Church Architecture

Strasbourg Cathedral
Artist: Erwin von Steinbach, Johannes von Steinbach, Gerlach von Steinbach, Ulrich Ensingen, Johannes Hültz.
1015 - 1439 Architecture

See Details

Strasbourg Cathedral is a Catholic Cathedral located in the east of France near the German border and was constructed between 1015 and 1439. It was the tallest building in the world for about 227 years between 1647 and 1874 and has a height of 466 feet. It’s the highest structure in the world still standing that was completely constructed in the Middle Ages.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius the Areopagite
Artist: Leo von Klenze and later Lysandros Kaftanzoglou,
1853 - 65 Architecture

See Details

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius the Areopagite is the main Roman Catholic church of Athens, Greece, and the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Athens. It is located in central Athens, and is dedicated to Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, disciple of the Apostle Saint Paul and the first bishop of Athens.

The Cathedral of Saint Mary Major
1147 Architecture

See Details

The Cathedral of Saint Mary Major ( Santa Maria Maior de Lisboa or Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Mary Major), often called Lisbon Cathedral or simply the Sé (Sé de Lisboa), is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Lisbon, Portugal. The oldest church in the city, initially built as a mosque, it is the seat of the Patriarchate of Lisbon. Built in 1147, the cathedral has survived many earthquakes and has been modified, renovated and restored several times.

The cathedral is in the shape of a Latin cross with three aisles, a transept and a main chapel surrounded by an ambulatory. The church is connected with a cloister on the eastern side. The main façade of the cathedral looks like a fortress, with two towers flanking the entrance and crenellations over the walls. This menacing appearance, also seen in other Portuguese cathedrals of the time, is a relic from the Reconquista period, when the cathedral may have been used as a base to attack the enemy during a siege.

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.