Learn about the architectural history and components of cathedrals. Explore different church styles and learn the difference between a basilica and a cathedral.
Updated: 11/21/2023
Cathedral | Definition, Architecture & Parts
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a church and a cathedral?
A church is a building set aside as a sacred space for worship activities. A cathedral is a church that is the seat of the local bishop. As such, the structure carries a special designation as the religious and administrative center of the bishop's diocese. Cathedrals are typically seen in hierarchal denominations such as Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and so forth.
Does a cathedral have to have a bishop?
Traditionally, a cathedral always has a bishop. This is not necessarily true in the present day, however, as Christian denominations without bishops or other hierarchal positions may still refer to a church as a cathedral. This is usually because the building has significant historical importance or is the pre-eminent church for a particular denomination.
What are some key architectural features of a cathedral?
Some of the key architectural features of a cathedral are the narthex (main entrance area), the nave (main aisle leading to the front of the cathedral), and the apse (location of the altar). Another important feature in a cruciform cathedral is the transept, which intersects the main axis of the cathedral at the crossing.
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ShowGraceful and ethereal. Dominating and imposing. Astonishing and magnificent. These are just a few descriptions that come to mind when thinking of cathedrals. But what exactly is a cathedral? How is it different from other Christian churches? And why are so many incredibly large and ornate?
The word cathedral derives from the Latin cathedra, meaning chair or seat. Indeed, by definition, a cathedral is the seat of the local bishop and is the center of Christian worship and pastoral administration for their district or diocese. Given the connection to bishoprics, cathedrals are mostly seen in Christian denominations with episcopal hierarchies: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, etc. However, non-hierarchic faiths will also sometimes identify a particular church as a cathedral because of historical significance or religious prominence.
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The Christian church became the centerpiece and foundation of community life as the influence and importance of Christianity grew, particularly in the Middle Ages. As such, even small-town churches were typically in the center of the villages in which they were located and usually the most noticeable buildings. This is magnified several times over in the case of cathedrals. In large cities, their spires and domes dominated the skylines and provided strong landmarks, drawing in travelers and locals alike. One famous example is the Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany. Even in modern times, the towers and spires soar above the modern city surrounding them.
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Above all its other purposes, a cathedral is a sacred space, one designed to encourage and enhance the communal worship of the Christian God. The remarkable decorations and innovative construction techniques seen in so many of the world's famous cathedrals were an outgrowth of the desire to provide the very best materials and service for the Creator. Such beauty is meant to lift the mind and heart to contemplation of the heavens. Many of the famous cathedrals of the Middle Ages took decades or even centuries to complete.
The Development of Cathedral Architecture
Christianity was initially an underground religion, viewed with distrust and often hostility by non-Christians. Periodic persecutions occurred until the Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in 312 CE and relaxed the various bans against it. Prior to this, members held religious services in their homes. The Dura Church, thought to date from 256 CE, is an example of a house turned into a worship space.
The new freedom from restrictions meant that Christians could now attend church openly and construct buildings specifically for that purpose. The church organized communities for more efficient administration and established bishoprics. An outgrowth of Judaism, Christian churches incorporated features of the Jerusalem Temple (the sacrificial altar, the Holy of Holies, the courtyard), but the early Christians primarily drew inspiration from their Roman surroundings when it came to church designs.
Roman Influence and Growth of the Church
In particular, the Romans utilized a spacious, rectangular structure known as a basilica for public gatherings and magisterial proceedings. Christians adopted the basic layout, retaining the triple aisles, columns, and open space. The raised dais at one end, where the magistrate once presided, became the location of the altar, tabernacle, and eventually the seat or throne of the bishop when in a cathedral.
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As the church grew in number and stature, the additional clergy and choir members at services required more space at the head of the building. Builders extended arms or wings perpendicular to the main axis. These transepts transformed the basilica style into a cruciform plan (appropriately into the shape of a cross, the symbol of Christianity), and this became the common design for most of the famous cathedrals around the world as well as smaller parish churches.
