Church Architecture

Notre Dame Cathedral de Reims in Reims, France
Architect: Jean d'Orbais, Bernard de Soissons
1211 - 1345 Architecture

Notre-Dame de Reims meaning "Our Lady of Reims") known in English as Reims Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the French city of the same name. The cathedral was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and was the traditional location for the coronation of the kings of France. Reims Cathedral is considered to be one of the most important pieces of Gothic architecture anywhere.

Notre Dame de Paris
1163 - 1260 Architecture

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The most famous Catholic cathedral in the world, Notre Dame (Our Lady of Paris) sits on the Île de la Cité in the middle of the Seine River.

Over time, the cathedral has gradually been stripped of many decorations and artworks. However, the cathedral still contains Gothic, Baroque, and 19th-century sculptures, 17th- and early 18th-century altarpieces, and some of the most important relics in Christendom – including the Crown of Thorns, and a sliver and nail from the True Cross.

Notre-Dame Cathedral of Luxembourg
1613-21 Architecture

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Founded as a Jesuit church and built between 1613 and 1621, Notre-Dame Cathedral stands today as the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Luxembourg City. In fact, it’s the only cathedral in the entire country.

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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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