Abhi’s Tiering of Cathedrals and Basilicas

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The Bee's Reads

13 min readDec 5, 2016

Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied. — Acts 9:31

This is only my second tiering, but I can’t imagine one being more difficult than this. There are two reasons for this: one being sheer volume, with well over a thousand cathedrals and basilicas worldwide (this list has been distilled to about 250). The second is that every cathedral is a product of dozens, maybe hundreds, of years of effort from a variety of artists, engineers, and community leaders, and before and after its completion is the most significant representation of faith for miles around. When each of these holds that kind of importance, it’s tough to trash-talk any single one.

So how do I parse this many cathedrals, so many of which are so close to each other in style? First, let’s be clear about our parameters: this is almost entirely an architectural tiering. If your favorite cathedral is a disaster of design, I am not in any way making a statement about what it means to your religion. In some cases, bonus points have been awarded for an especially interesting setting or historical significance (though at most each of these represents <5% of a cathedral’s score). In architecture, we also have to look at cathedrals differently from the architecture of other buildings. Architectural criticism nowadays derives almost entirely from the way a building has creatively risen to approach its function. But what’s the point of a cathedral?

I judge them on two tasks: representing the Faith and/or the Church to the parishioners, and representing the parishioners and their community to the Man Upstairs. In the former, a cathedral has to be monumental, symbolize unending might and grace, and continue to be that symbol no matter the architectural fashion — points to basilicas and cathedrals here that are appropriately large, and which are ahead of the architectural curve. In the latter, points are given to cathedrals that are unique and truly represent the best effort of the community’s creative minds.

Anyway, it’s not all that serious. Let’s look at some gigantic prayer houses! Questions/Comments/Significant Theological Disagreements/ Declarations of Holy War? Respond in the comments below, and feel free to listen to the official playlist of this tiering or some Christmas music as you browse.

TIER I: MASTERPIECES

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. — Matthew 5:14

Chartres Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral
Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral
Dresden Cathedral
Florence Cathedral (Il Duomo)
Kazan Cathedral, Moscow
Milan Cathedral
Saint Basil’s Cathedral
Sagrada Família
Santiago de Compostela Cathedral

Chartres (Britannica), Clermont Ferrand (Atlas Obscura), Cologne (Britannica), Dresden (Simon Kumm), Il Duomo (Britannica), Milan (Layover Guide), Sagrada Familia (The Atlantic), Santiago de Compostela (Thousand Wonders), Kazan Cathedral in Moscow, St. Basil’s Cathedral. All images mine unless otherwise credited.

TIER II: HEAVY HITTERS

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, — Hebrews 12:1

St Paul’s Cathedral
Notre Dame de Paris
St. Peter’s Basilica
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
Seville Cathedral

The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and Notre-Dame de Paris. These are the cathedrals you know and love, and they deserve to be.

TIER III: HIGH POINTS OF DISTINCTION

Even things without life, whether flute or harp, when they make a sound, unless they make a distinction in the sounds, how will it be known what is piped or played?— 1 Corinthians 14:7

Huamanga Cathedral
St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral
St Mark’s Basilica
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Segovia Cathedral
St Andrew’s Church, Kiev
Toledo Cathedral
Church of the Savior on Blood

The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, St. Petersburg. Like other cathedrals in this tier, creativity runs through the entire structure. They’re only separated from the top tier by a little Godly “oomph.”

TIER IV: AT HOME IN THEIR SETTING

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. — Matthew 7:24

St. Canute’s Cathedral
Helsinki Cathedral
Notre-Dame de la Garde
Szeged Cathedral
Las Lajas Sanctuary
Palermo Cathedral
Ss. Boris and Gleb Cathedral, Daugavpils
Riga Cathedral
Kronstadt Naval Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral, Nelson
Cathedral of St. Nicholas, Bielsko-Biała
Košice Cathedral
St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia)
St. Spiridon Cathedral (Orthodox Church in America) (Seattle)
Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg

The Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral mirrors (but outreaches) the old government buildings with which it circles the harbor of St. Petersburg.

