carry huge logs through the gate. While the builders struggled with the solution of how to drag a log into the city, which in no way passed through the city gates in height, one of them noticed a sparrow carrying straws to his dwelling parallel to the ground. A solution was found, Ulm Cathedral was built, and the sparrow became a symbol of the city. It is his sculpture with a twig in its beak that rises on the main roof of the building.

The construction of the second largest cathedral in Europe began in 1248 and took place in two stages due to financial problems. 1880 was marked by the opening of the tallest building in the world, which for 4 years was the Cologne Cathedral, located in Germany, the city of Cologne. The height of the structure with the spire is 157 meters. Today, this architectural creation has the largest church facade in the world, as well as the largest working bell. When examining the building, one should not forget that its construction affected two eras, so the western facade, which more attracts the views of enthusiastic tourists, was built in the 19th century and embodied the Neo-Gothic style, while the rest of the building contains elements and features classic gothic. The largest bell in the world is called "St. Peter" and weighs 24 tons, and the weight of its bell tongue is 800 kilograms.

The next record holder by right was the Notre Dame Cathedral in France, the city of Rouen. The building is included in the list of monuments of the national French heritage, is a cathedral with the highest cast-iron tower in the world (151 meters). The construction of the French Miracle began in 1145, but after a severe fire, only the walls of the northern tower of Saint-Romain were saved, the restoration of which turned into the construction of the southern part of the building and the Oil Tower, the creation of which ended in 1880. It is noteworthy that the great artist Monet in the 19th century created a series of paintings that depicted the history of the great cathedral, its ups and downs. In total, the cycle has 50 canvases.

Strasbourg Cathedral is located in France and for more than 200 years was considered the world's tallest church building. The height of the building is 142 meters and today it is the sixth highest cathedral in the world. An interesting and most visited place in the cathedral is the astronomical clock, which was made back in 1574 and even then had astronomical functions. These include the watch's ability to calculate the starting point from the new year to the holidays, the dates of which fall on different days every year. In Strasbourg, there is a tradition according to which various color performances are broadcast on the walls of the cathedral on summer evenings to works of world classical music.

The most capacious European cathedral is St. Peter's Cathedral, which is located in the Vatican on the famous square, which has the same name with the cathedral. The building is considered the central ceremonial site catholic church, the capacity of the cathedral is 60,000 people. The construction began to be erected in 326, but it was finally completed only in the 17th century, when, at the request of Paul V, the eastern part was lengthened. The 17th century was also marked by the appearance of a square near the cathedral, which was conceived for the gathering of people to receive the blessing of the Pope. Such famous architects and artists as Raphael, Michelangelo, Bernini and others worked on the decoration of the cathedral.

Despite the capacity of St. Peter's Basilica, the largest cathedral in the world by area is not he, but Milan Cathedral. The length of the building is 158 meters, the width is 93 meters, and this building also has the highest spire in Europe in terms of the height of the central nave (47 m). Milan Cathedral is the only Gothic cathedral made of marble. The altar of this miracle is decorated with one of the most valuable relics of antiquity - a nail from the crucifixion of Christ.

St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague is rightfully considered not only one of the largest, but also the longest Catholic church in the world; the length of the main nave of the cathedral is 124 meters. The date of foundation of the building is 925, but the peak of its development fell on 1350-1930. Inside, the cathedral offers visitors a wonderful gothic panorama, smoothly turning into a choir area with huge stained-glass windows.

The longest cathedral along the length of the central nave (169 meters) is Winchester Cathedral, Hampshire, UK.
The cathedral began to be built on the initiative of Kenwal, King of Wessex. The construction was completed in 648. The cathedral hosted such important events for the history of Britain as the Coronation of Henry the Younger and his wife Margaret of France (1172), the Second Coronation of Richard the Lionheart (1194), the Marriage of Henry IV and Joan of Navarre (1403), marriage of Mary I and Philip II (1554). The building attracts the attention of tourists not only with its size and architectural delights, but also with the burial place of the famous British writer Jane Austen and the filming of the film The Da Vinci Code in 2005.