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Cathedral Styles Over Time
The Roman cathedrals of late antiquity were some of the first truly large church buildings and attempted to reflect the majesty and magnificence attributed to God. Many initially incorporated an enclosed courtyard or atrium similar to Roman structures and the Temple in Jerusalem, although these were mostly phased out over time. The interiors were open and as lofty as possible. Windows brought in natural light, although construction limitations meant that the interiors were still fairly dark. Many were of the basilica style and had flat or slightly arched ceilings, although barrel-vaulted ceilings, larger domes, and the cruciform style were being developed. Beautiful painted interiors and mosaics graced worshippers (often illiterate) with instructional themes from the Bible, particularly of the life of Jesus and scenes from the Gospels.
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In the Middle Ages, cathedrals that were part of an abbey or monastery flourished as specific orders of monks and nuns spread throughout the Eastern and Western Churches. Still mostly in the Romanesque style, many were established as part of evangelizing new areas and turned to detailed painted frescoes as a decorative and instructional medium. The decline of the Roman Empire resulted in these abbeys becoming important civic, religious, medical, and educational centers that helped sustain the local communities as the secular governments destabilized. The Benedictines were among the first of these orders and established self-sufficient complexes throughout Europe. Other religious orders, such as Cistercians, Carthusians, and Franciscans, soon followed suit.
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Construction techniques continued to evolve, with the Gothic style emerging in the mid-12th century. Gothic's characteristic pointed arches allowed for higher vaulted ceilings, larger windows, and most notably the development of the intricate rose windows that prominently adorned the front and back of many cathedrals. The resulting influx of natural light, the tall columns, and the higher ceilings brightened the interiors immensely. In the early 15th century, the Renaissance period followed Gothic as designers returned to an appreciation of the Roman-style sense of proportion and symmetry.
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The Parts of a Cathedral
Cathedrals vary widely based on region, available building techniques and materials, and the influence of wealthy patrons, but still share commonalities of design. The following are general characteristics of a traditional cruciform cathedral, many of which are also in basilicas and parish churches.
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- The front exterior is the facade. Churches were preferentially oriented east-west so that the east-facing congregation would be looking towards the rising sun, symbolizing Christ, the light of the world. This orientation was not (and is not) rigorously followed, but the main front entrance is still referred to as the West Door. Both the facade and door(s) are often highly ornate.
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- The entrance is the narthex. Occasionally visitors will first cross a courtyard or atrium. Many older cathedrals have a side door with a porch intended for the use of the congregation to enter and egress. The West Door was traditionally reserved for clergy and processions in past centuries.
- Decorative towers/spires or bell towers may flank the entrance or be spaced along the front or sides.
- The nave is the main aisle and extends from the narthex to the crossing of the transepts. Clergy traditionally used the nave for processions, but in modern times is the main access of the general public.
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- The side aisles allow visitors to move around the church without disturbing those in the nave. Many cathedrals and abbey churches have small side chapels dedicated to Mary or specific saints, either along the sides of the church or in the transepts.
- The transept intersects the nave perpendicularly at the crossing. Transept arms may be very prominent or barely extend beyond the sides of the church. Nave, transept, and choir generally feature a lofty and/or highly vaulted ceiling and an additionally elevated portion or dome surmounting the crossing. The crossing provided the impetus for much of the past architectural innovations in cathedrals, as it was a tremendous challenge to design a stable covering for such an enormous open area.
- The choir is traditionally where the singers would be arranged for liturgical celebrations with an organ to provide accompaniment. Both could also be placed in a balcony area in the front or rear of the cathedral called a choir loft.
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- The apse is the location of the altar and tabernacle. Often semicircular and topped by a half-dome, in cathedrals the apse also holds the bishop's chair. The clergy conduct the worship celebration in the apse, which is typically raised up and separated from the nave by steps and/or an altar rail. This area is the most visually important part of the building, highlighted by elaborate mosaics, paintings, and carvings. The apse may also be referred to as the sanctuary and the choir and apse together known as the chancel.
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- Completing the front of the cathedral is the ambulatory, which provides a similar function for the clergy as the aisles do for the congregation. The ambulatory is separated from the apse by arches, columns, or screens. Chevettes (or chevets) are small chapels or decorated protrusions off the ambulatory.
