Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
Храм Христа Спасителя
Russia
The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (Храм Христа Спасителя) on the Moskva River is the tallest Eastern Orthodox church in the world. Originally completed in 1883 to commemorate the Russian victory over Napoleon, it was dynamited by Stalin in 1931 and replaced by an open-air swimming pool for decades. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, it was painstakingly reconstructed and consecrated again on 19 August 2000. The 103-meter cathedral can hold up to 10,000 worshippers.
- Decimal Degrees (DD)
- 55.744524, 37.605511
- Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS)
- 55° 44′ 40.29″ N, 37° 36′ 19.84″ E
- Degrees, Decimal Minutes (DDM)
- 55° 44.6714′ N, 37° 36.3307′ E
Chartres Cathedral
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres
France
Chartres Cathedral, about 80 km southwest of Paris, was built mostly between 1194 and 1220 after a fire destroyed an earlier church on the same hilltop. It is widely considered the high point of French Gothic architecture and houses one of the largest collections of medieval stained glass in the world: 152 of the original 176 windows survive, far more than any other cathedral. UNESCO inscribed it in 1979 as one of the very first French cultural sites.
- Decimal Degrees (DD)
- 48.447818, 1.487867
- Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS)
- 48° 26′ 52.14″ N, 1° 29′ 16.32″ E
- Degrees, Decimal Minutes (DDM)
- 48° 26.8691′ N, 1° 29.272′ E
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
كنيسة القيامة
Palestine
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem is, for most Christians, the holiest church in the world. It contains both the site of Jesus' crucifixion (Golgotha) and the empty tomb where he is said to have been resurrected.
- Decimal Degrees (DD)
- 31.778611, 35.229722
- Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS)
- 31° 46′ 43.00″ N, 35° 13′ 47.00″ E
- Degrees, Decimal Minutes (DDM)
- 31° 46.7167′ N, 35° 13.7833′ E
Church of the Nativity
كنيسة المهد
Palestine
The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Palestine, is built over the cave that Christian tradition identifies as the birthplace of Jesus. Originally commissioned by Constantine the Great in 327 CE, it is one of the oldest surviving Christian churches in the world.
- Decimal Degrees (DD)
- 31.704306, 35.207583
- Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS)
- 31° 42′ 15.5″ N, 35° 12′ 27.3″ E
- Degrees, Decimal Minutes (DDM)
- 31° 42.2584′ N, 35° 12.455′ E
Cologne Cathedral
Kölner Dom
Germany
Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Cologne and a masterpiece of High Gothic architecture. Begun in 1248 to house the Shrine of the Three Kings (the relics of the Magi), construction halted in 1473 and only resumed in 1842, with the cathedral completed in 1880 according to the original 13th-century plans. Its 157-meter twin spires made it the tallest building in the world from 1880 to 1884, and it remains the tallest twin-spired church on Earth. UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.
- Decimal Degrees (DD)
- 50.941304, 6.958138
- Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS)
- 50° 56′ 28.69″ N, 6° 57′ 29.3″ E
- Degrees, Decimal Minutes (DDM)
- 50° 56.4782′ N, 6° 57.4883′ E
Florence Cathedral
Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore
Italy
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower (Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore), or simply the Duomo, is the cathedral of Florence. Begun in 1296 in the Gothic style by Arnolfo di Cambio, it was crowned in 1436 by Filippo Brunelleschi's red-tiled dome, an octagonal masonry shell 45.5 meters in interior diameter that remains the largest brick dome ever built. The cathedral complex on Piazza del Duomo also includes Giotto's Campanile and the Baptistery of San Giovanni, and is part of the UNESCO Historic Centre of Florence (1982).
- Decimal Degrees (DD)
- 43.773271, 11.255952
- Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS)
- 43° 46′ 23.78″ N, 11° 15′ 21.43″ E
- Degrees, Decimal Minutes (DDM)
- 43° 46.3963′ N, 11° 15.3571′ E
Milan Cathedral
Duomo di Milano
Italy
The Duomo di Milano, dedicated to the Nativity of Saint Mary, is the largest church in Italy after St. Peter's Basilica and the world's fifth-largest cathedral. Begun in 1386 and architecturally completed in 1965, its construction spanned almost six centuries. Its white marble facade is decorated with more than 3,400 statues, 135 spires and 200 bas-reliefs. The 108.5-meter main spire is crowned by the gilded Madonnina, the symbol of Milan since 1762.
- Decimal Degrees (DD)
- 45.464211, 9.191383
- Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS)
- 45° 27′ 51.16″ N, 9° 11′ 28.98″ E
- Degrees, Decimal Minutes (DDM)
- 45° 27.8527′ N, 9° 11.4830′ E
Hallgrímskirkja
Hallgrímskirkja
Iceland
Hallgrímskirkja (Church of Hallgrímur) is the Lutheran parish church of the Church of Iceland on the Skólavörðuholt hill in central Reykjavík. At 74.5 metres tall it is the largest church in Iceland and the second tallest building in the country, named after the 17th-century Icelandic poet and cleric Hallgrímur Pétursson, author of the Passion Hymns. State Architect Guðjón Samúelsson commissioned the design in 1937, with construction running from 1945 to 1986; its expressionist concrete spire and side wings evoke the basalt columns of Iceland's volcanic landscape.