The cathedral is widely known for its large stained-glass window. The height of the largest stained-glass window is 24 meters, the width is 11.6 meters. It is this building that is the Hogwarts school in the popular film masterpiece Harry Potter. The construction of the cathedral took place in the distant 11th century. In this building, the coronation of one of the most famous figures of the British monarchy, Henry III, took place.

At the dawn of the birth of religions, religious buildings began to be erected on the site of ancient temples to offer praise to God and conduct religious rites.

But the significance of temples has become much wider over time, because their design and architectural elements convey an understanding of the universe. Not without reason in the Proto-Slavic languages ​​\u200b\u200bthe word “chormъ” existed - a house, and the ancient Egyptians and Greeks believed that temples were the dwellings of the gods.

Almost all religions have a tradition of erecting religious buildings. So let's look at the buildings of all religions, and find out which is the largest temple in the world, of those that were built both in antiquity and in modern times.

The largest temples on the planet:

Cologne Cathedral. Germany

The Catholic Cathedral in Cologne, Germany is a vivid example of classical medieval Gothic, and its construction began as early as 1248. It acquired its final form in the 80s of the XIX century.

The height of the towers of a magnificent monument of European architecture reaches 157 meters, which makes it the tallest temple in the world.

Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Russia

Restored in the 90s of the twentieth century in Moscow, the Church of the Savior is today the highest Orthodox church, the height of which is 106 meters.

It was erected according to the project of the architect Konstantin Ton in honor of the Russian soldiers who fell in the war with Napoleon. It was a kind of collective cenotaph (burial without a deceased), on the walls of which the names of the officers who died in the period from 1797 to 1814 were inscribed.

Temple of Saint Sava. Serbia

Built on the model of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, the Cathedral of St. Sava in Belgrade is the largest Orthodox church in terms of area.

The handsome man of Orthodox architecture was built in the classical Byzantine style, and the history of its construction is full of drama. The work that began in 1935 was interrupted by the war, then the prohibition of religion in Soviet period, and it was only now possible to complete the construction.

Notre Dame de la Paix. Ivory Coast

basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary, erected in the capital of the state, the city of Yamoussoukro in 1989, was awarded the Guinness Book of Records, due to the fact that it occupies a huge area of ​​​​30 thousand square meters.

The dome of the temple soared into the sky to a height of 158 meters. Despite its impressive size, no more than 18 thousand believers can fit inside the building during worship.

Sky Temple. China

The monumental temple and monastery complex covers an area of ​​267 hectares and is located in the very center of Beijing, and is the largest sanctuary of Buddhism.

The round temple, erected in 1420, was originally called the Temple of Heaven and Earth, but after the construction of a separate religious building of the earth, it received its present name.

Saint Isaac's Cathedral. Russia

The temples of Russia are majestic and cannot but arouse admiration. Built in the first half of the 19th century in St. Petersburg on the site of a wooden church that used to stand here, the cathedral is a classic example of Latin architecture.

Today it is the State Museum, but since 1991 the Orthodox community of the city has received the right to hold services in the cathedral. The height of the building itself is 101 meters 50 centimeters.

Lotus Temple. India

One of the main religious buildings of the Baha'i religions was built in 1986 in New Delhi. The temple stands out not only for its original shape, but also for its enormous size.

The entrance to it is open to people of any religion, so thousands of pilgrims come to see this miracle of architecture.

Buddhist temple Borobudur. Indonesia

The most unique and architecturally unusual religious building began to be built in the early Middle Ages in 800. But for a long period of time it was abandoned, and restored only in the twentieth century.

The Buddhist shrine, consisting of multiple architectural elements and sculptural objects, has become a major attraction for pilgrimage and tourism.

Mosque Masjid-ul-Haram. Saudi Arabia

In the main shrine for all Muslims, 700 thousand people can pray at once. Every Muslim must make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in his life, because the mosque was built in such a large size.

