Church Architecture

Orléans Cathedral
1278 - 1329 Architecture

Orléans Cathedral (Basilique Cathédrale Sainte-Croix d'Orléans) is a Roman Catholic church located in the city of Orléans, France. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Orléans.

Verdun Cathedral
12th Century Architecture

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Verdun Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Verdun) is a Roman Catholic church located in the town of Verdun, Lorraine, France.

In about 330, Saint Saintin (or Sainctinus) evangelised the city of Verdun, became its first bishop and founded a church dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. In 457 Polychronius, a later bishop had a cathedral built inside the walls of a ruined Roman building on the present site.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
Artist: Mikhail Preobrazhensky
1894-1900 Architecture

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The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is an orthodox cathedral in the Tallinn Old Town, Estonia. It was built to a design by Mikhail Preobrazhensky in a typical Russian Revival style between 1894 and 1900, during the period when the country was part of the Russian Empire.

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When we think of Christian architecture, we may picture towering cathedrals with intricate stained-glass windows, but the roots of this style are much more humble. The earliest Christian structures were not grand, but rather simple house churches. As Christianity grew, its places of worship grew in size and intricacy.

The transition from early Christian to medieval architecture paralelled societal and religious changes. The Romanesque style, characterized by its rounded arches and massive walls, was followed by the Gothic style with its pointed archs, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses.

Christian architecture has created some of the world’s most iconic structures. These buildings all share a common thread: they are physical manifestations of the Christian faith.

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