TIER V: DELIGHTFUL REGIONAL INTERPRETATIONS

Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs — we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God. — Acts 2:10–11

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Banja Luka
Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral
Truro Cathedral
Sacred Heart Syro-Malabar Cathedral, Rajkot
Mary Help of Christians Cathedral
St. Paul’s Cathedral, Kolkata
Piravom Valiyapally
Holy Resurrection Cathedral
St. Paul’s Cathedral, Mdina
Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilsi
St. Joseph’s Metropolitan Cathedral, Dar Es Salaam
Cathedral of Lima
Palo Cathedral
Holy Rosary Cathedral, Kaohsiung
Cathedral of St. John the Baptist (Roman Catholic) (Savannah)
St. Theodosius Cathedral (Orthodox Church in America)
St. John’s Cathedral (Brisbane)
Phát Diệm Cathedral

The Phat Diem Cathedral makes the most of an opportunity to blend a Western religion with Eastern masonry and roofing. (Vietnam Travel Blog)

TIER VI: BEAUTIFUL LITTLE POEMS

Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. — James 3:4

Verona Cathedral
Cardboard Cathedral
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, Granada
Cathedral Basilica of St. Mary in Trujillo
Old Katholikon of the Trinity Lavra
St. Elijah Cathedral, Aleppo
Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament (Roman Catholic) (Altoona)
Siena Cathedral
Zagreb Cathedral

Despite its scale and ornamentation, the Zagreb Cathedral comes off modest and airy. (Tom Harper)

TIER VII: ARCHITECTURAL TRENDSETTERS

Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert. — Isaiah 43:19

Sacred Heart Cathedral, Sarajevo
Basílica Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia
Munich Frauenkirche
St. Nicholas Cathedral (Ukrainian Catholic)
Basilica of Sacré-Coeur

The famous Sacre-Coeur heralded reconciliation between France’s many political groups at the end of the 19th century — and kicked off a rare new wave of design in Paris.

TIER VIII: COMBINING ARCHITECTURAL STYLES WELL

For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.— 1 Corinthians 3:9–10

Sankt Pölten Cathedral
Annunciation Cathedral, Jerusalem
Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, Podgorica
Wawel Cathedral
Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba
New Cathedral of Cuenca

The builders and architects of Cuenca striped their church with multiple colors, styles, and materials, and it works. (Hat.Net)

TIER IX: CAUGHT IN A FAD WITH GOOD RESULTS

But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.— Matthew 13:23

Cathedral of Brasília
Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, Yerevan
St. Mary’s Cathedral, Tokyo
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Maputo
Davao Cathedral
Hallgrímskirkja
Cathedral of Mary Our Queen (Roman Catholic) (Baltimore)
Saint Joseph’s Oratory

St. Joseph’s marries old Renaissance styles with Art Deco flourishes. Also, it contains its founder’s heart in a box.

TIER X: SOME POINTS FOR CREATIVITY

Walk about Zion,
And go all around her.
Count her towers;
Mark well her bulwarks;
Consider her palaces;
That you may tell it to the generation following. — Psalm 48:12–13

St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne
Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul, Brno
Exeter Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral
Newcastle Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
Rouen Cathedral
Strasbourg Cathedral
Annunciation Cathedral, Kharkiv
Aachen Cathedral
Dormition Cathedral, Khabarovsk
St. Louis Cathedral, Martinique

The central point of Fort-de-France, the St. Louis Cathedral was prefabricated in Paris by none other than Gustave Eiffel and shipped to Martinique.

TIER XI: STRONG INTERIOR, WEAK EXTERIOR

And he built the inside walls of the temple with cedar boards; from the floor of the temple to the ceiling he paneled the inside with wood; and he covered the floor of the temple with planks of cypress. Then he built the twenty-cubit room at the rear of the temple, from floor to ceiling, with cedar boards; he built it inside as the inner sanctuary, as the Most Holy Place. — 1 Kings 6:15–16

Đakovo Cathedral
Parma Cathedral
Cathedral of the Assumption, Gozo
Saint Isaac’s Cathedral
Einsiedeln Abbey
Co-Cathedral Basilica of St. Mary (Roman Catholic) (Minneapolis)
Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis (The New Cathedral) (Roman Catholic)
Notre-Dame Basilica (Montreal)

You might decide you have better things to do in Montreal from looking at Notre-Dame’s front, but if you go inside you’re in for an experience.