In the center of the courtyard is the main shrine of Islam - the Kaaba, and the mosque itself is designed for collective prayers.

Saint Paul's Cathedral. Vatican

The largest and most majestic was laid in 1626, although the first basilicas were erected on this site during the reign of Emperor Constantine.

In the photo: St. Peter's Basilica - the largest temple in the world

For a long time, the building served as a church, and with the rise of the popes, it became their main residence. Up to 60 thousand believers can be inside the cathedral at the same time, more than 400 thousand more freely fit on the square in front of the cathedral.

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Summarizing

As you can see, the highest and largest religious buildings are really real architectural monuments. Architects of the past and modern masters put not only all their skills, but also their souls into the construction of these majestic buildings.

And what are the largest temples you have personally seen or been to them? The editors of the site ask you to write a couple of sentences about them in the comments.

The church that TravelAsk will talk about today is striking in its size. It is rightfully the largest in the world.

Main church of Ivory Coast

A real giant among churches is located in Africa, in the capital of Côte d'Ivoire, in the city of Yamoussoukro. The church has a very sonorous name: Notre Dame de la Paix, which in French means the Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Peace. This catholic church listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

The area of ​​the church is 30 thousand square meters, it is located on an area of ​​130 hectares. The height of its dome is also quite impressive - 158 meters. It also makes the church the second tallest in the world after Ulm Cathedral in Germany, which stands 161.5 meters high.

By the way, the dome of the basilica is the largest in the world: its diameter is 90 meters.

Why Africa?

In general, it is surprising that the largest temple, and even a Catholic one, is located in Africa. After all, Catholicism is far from the most popular religion here, moreover, Christians make up 33% of the country and are mainly represented by Pentecostals, Adventists and Methodists. Most of all there are Muslims - about 40%. So where did this temple come from? We found out all about this seemingly strange fact.

It's all about the first president of Côte d'Ivoire - Felix Houphouet-Boigny. The country was a French colony for a long time, and gained independence in 1960. It was then that he was proclaimed President Houphouet-Boigny, who was in power for several decades.

Felix did the incredible: he moved the capital from the millionaire city of Abidjan to the small town of Yamoussoukro, where he was from. The population of the city at that time was about 200 thousand people. Now, by the way, a little more: a little more than 280 thousand inhabitants live in the city.

In addition, the president decided to leave a memory of himself in the new capital, so he ordered the construction of the largest church in the world. The Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Peace is a gift to Pope John Paul II.

Construction of the basilica

Notre Dame de la Paix is ​​a copy of the main temple of the Vatican - St. Cathedral, only surpasses it in size. But, despite all its scale, the temple can accommodate only 18 thousand people, while the Vatican Cathedral - 60 thousand.

Especially for the construction of the basilica, Italian marble was brought into the country, and the stained-glass windows were created from French colored glass, which here (!!!) is 7 thousand square meters. No temple has so much painted glass, this is also a kind of record. By the way, one of the stained-glass windows depicted the chief architect, President Felix Houphouet-Boigny.

This giant was rebuilt quite quickly, in just 4 years, construction continued from 1985 to 1989. The temple cost, according to various estimates, from 175 to 400 thousand dollars, part of which was donated by the president (according to him, only from 175 to 400 thousand)))). By the way, this is about 6% of the country's annual budget. In general, for Côte d'Ivoire this is an unheard of luxury, because many people here live very poorly. 1,500 workers from Africa were involved in the construction, the French were the main architects.

The church was lit in 1990, the Pope himself came to this ceremony. True, the main condition was the construction of a hospital near the temple, but it began to be built quite recently. And in 1990, a stone was laid not far from the basilica, which can still be seen today.

Near the Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Peace there are two more buildings, very similar to the temple, only smaller in size: this is the papal villa and the house for the priest. By the way, the Pope visited here only once, at the consecration of the temple.