- Decimal Degrees (DD)
- 64.141795, -21.926710
- Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS)
- 64° 8′ 30.46″ N, 21° 55′ 36.16″ W
- Degrees, Decimal Minutes (DDM)
- 64° 8.5077′ N, 21° 55.6026′ W
Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela
ላሊበላ
Ethiopia
The eleven monolithic Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela (ላሊበላ) in the Ethiopian highlands were carved entirely downward into solid volcanic tuff in the late 12th and early 13th centuries under King Gebre Meskel Lalibela of the Zagwe dynasty, who intended them to recreate the holy city of Jerusalem in Ethiopia. The most iconic, Bete Giyorgis (Church of Saint George), is cut as a perfect Greek cross and reaches 12 meters in depth. UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978 and one of the holiest sites in Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.
- Decimal Degrees (DD)
- 12.033651, 39.043803
- Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS)
- 12° 02′ 01.14″ N, 39° 02′ 37.69″ E
- Degrees, Decimal Minutes (DDM)
- 12° 2.0191′ N, 39° 2.6282′ E
Mont-Saint-Michel
Abbaye du Mont-Saint-Michel
France
Mont-Saint-Michel is a tidal island in Normandy crowned by a Benedictine abbey founded in the 8th century and rebuilt between the 11th and 16th centuries on a 92-meter granite outcrop. The bay around it experiences some of the highest tidal ranges in Europe (up to 16 meters), with the sea reportedly advancing as fast as a galloping horse. Both the abbey and the surrounding bay were inscribed by UNESCO in 1979 and remain one of the most visited monuments in France.
- Decimal Degrees (DD)
- 48.635954, -1.511460
- Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS)
- 48° 38′ 9.43″ N, 1° 30′ 41.26″ W
- Degrees, Decimal Minutes (DDM)
- 48° 38.1572′ N, 1° 30.6876′ W
Notre-Dame de Paris
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
France
Notre-Dame de Paris, on the Île de la Cité in central Paris, is one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. Begun in 1163, devastated by fire on 15 April 2019, and reopened on 7 December 2024 after a five-year restoration, it remains a powerful symbol of France.
- Decimal Degrees (DD)
- 48.852968, 2.349902
- Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS)
- 48° 51′ 10.68″ N, 2° 20′ 59.65″ E
- Degrees, Decimal Minutes (DDM)
- 48° 51.1781′ N, 2° 20.9941′ E
Notre-Dame de Reims
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims
France
The Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Reims, begun in 1211 in High Gothic style, was the traditional coronation church of the kings of France. Twenty-five French kings were crowned here between Louis VIII in 1223 and Charles X in 1825, including Charles VII in 1429 in the presence of Joan of Arc. Heavily damaged by German artillery in 1914, it was meticulously restored thanks to a Rockefeller donation. UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991, together with the Palace of Tau and the former Abbey of Saint-Remi.
- Decimal Degrees (DD)
- 49.253889, 4.034167
- Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS)
- 49° 15′ 14″ N, 4° 02′ 03″ E
- Degrees, Decimal Minutes (DDM)
- 49° 15.2333′ N, 4° 2.05′ E
Sagrada Familia
Basílica de la Sagrada Família
Spain
Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Antoni Gaudí's lifelong masterpiece begun in 1882, was architecturally completed on 20 February 2026 with the installation of the cross atop the central Tower of Jesus Christ, bringing the basilica to its full height of 172.5 meters and making it the tallest church in the world. The completion coincides with the centenary of Gaudí's death, and the official inauguration is scheduled for 10 June 2026 with Pope Leo XIV presiding over the ceremony. The basilica was consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.
- Decimal Degrees (DD)
- 41.403629, 2.174356
- Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS)
- 41° 24′ 13.06″ N, 2° 10′ 27.68″ E
- Degrees, Decimal Minutes (DDM)
- 41° 24.2177′ N, 2° 10.4614′ E
St. Mark's Basilica
Basilica di San Marco
Italy
St. Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco) on Piazza San Marco is the cathedral church of Venice and the most prominent example of Italo-Byzantine architecture in Western Europe. Begun in its present form in 1063 to house the relics of Mark the Evangelist (smuggled from Alexandria in 828), its five domes shelter around 8,000 m² of gold-ground mosaics added across eight centuries. Long the chapel of the Doge of Venice, it became the city's cathedral only in 1807.
