In Christianity, a church is a place of worship and other religious activity. The plan view of a typical Christian church frequently resembles a cross.
The center aisle, benches, and altar depict the vertical beam; the bema and bema are on the horizontal beam. Many churches have been repurposed for other uses and have had their layouts redesigned for use as churches in the modern day.
As far back as 233–256, a church called Duras-Europas was established in Syria. It’s said to be a conventional family residence turned into a place of worship.
In terms of type and size, churches are vastly different. Basilica, cathedral, pilgrimage, conventual, and collegiate are some of the several kinds of churches. Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and other denominations all have cathedrals.
The World’s Largest Churches
Area, volume, length, breadth, height, and capacity are a few methods to gauge a church’s size. Several churches claim to be the biggest based on these criteria.
As measured by total square footage, the St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City is the biggest church building in the world. The interior has a floor area of 15,160 square meters, while the outside has 21,095 square meters. With a capacity of 60,000, St. Peter’s is the largest church in the Vatican.
To put things in perspective, the 56,000-seat Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles is the nation’s biggest baseball stadium. Compared to Dodger Stadium, St. Peter’s Basilica can house 4,000 more people.
The Basilica of Our Lady Aparecida in Aparecida, Brazil, is the world’s biggest cathedral and the second-largest church. There are 45,000 people in the cathedral, which has an interior area of 12,000 square meters and an outside area of 18,331 square meters.
It is the Milan Cathedral in Milan, Spain, which is home to the world’s third-biggest cathedral. Catholic (Ambrosian Rite) Cathedral has an 11,700-square-foot interior and can house 40,000 people.
Yoido Full Gospel is the world’s biggest church by outside size, encompassing approximately 44,000 m2. In Seoul, South Korea, this Pentecostal church can accommodate 12,000 people.
It is the second-largest church in terms of outside space, measuring 30,000 m2 and holding 18,000 worshipers. In Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast, you’ll find a Catholic church. By this metric, St. Peter’s Basilica is the third-largest.
The thirty biggest churches in the world are listed here. Please note that this is not a full list due to a lack of information on the vehicle’s external size (area) or capacity.
This list includes churches based on their size and capacity, while some are split between the two.
Name | Country | City | Denomination | Interior m² | Capacity | Exterior m² |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. Peter's Basilica | Vatican City | Vatican City | Catholic (Latin) | 15160 | 60000 | 21095 |
Basilica of Our Lady Aparecida | Brazil | Aparecida | Catholic (Latin) | 12000 | 45000 | 18331 |
Milan Cathedral | Italy | Milan | Catholic (Ambrosian) | 11700 | 40000 | |
Basilica of Our Lady Licheń | Poland | Licheń Stary | Catholic (Latin) | 10090 | ||
Liverpool Cathedral | United Kingdom | Liverpool | Anglican (Church of England) | 9687 | 3500 | |
Basilica of the Holy Trinity | Portugal | Fatima | Catholic (Latin) | 8700 | 9000 | |
Basilica of Our Lady of Guadelupe | Mexico | Mexico City | Catholic (Latin) | 8167 | ||
Cathedral of Our Lady | Belgium | Antwerp | Catholic (Latin) | 8000 | ||
Basilica of Our Lady of Peace | Ivory Coast | Yamoussoukro | Catholic (Latin) | 7989 | 18000 | 30000 |
Hagia Sophia | Turkey | Instanbul | Eastern Orthodox (Ecumenical Patriarchate) | 7960 | ||
Yoido Full Gospel | South Korea | Seoul | Pentecostal | 7450 | 12000 | 44000 |
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception | United States | Washington DC | Catholic (Latin) | 7097 | 10000 | |
Berlin Cathedral | Germany | Berlin | Protestant (Lutheran) | 6270 | 2000 | |
Sagrada Familia | Spain | Barcelona | Catholic (Latin) | 5400 | 9000 | |
Evangelical Cathedral of Chile | Chile | Santiago de Chile | Pentecostal (Methodist Pentecostal Church of Chile) | 3714 | ||
Helsinki Cathedral | Finland | Helsinki | Protestant (Lutheran) | 2400 | 1300 |
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