TIER XII: I DON’T MIND IT BUT APPARENTLY GOD DOES

“I will destroy the winter house along with the summer house;
The houses of ivory shall perish,
And the great houses shall have an end,”
Says the Lord.— Amos 3:15

Catania Cathedral
Messina Cathedral
Avezzano Cathedral
Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa
Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch

Earthquakes keep destroying Christchurch, New Zealand’s Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. It’s grand, but I’m not about to overrule the Lord on this one. (Kurt Langer)

TIER XIII: THAT WAS NICE, WHY’D YOU STOP?

For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it — lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? — Luke 14:28–30

Durham Cathedral
Beauvais Cathedral
St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Dunedin
Cathedral of Guarda
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of Ouagadougou

The Ouagadougou Cathedral is well-balanced, built in a gorgeous orange stone, and decorated tastefully. And yet I still feel a bit let down. (Wikimedia Commons)

TIER XIV: STANDARDS OF THEIR STYLE

This is the foundation which Solomon laid for building the house of God: The length was sixty cubits (by cubits according to the former measure) and the width twenty cubits. — 2 Chronicles 3:3

St. Vitus Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral
St. Joseph Cathedral, Groningen
Nidaros Cathedral
Oslo Cathedral
Cathedral of Saint Paul, National Shrine of the Apostle Paul (Roman Catholic)
San Sebastián Cathedral
Cathedral of Trier

The Cathedral of Trier is a great example of the Romanesque style — but it’s merely great. (Germany Travel)

TIER XV: ORIGINAL, BUT DOESN’T FIT THE LOCATION

Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. — 1 Timothy 4:14

St. Joseph Cathedral (Tianjin)
Wesley Methodist Cathedral
Milagres Church
St. John’s Cathedral (Kuala Lumpur)
Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Karachi
Myeongdong Cathedral
Cathedral of St Mary and All Saints, Harare
St. John the Evangelist Cathedral (Roman Catholic) (Lafayette)
Ascension Cathedral, Almaty

For this intricate example of Ukrainian ornamentation, you’ll have to go to Kazakhstan. (Wikimedia Commons)

TIER XVI: TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING

It is not good to eat much honey;
So to seek one’s own glory is not glory. — Proverbs 25–27

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia
Ely Cathedral
St. Hedwig’s Cathedral
Kazan Cathedral, Saint Petersburg
Crema Cathedral

The Crema Cathedral would be among the cream of the crop if it weren’t for a facade twice as tall as it needs to be. (Panoramio)

TIER XVII: MISSING SOMETHING BIG

Shall Your wonders be known in the dark?
And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? — Psalms 88:12

St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast
Sialkot Cathedral
Toruń Cathedral
Church of St. George, Istanbul
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

TIER XVIII: MADE BEAUTIFUL IN DESTRUCTION

Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.— Isaiah 48:10

Rock of Cashel
Coventry Cathedral (Old)

The new building isn’t quite as well-done a revival as one would hope — but the preservation of the old structure is quite the sight. (Art History Abroad)

TIER XIX: ATTEMPT AT CREATIVITY SOMEHOW MADE IT MORE BORING

Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, — 1 Timothy 1:5–6

St. Salvator’s Cathedral
St. Magnus’ Cathedral, Orkney
Bremen Cathedral
Genoa Cathedral
St. Patrick’s Cathedral (Roman Catholic)
Cathedral of the Theotokos, Vilnius

Hey, you know how we can improve on Orthodox tradition in church-building? Large, blank spaces on the facade. (Cepelinas.eu)

TIER XX: CAUGHT IN A FAD WITH MEDIOCRE RESULTS

Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. — Matthew 13:22

Cathedral of Saint Bonaventure, Banja Luka
Zamboanga Cathedral
St Joseph’s Cathedral (Roman Catholic) (Hartford)
Guardian Angel Cathedral (Roman Catholic)