- Decimal Degrees (DD)
- 45.434548, 12.339822
- Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS)
- 45° 26′ 04.37″ N, 12° 20′ 23.36″ E
- Degrees, Decimal Minutes (DDM)
- 45° 26.0729′ N, 12° 20.3893′ E
St. Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London
United Kingdom
St. Paul's Cathedral on Ludgate Hill is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of London and the masterpiece of Sir Christopher Wren, who designed it in the English Baroque style after the Great Fire of 1666 destroyed the previous medieval cathedral. Completed in 1710, its 111-meter lead-covered dome is one of the tallest in the world and was the tallest building in London until 1967. The cathedral has hosted the funerals of Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Winston Churchill, and the 1981 wedding of Charles and Diana.
- Decimal Degrees (DD)
- 51.513778, -0.098306
- Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS)
- 51° 30′ 49.6″ N, 0° 05′ 53.9″ W
- Degrees, Decimal Minutes (DDM)
- 51° 30.8267′ N, 0° 5.8984′ W
St. Peter's Basilica
Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano
Vatican City
St. Peter's Basilica (Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano) sits in Vatican City, the smallest sovereign state in the world by both area and population and the spiritual and administrative center of the Roman Catholic Church. Built between 1506 and 1626 over what tradition holds to be the tomb of the Apostle Peter, it is the largest church in the world by interior measure and the most renowned work of Italian Renaissance and Baroque architecture. Designed in turn by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo (who created the 136-meter dome), Carlo Maderno and finally Gian Lorenzo Bernini (who added the colonnade enclosing St. Peter's Square), the basilica holds 20,000 seated worshippers, while the square in front can welcome up to 60,000.
- Decimal Degrees (DD)
- 41.902235, 12.457357
- Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS)
- 41° 54′ 08.05″ N, 12° 27′ 26.49″ E
- Degrees, Decimal Minutes (DDM)
- 41° 54.1341′ N, 12° 27.4414′ E
Seville Cathedral
Catedral de Sevilla
Spain
Seville Cathedral (Catedral de Santa María de la Sede) is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. Construction began in 1401 on the site of the city's former Almohad mosque (1172-1198), with main works completed in the early 16th century; on completion it supplanted Hagia Sophia as the largest cathedral on Earth. The Gothic section measures 126 by 76 metres with a 36-metre central nave (40 metres at the crossing). Its bell tower, the Giralda (104.5 m), is the converted minaret of the original 12th-century mosque. The Royal Chapel holds the tombs of King Ferdinand III of Castile (the city's conqueror) and Alfonso X, while a separate ornate sepulchre traditionally claims to hold the remains of Christopher Columbus. UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987 together with the Real Alcázar and the Archivo de Indias.
- Decimal Degrees (DD)
- 37.385915, -5.993141
- Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS)
- 37° 23′ 9.29″ N, 5° 59′ 35.31″ W
- Degrees, Decimal Minutes (DDM)
- 37° 23.1549′ N, 5° 59.5885′ W
St. Basil's Cathedral
Собор Василия Блаженного
Russia
St. Basil's Cathedral (Собор Василия Блаженного), officially the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat (also called Pokrovsky Cathedral), is a Russian Orthodox church on Red Square in Moscow. Built from 1555 to 1561 under Ivan the Terrible to commemorate the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan, it is shaped like the flame of a bonfire rising into the sky and crowned with nine distinctive onion domes, one for each church inside, completed with their colours in 1683. Operating as part of the State Historical Museum since 1928, it is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow (inscribed 1990).
- Decimal Degrees (DD)
- 55.752474, 37.623162
- Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS)
- 55° 45′ 8.91″ N, 37° 37′ 23.38″ E
- Degrees, Decimal Minutes (DDM)
- 55° 45.1484′ N, 37° 37.3897′ E
St. Stephen's Cathedral
Stephansdom
Austria
St. Stephen's Cathedral (Stephansdom) on Stephansplatz is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Vienna and one of the most recognizable symbols of Austria. Founded in 1137 and consecrated in 1147 in Romanesque style, it was largely rebuilt as a Gothic cathedral by Duke Rudolf IV in the 14th century. Its 136-meter south tower (Steffl) and the steeply pitched roof tiled with 230,000 colored tiles forming the Habsburg double eagle and the Vienna coat of arms make it instantly recognizable on the city skyline.
- Decimal Degrees (DD)
- 48.208492, 16.373755
- Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS)
- 48° 12′ 30.57″ N, 16° 22′ 25.52″ E
- Degrees, Decimal Minutes (DDM)
- 48° 12.5095′ N, 16° 22.4253′ E
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
United Kingdom
Westminster Abbey, formally the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, has been the coronation church of England since William the Conqueror in 1066, hosting 40 monarchs to date including Charles III on 6 May 2023. Founded as a Benedictine monastery in 960 CE and rebuilt in Gothic form by Henry III from 1245, it is also the burial place of 18 monarchs and houses the tombs of Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Stephen Hawking, plus the Poets' Corner. UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987 with the neighboring Palace of Westminster.
- Decimal Degrees (DD)
- 51.499329, -0.127416
- Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS)
- 51° 29′ 57.58″ N, 0° 07′ 38.70″ W
- Degrees, Decimal Minutes (DDM)
- 51° 29.9597′ N, 0° 7.6450′ W