Church Architecture

Reims Cathedral
Artist: Jean d'Orbais. Jean-le-Loup, Gaucher of Reims , Bernard de Soissons
1211 -1345 Architecture

Reims Cathedral, cathedral located in the city of Reims, France, on the Vesle River east-northeast of Paris. 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.

Reims was the site of 25 coronations of the kings of France, from Louis VIII in 1223 to Charles X in 1825, including the crowning of Charles VII in 1429 in the presence of Joan of Arc. The cathedral, which was begun in 1211 under the auspices of Archbishop Aubry de Humbert and designer Jean d’Orbais, was modeled on Chartres Cathedral (begun about 1194) and was intended to replace an earlier church destroyed by fire in 1210.

The main construction was overseen by four different architects and lasted some 80 years; expansions and decorative work continued on the church for centuries.

Rio de Janeiro Cathedral
Architecture

See Details

Rio de Janeiro Cathedral is officially known as the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Sebastian or the “Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião.” It is dedicated to Saint Sebastian, a 3rd-century Christian martyr and the patron saint of Rio de Janeiro. The cathedral was completed during the 1970s and replaced an 18th-century church that is now referred to as the “Old Cathedral.”

Rosary Cathedral (Toledo, Ohio)
Artist: John T. Comes original design William Perry supervising architect
1926-31 Architecture

See Details

Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church located in the Old West End of Toledo, Ohio. The cathedral is the mother church of the 122 parishes in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Toledo.

Select Pages

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52

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.

Click Images to Enlarge. Once open, images can be magnified by clicking within them or by dragging on right lower corner.