The cathedral in Las Vegas is guilty of looking like it’s in Las Vegas. (Real Clear Religion)

TIER XXI: CAUGHT IN A FAD WITH EXPLOSIVE RESULTS

When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.— Matthew 13:19

Rio de Janeiro Cathedral
St. Paul’s Metropolitan Cathedral in Abidjan
Daet Cathedral
Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ
Crystal Cathedral
Cathedral of Christ the Light (Oakland, California)
Cathedral of Maringá

Apparently in Maringa they have decided to forgo purgatory and take a rocket straight to the Pearly Gates (Wikimedia Commons)

TIER XXII: INDECISION

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. — James 1:6–8

St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne
Cathedral of St. Bartholomew (Plzeň)
St. John’s Cathedral (’s-Hertogenbosch)
St. Nicholas Cathedral, Elbląg
Gothenburg Cathedral
Turin Cathedral

I get that building things out of several components is the big thing in Turin, but here it didn’t work. (Thousand Wonders)

TIER XXIII: RENDERED ORDINARY BY A CRIPPLING MISTAKE

Then they said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. — Genesis 11:3

Saint Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral
Holy Trinity Cathedral, Blaj
Uppsala Cathedral
Havana Cathedral
Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul (Roman Catholic) (Philadelphia)
St. Josaphat Cathedral

The St. Josaphat Cathedral looked great — until those columns made it look like someone’s house. (Wikimedia Commons)

TIER XXIV: THIS ISN’T DISNEYLAND

More interested in Magic Kingdom than in the Kingdom of Heaven (sadly there is no Bible verse for this).

St. Louis Cathedral (Roman Catholic) (New Orleans)

TIER XXV: OVERRELIANT ON THEIR ARCHITECTURAL STYLE

For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus.— Thessalonians 2:14

Primatial Cathedral of Bogotá
Cathedral of Córdoba (Argentina)
Bologna Cathedral
Cathedral of St Elie and St Gregory the Illuminator
Cathedral of Saint Demetrius, Craiova
Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Canelones
Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament (Sacramento, California)

“Oh, shoot, we named our city Sacramento. We’d better make sure the church checks all the boxes.” (Wikimedia Commons)

TIER XXVI: OVERRELIANT ON SIZE

And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.— Genesis 11:4

Magdeburg Cathedral
Esztergom Basilica
St Macartan’s Cathedral, Monaghan
Washington National Cathedral (Episcopal)
Basilica of Our Lady of Licheń

It’s impressive, sure — but who needs to feel like they’re going to church in a Prince of Persia level? (Marek Niziol)

TIER XXVII: OVERRELIANT ON AGE

The silver-haired head is a crown of glory,
If it is found in the way of righteousness.— Proverbs 16:31

Hildesheim Cathedral
Ancona Cathedral
Old Cathedral of Coimbra
Church of the Holy Sepulchre

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre gets all the hype for an origin story. Longtime fans of the Bible know — there’s nothing inside! (James Emery)

TIER XXVIII: TOO BORING FOR ITS LOCATION

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. — 2 Timothy 2:15

Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral
Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas, Galway
Ljubljana Cathedral
Almudena Cathedral
Cathedral Church of St. Paul (Episcopal) (Boston)

TIER XXIX: ARE YOU SURE THAT’S A CATHEDRAL?

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.— Colossians 2:8

St. George’s Cathedral, Chennai
Vilnius Cathedral
Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica (Roman Catholic)
Archbasilica of St. John Lateran
Cathedral of Learning

Just what kind of holy caper are you trying to pull here?

TIER XXX: ANGLICAN DISASTERS

And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.— 1 Corinthians 12:24–26

Coventry Cathedral (New)
Cathedral of Saint John the Divine (Episcopal)
Guildford Cathedral

Early English Cathedrals were masterworks. So how did we get here? (Farnham Town Council)

TIER XXXI: AT HOME IN THEIR SETTING, WHICH IS GARBAGE

But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.— Matthew 7:26

Lille Cathedral
Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Roman Catholic)