Church Architecture

Verdun Cathedral
12th Century Architecture

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.

Versailles Cathedral
Architect: Jacques Hardouin-Mansart de Sagonne
1743 - 54 Architecture

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Versailles Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Saint-Louis de Versailles) is a Roman Catholic church located in Versailles, France. It is a national monument. It was built as the parish church of Saint Louis before becoming the cathedral of the new diocese. The building is of the mid-18th century: the first stone was laid, by Louis XV, on 12 June 1743 and the church was consecrated on 24 August 1754.

Washington National Cathedral
Architect: George Frederick Bodley , Philip Hubert Frohman
1906 - - 1988 Architecture

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The official name is The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. It is an American cathedral of the Episcopal Church located in Washington, D.C. Construction began on September 29, 1907, when the foundation stone was laid in the presence of President Theodore Roosevelt and a crowd of more than 20,000, and ended 83 years later when the "final finial" was placed in the presence of President George H. W. Bush in 1990.

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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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