Competitors of Notre Dame de la Paix

In fact, the Basilica has two competitors, it is noteworthy that they are also in Africa, only in Nigeria. So, in Lagos there is a Pentecostal temple "Tabernacle of Faith", it has only about 50 thousand seats. In addition, in 2011, another Pentecostal temple was opened here - the National Temple of the Apostolic Church of Nigeria. It is able to accommodate about 100 thousand believers at the same time.

Early Christian architecture became the last period of ancient architecture, and differed from the previous one in the special organization of the internal space and the use of new fine art techniques.

The first Christian churches were officially erected in the 4th century and this process is associated with the name of Emperor Constantine.

They tried to make the place where God is glorified majestic and monumental, therefore many religious buildings were large. Consider the masterpieces of world architecture, and find out which is the largest Catholic cathedral.

Cologne Cathedral. Koln

The most beautiful cathedral in German Cologne was built in the classic Gothic style, inherent in the Middle Ages. The first stone in the foundation of the new building was laid in 1248, but the construction lasted for several centuries.

The Catholic shrine acquired its final form in the 80s of the XIX century. It was then that the spiers were completed, which shot up into the sky by 157 meters, which made the church one of the highest in the world.

One of the legends says that with the completion of the construction of the cathedral in Cologne, the end of the world will come, so the building is constantly being rebuilt, introducing new architectural elements.

AT modern architecture the cathedral Holy Mother of God in Milan is considered the largest building erected from white marble. It is made in the classic flaming Gothic style, which is characterized by ornate elements and intricate ornamentation.

It was built over 5 centuries, and the first stone was laid back in 1386. The appearance of the temple is unique, and thousands of tourists come to enjoy the splendor of the building and its interior decoration.

In a country where Christian shrines are zealous, Prime Minister Berlusconi was once thrown with a model of the Milan Cathedral.

The Prague Church, built in honor of Christian saints, is considered the longest religious building of Catholicism. A masterpiece of architecture, a real pearl of the capital and a sample of the Gothic style.

Like many places of worship, the Church of St. Vitus was built over a long period of time and repeatedly rebuilt. The interior is decorated with carved arches and many stained glass windows. The walls are painted by the best masters of Renaissance painting, and the columns are lined with beautiful mosaics.

Catholics around the world gather on the eve Christian holidays to touch the shrines. Inside the temple there is a mausoleum and crypts where emperors, their wives and bishops rest.

There are three Orthodox cathedrals in the world that can equally claim the title of "the largest church in the world." One of them is the most spacious - this is Tsminda Sameba in Tbilisi. The other is the largest in size: this is the Cathedral of St. Sava in Serbian Belgrade. And finally, the most tall cathedral is the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow.

Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. Its height of 103 meters is almost a 40-storey building. But the architect of the temple, Konstantin Ton, created such proportions that from the side the cathedral does not seem so high or large. Big? Yes. The largest or the more so the highest - no.

You begin to realize the scale when you find yourself inside. The size of the central altar is like a parish church. Vaults - breathtaking.

At the same time, unlike Catholic cathedrals, the dimensions of which are also amazing, in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior there is no feeling that you are a small person (they say this is a feature of the Latin style - to give a person the feeling that he is an ant compared to God). You are part of the whole building, this is your home. A feeling that is so close to an Orthodox church...

This cathedral had an unusual and difficult history - to start with the fact that initially it was supposed to be completely different (quite completely), and stand not on Volkhonka, but Sparrow Hills. But this .

The tallest Orthodox cathedrals in the world

So, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior is the highest Orthodox church in the world - 103 meters.

But the height of which other cathedrals exceeds 90 or 100 meters:

101.5 meters - Saint Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg. An example, just, of “Latin” architecture, when a temple is not only a temple, but also a majestic castle, which either “lifts” you into the heights, or “presses”, it’s not clear ...

97.5* - Tsminda Sameba, Tbilisi, Georgia. The asterisk is worth it, because a variety of data are given everywhere - up to 86 meters without a cross. This is connected both with the design feature of the Cathedral (part of it goes underground for 10 meters), and with the fact - to consider the cross as part of the building or not: and it is seven and a half meters ...