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Greek Cross Cathedral vs. Cruciform
The Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine traditions employ a variation of the cruciform plan called the Greek Cross or cross-in-square, thought to be first introduced in the latter part of the ninth century. The sections of the nave, chancel, and transept are all equal in length, with additional bays branching off to form an overall square or rectangular building shape, the entirety of which was called the naos. In more modern times, the naos refers to the congregation's gathering space in the nave and crossing.
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The bema is a sanctuary area added to the front of the naos that hosts the altar. The bema also features a screen with doors called an iconostasis that dramatically sets off the sanctuary from the congregational area. This harkens directly back to the original Temple in Jerusalem, where a veil separated the outer worship area from the Holy of Holies. Only priests could access the Holy of Holies. A narthex runs across the front of the church and serves as both an entrance and as a site for baptisms.
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As with cathedrals in the cruciform style, Greek Cross cathedrals are highly individual and will often supplement the basic cross-in-square plan. One notable feature is that the roof or dome over the central square section of the naos is always the highest of the building. The nave, transept arms, and choir will be next highest, then the corner bays.
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Other Types of Church Architecture
Some of the worlds' oldest Christian churches do not follow the basilica, cruciform, or cross-in-square plan. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, for example, was built in the fourth century in the form of a circular mausoleum. This is appropriate, as it is thought to contain the tomb of Jesus Christ. The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul Turkey is a modified mausoleum structure. Ancient circular and octagonal church designs were relatively rare, however.
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The Protestant Reformation in the 1500s caused a great variety of changes to the building of new churches. The expanding branches of Christianity adapted traditional building structures to their new specific forms of worship. Although many Protestant religions dropped hierarchal positions such as bishops, churches that were designated as cathedrals often kept that status within the new order and continued to serve many cathedral functions.
The evolution of architecture has led to the evolution of church structures as well. Steel and concrete reinforced building methods have greatly expanded the possibilities for modern and post-modern designs, and many of today's cathedrals look nothing like the traditional cathedrals of the past. The broad base of Christianity around the world also means that various features are unique to the country of origin. Churches in Taiwan, for example, may use pagoda-style roofs, and some Ethiopian churches were meticulously hewn out of solid volcanic rock.
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What is the Difference Between a Basilica and a Cathedral?
As noted above, the first Christians adopted the Roman secular basilica as the basic form for their earliest churches. However, the term basilica as it is used today refers to a specific title granted to a Roman Catholic church by the pope. The distinction may be allowed because the church is a significant pilgrimage site, has a unique historical importance, or contains noteworthy architectural and/or artistic features. In contrast, a Catholic cathedral is always tied to a bishop's seat. Basilicas are denoted as Major and Minor. While there are over 1,850 Minor Basilicas spread around the world, there are only four Major Basilicas, all in Rome, Italy.
A church may be both a cathedral and a basilica, such as the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome: a Major Basilica, it is one of the city's earliest and most historic churches and the home church of the pope, who also serves as the Bishop of Rome. Other noteworthy basilicas around the world are the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.; the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, West Bank, Palestine; and St. Thomas Cathedral Basilica in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
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A cathedral is traditionally the seat of the local bishop within hierarchal Christian denominations. Other churches may still be called cathedrals due to historical or religious significance. Early Christians based their first churches on the Roman basilica, a rectangular building designed for public gatherings and magisterial hearings. Architects developed the cruciform layout by adding a transept perpendicular to the church axis, transforming it into the shape of a cross. Some of the major parts of a cathedral are the entrance, or narthex; the main aisle, or nave; and the apse in the front of the church, where the altar is located. Additional church building styles are the Greek Cross (or cross-in-square) and the more unusual round or octagonal shapes. Within Roman Catholicism, a church may also be given special status as a basilica.
