THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. PETER in the tiny state of Vatican City is the largest Christian church in the world. It is built in the shape of a cross, 718 feet long and 450 feet wide, with its great dome rising over 400 feet. Like many large cathedrals, it took over 100 years to build. It was dedicated in 1626.
According to church usage, a cathedral is a church which holds the bishop's chair or throne; size is unimportant. St. Peter's, in this sense, is not a cathedral. St. John Lateran is the cathedral for the diocese of Rome.
HAGIA SOPHIA began as a Christian church in A.D. 532 in Constantinople (formerly Byzantium; now Istanbul). Over ten thousand men labored six years to build it. About 1453, the Turks converted ít into a mosque, a Moslem place of worship. Now it is a museum. The main floor plan resembles a Greek cross. Above the center is a 184-foot dome flanked by half domes. Rich mosaics decorate the floors, arches, vaults and upper walls. Many of these colorful mosaics were plastered over by the Turkish conquerors. Eight dark-green marble columns brought to Hagia Sophia from the dismantled Temple of Artemis are remnants of an earlier faith.
CHARTRES CATHEDRAL (the Cathedral of Notre Dame of Chartres) has two unmatched spires. Only the cathedrals of archbishops were permitted to have identical towers, and the cathedral of Notre Dame was founded by a bishop. Most of this famous Frenen church was built during the 12th and 13th centuries, but the tallest spire—377 feet—was not completed until the 16th century. It is known for its rose window and Gothic architecture.
NOTRE DAME DE PARIS, is the Gothic cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris: that is, it is the church that comprises the cathedra (official chair) of the Archbishop of Paris. Notre Dame de Paris is broadly considered one of the excellent examples of French Gothic architecture in Europe, and the naturalism of its sculptures and stained glass are in contrast with earlier Romanesque architecture. The first period of construction from 1163 into the 1240's coincided with the musical experiments of the Notre Dame school.
According to church usage, a cathedral is a church which holds the bishop's chair or throne; size is unimportant. St. Peter's, in this sense, is not a cathedral. St. John Lateran is the cathedral for the diocese of Rome.
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| Hagia Sophia |
CHARTRES CATHEDRAL (the Cathedral of Notre Dame of Chartres) has two unmatched spires. Only the cathedrals of archbishops were permitted to have identical towers, and the cathedral of Notre Dame was founded by a bishop. Most of this famous Frenen church was built during the 12th and 13th centuries, but the tallest spire—377 feet—was not completed until the 16th century. It is known for its rose window and Gothic architecture.
NOTRE DAME DE PARIS, is the Gothic cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris: that is, it is the church that comprises the cathedra (official chair) of the Archbishop of Paris. Notre Dame de Paris is broadly considered one of the excellent examples of French Gothic architecture in Europe, and the naturalism of its sculptures and stained glass are in contrast with earlier Romanesque architecture. The first period of construction from 1163 into the 1240's coincided with the musical experiments of the Notre Dame school.