96.0 - Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral in Khabarovsk. Built in 2004 year. Unlike the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, it has more elongated proportions and therefore it seems much higher.

93,7 - Smolny Cathedral , again Peter and again an example of the "Latin" style. As architecture - Rastrelli's unconditional masterpiece: an absolutely perfect composition. But once inside, you understand why it is so important to appreciate and honor traditions in temple building...

If we take Europe, then there will be the highest Orthodox church Cathedral of the Three Saints in Timisoara e, Romania - 83 meters. Here it is: (pay attention to the tradition in Orthodox architecture that is different from ours - it is completely familiar to Eastern Europe)

The largest temple

Tsminda Sameba in Tbilisi (Georgia), Trinity Cathedral, Holy Trinity Church - the largest Orthodox church in the world. Generally speaking, some consider it also the highest - 105 meters. But this is the height together with the 7.5-meter cross, and even then - at best, the data varies too much from source to source.

But one fact is indisputable - this is the only Orthodox Cathedral which can accommodate 15,000 people.

Like the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the cathedral was built exclusively on donations: from ordinary Georgians to big businessmen. Construction was completed in 2004.

The temple was designed with echoes of the traditional Georgian temple style - like the Cathedral of Christ the Savior with elements of the old Russian style.

The cathedral stands on a hill on the banks of the Kura River, visible from everywhere.

Tsminda Sameba, as is often the case with large cathedrals, includes not only a central, amazing temple, but also nine chapels, which are located underground at a depth of more than 10 meters (perhaps, hence such large discrepancies in the height of the building, and someone else takes into account underground structures).

But what other churches, not counting the Trinity Cathedral, are among the "five" of the most spacious (all figures are estimated, that is, approximate):

• 14,000 people - St. Isaac's Cathedral (St. Petersburg)
• 12 000 - St. Michael's Cathedral (Cherkasy, Ukraine)
• 11,000 - St. Sava Cathedral (Belgrade, Serbia)
• 10,000 - this is several temples at once: the Cathedral of Christ the Savior (Moscow); the temple of the Volkmic Panteleimon (Athens, Greece); Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral (Odessa, Ukraine); Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Jerusalem, Israel)

The largest Orthodox church

Well, if by the size of the temple we mean its width multiplied by the length, then the largest Orthodox church is the Serbian Cathedral in the name of St. Sava in Belgrade.

Its length is 91 meters, width - 81 meters (for comparison: Tsminda Sameba - 77 by 65 meters, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior - 60 by 60).

This is a "long-term construction" in the truest sense of the word. Construction began in 1935. Then the war happened, then - Soviet authority. Work resumed only in 1986. As far as we know, finishing work is almost finished now.

The cathedral is very squat in proportion. With its huge size, it is 24 meters lower than the Cathedral of Christ the Savior - "only" 79 meters.

At the top of the four-ton central dome (they say it was raised for more than a month!) There is a huge, 12-meter gilded cross, and on other domes there are seventeen more crosses. And a few dozen more bells, the largest of which weighs 12 tons!

But these are all just numbers.

The greatness of any temple is not in meters - but in the assembly of Christians. At the funeral of Patriarch Pavel in 2009, more than a million people gathered around the cathedral.

Each great cathedral carries two destinies

• the first is the fate of the temple, in which the Sacraments are performed, and where thousands of people can gather in a single impulse to Christ.
• the second fate - or rather the "cross" - is the role of a symbol (city, or country), which is doomed to be a tourist destination. That is, a holy place reduced in the eyes of people to just beautiful building drowning in fuss, flashes and conversations...

The second is probably inevitable, but we must always remember how tourism differs from pilgrimage and not stand near the cathedrals as favorable tourists:

The tourist looks at the buildings "top-down";

and the pilgrim feels himself in the house of the Heavenly Father.

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