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Video Transcript
Cathedrals
If you've ever had the chance to walk along any street in Europe, there's probably been a point where you turned a corner, saw an extremely impressive building, and just had to stop and stare. There's also a good chance that this building was a cathedral. In European history, few buildings have had as large an impact on architectural development as cathedrals. A cathedral is a specific kind of Christian church that serves as the seat of a bishop. The bishop is in charge of a diocese; a diocese is a region under a bishop's authority, making the cathedral the most important church in that area. As the center of the diocese, a cathedral is to a diocese what a capitol building is to a state in the USA. Cathedrals are important buildings and are intended to be impressive.
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History of Cathedral Architecture
The history of cathedral architecture begins around the year 312 CE. When the Byzantine emperor, Constantine I, publicly converted to Christianity and legitimized Christianity as a formal religion, the Christian church as we know it was formally organized. Although there were impressive buildings long before, calling these structures cathedrals would be misleading, as bishops did not come into play until the 4th century.
With the early Christian church based largely in Rome, its architecture was mostly based on Roman precedents. In the Roman Empire, local magistrates would hold court in a long, rectangular hall called a basilica. In one end of the hall, the magistrate would legislate, and at the other end was generally a small chapel-style temple to worship the Roman gods. Basilicas were important to Romans, as they constituted an unrestricted public space, something Romans valued as a right of citizenship. This meant that practically anybody could congregate in a basilica to hold meetings, socialize, or discuss important matters. When early Christians started coming together to practice their religion, they often did so in Roman basilicas.
Because early Roman Christians met in basilicas, they were used to worshiping in basilicas and thus, basilicas became the obvious choice as a model for the first formal place of worship. Therefore, the first cathedrals looked like a Roman basilica, being long and rectangular. They also generally featured three aisles divided by rows of columns. Later, church architects added a perpendicular section, making the entire building look like a Christian cross. This is called a cruciform plan. To this day, most cathedrals are built in the basilica cruciform plan.
Parts of a Cathedral
Over time, cathedrals came to share a common adhere to a basic floor plan, although there are always exceptions. Let's start at the entrance. When you walk through the main front door of the cathedral, generally called the West Door, you enter into the narthex. The narthex is a congregating space, often separated from the main worship area by another set of doors. The narthex has changed quite a bit over the years. At times it was almost non-existent, and at other times it was massive. Some medieval cathedrals had large seating areas in an elevated narthex reserved for royal patrons, while others used the narthex to hold royal tombs.
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Past the narthex is the main part of the church. Generally, this main part has three central aisles. The middle aisle is called the nave. The side aisles were historically used for people passing through the church to get to one of the chapels, while the nave was used for processionals. The transept is a long, perpendicular section that intercepts the nave at the front. If you think of a cathedral like a lowercase 't', the transept is the horizontal line. Transepts often contain chapels, or small areas meant for private worship. Chapels are often funded by a private donor or family, who may also have had the option to decorate it. In fact, some of the most important paintings in Western history were commissioned for private chapels.
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The actual intersection of the transept and nave created a large open space called the choir, where the choir traditionally sits. Historically, however, this area was problematic for architects. The choir had to be open so that no one's view of the bishop or priest was impaired. However, to cover such a large space without supporting columns was one of the greatest architectural challenges of the medieval world. Architects started by creating curved barrel vault ceilings that dispersed weight and later found new support systems in the Gothic era that allowed for more open interiors. It wasn't until Filippo Brunelleschi figured out how cover it with a massive dome in the 15th century that the interior could be fully opened.
The last major element of a cathedral is the apse, or the rounded or semi-circular end of the nave past the transept. The apse is where the altar is traditionally found. Many cathedral apses are contained under a smaller domed roof. Sometimes the choir and apse are combined into a larger space. Apses tend to be heavily decorated and are the most visually important section of the interior.
Lesson Summary
Let's review. A cathedral is a Christian church that serves as the seat of a bishop and the administrative center of a diocese. Cathedral architecture is based on Roman basilicas, and many still maintain a cruciform version of that basic structure. The typical cathedral contains a narthex at the entrance, three aisles with the central being the nave, a transept that gives the church its cross shape, an open choir where the nave and transept meet, and an apse at the far end of the nave, containing the altar. The importance of these buildings and the challenges of building them have led to some of the most important architectural innovations in Western history.
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Cathedral | Definition, Architecture & Parts
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