List of tallest church buildings
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This list of tallest church buildings ranks church buildings by height. From the Middle Ages until the advent of the skyscraper, Christian church buildings were often the world's tallest buildings. From 1311, when the spire of Lincoln Cathedral surpassed the height of the Great Pyramid of Giza, until the Washington Monument was completed in 1884, a succession of church buildings held this title.
The tallest church building in the world is the Ulm Minster (161.5 m), the main Lutheran congregation in Ulm, Germany. The tallest Catholic, as well as the tallest domed church building, is the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace (158 m) in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast. The tallest church building with two steeples as well as the tallest cathedral is Cologne Cathedral (157.4 m) in Cologne, Germany. The tallest Eastern Orthodox, as well as the tallest domed cathedral, will be People's Salvation Cathedral (now 120 m; 127 m when completed) in Bucharest, Romania.[1] The tallest brickwork church building is St Martin's Church (130.6 m) in Landshut, Germany, while the tallest brickwork church building with two steeples is St Mary's Church (125 m) in Lübeck, Germany. The tallest wooden church building is Săpânța-Peri Monastery church (78 m) in Săpânța, Romania. The tallest church building in the Americas is the Cathedral of Maringá (124 m) in Maringá, Brazil. If completed, the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain, will be the tallest church building in the world, at 172.5 metres (566 ft).
The cities with the most churches surpassing 99 metres (325 feet) are Hamburg (5 of the 29 tallest churches), Lübeck (4 of the 56 tallest churches, two of which with twin towers → 6 towers overall), Vienna (2), Tallinn (2), St. Petersburg (2), New York City (2), Dortmund (2) and Stralsund (2), and the cities with the most churches surpassing 75 metres (246 feet) are Berlin (16), Hamburg (9), Paris (8), Dresden (8), Vienna (7), Stockholm (7) and Munich (7), while in the Americas it is New York City (4).
Constructed[edit]
Church buildings ≥ 99 m (325 ft)[edit]
This list does not include church buildings that incorporate a significant portion of space to non-church uses, such as the Chicago Temple Building. It does not include structures from non-Christian religions.
Overview - church buildings ≥ 99 m (325 ft) - country and city list[edit]
Rank | Country | Church buildings ≥ 99 m ≥ 325 ft | Tallest | Rank | City | Church buildings ≥ 99 m ≥ 325 ft | Tallest | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Germany | 30 | 161.5 | 1 | Hamburg - Germany | 5 | 147.3 | |
2 | France | 9 | 151.0 | 2 | Lübeck - Germany | 4 | 125.0 | |
3 | Poland | 8 | 141.5 | 3 | Vienna - Austria | 2 | 136.4 | |
4 | Italy + Vatican City | 8 [note 2] | 136.6 | 4 | Tallinn - Estonia | 2 | 123.7 | |
5 | Belgium Flanders | 5 [note 3] | 124.9 | 5 | St. Petersburg - Russia | 2 | 122.5 | |
6 | Russia | 5 | 122.5 | 6 | New York City - United States | 2 | 119.8 | |
7 | Austria | 4 | 136.4 | 7 | Dortmund - Germany | 2 | 105.0 | |
8 | Sweden | 4 | 118.7 | 8 | Stralsund - Germany | 2 | 104.0 | |
9 | Brazil | 3 | 124.0 | 9 | Ulm - Germany | 1 | 161.5 | |
10 | United Kingdom England | 3 [note 4] | 123.1 | 10 | Yamoussoukro - Ivory Coast | 1 | 158.0 | |
11 | United States | 3 | 119.8 | 11 | Cologne - Germany | 1 | 157.4 | |
12 | Spain | 2 [note 5] | 138.0 | 12 | Rouen - France | 1 | 151.0 | |
13 | Estonia | 2 | 123.7 | 13 | Strasbourg - France Alsace | 1 | 142.0 | |
14 | Colombia | 2 | 113.0 | 14 | Licheń Stary - Poland | 1 | 141.5 | |
15 | Netherlands | 2 | 112.3 | 15 | Barcelona - Spain Catalonia | 1 [note 6] | 138.0 | |
16 | Argentina | 2 | 112.0 | 16 | Vatican City (Rome) - Vatican City | 1 | 136.6 | |
17 | Czech Republic | 2 | 102.3 | 17 | Bucharest - Romania | 1 [note 7] | 135.0 | |
18 | Ivory Coast | 1 | 158.0 | 18 | Linz - Austria | 1 | 134.8 | |
19 | Romania | 1 [note 8] | 135.0 | 19 | Landshut - Germany | 1 | 130.6 | |
20 | Latvia | 1 | 123.3 | 20 | Novara - Italy | 1 | 126.0 | |
21 | Ecuador | 1 | 115.0 | 21 | Maringá - Brazil | 1 | 124.0 | |
22 | Vietnam | 1 | 110.0 | 22 | Antwerp - Belgium Flanders | 1 | 123.9 | |
23 | Croatia | 1 | 108.4 | 23 | Riga - Latvia | 1 | 123.3 | |
24 | Mexico | 1 | 107.5 | 24 | Salisbury - United Kingdom | 1 | 123.1 | |
25 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 | 107.2 | 25 | Uppsala - Sweden | 1 | 118.7 | |
26 | Australia | 1 | 105.0 | 26 | Schwerin - Germany | 1 | 117.5 | |
27 | China | 1 | 105.0 | 27 | Rostock - Germany | 1 | 117.0 | |
28 | Canada Quebec | 1 | 102.0 | 28 | Freiburg - Germany | 1 | 116.0 | |
29 | Switzerland | 1 | 100.6 | 29 | Stockholm - Sweden | 1 | 116.0 | |
30 | Hungary | 1 | 100.0 | 30 | Bruges - Belgium Flanders | 1 | 115.6 |
Timeline - the tallest church buildings of their time[edit]
Tallest in years | Name | Image | Height | Increase | Time span | City | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1311–1549 | Lincoln Cathedral | 160.0 m (524.9 ft) | 238 years | Lincoln | Tallest ever building until 1890, only then was its original height surpassed by Ulm Minster; spire collapsed in 1549; current height 83.0 m (272.3 ft) | ||
1549–1569 | St. Mary's Church | 151.0 m (495.4 ft) | −5.4% | 20 years (94 years) | Stralsund | First mentioned in 1298; collapse of first tower in 1382; second, 151 metres (495 feet) tall spire finished in 1485; current height 104.0 m (341.2 ft) | |
1569–1573 | Beauvais Cathedral | 153.0 m (502.0 ft) | 1.3% | 4 years | Beauvais | Tower collapsed in 1573; current height 47.5 m (155.8 ft) | |
1573–1647 | St. Mary's Church | 151.0 m (495.4 ft) | −1.3% | 74 years (94 years) | Stralsund | Second spire burned down after a lightning strike in 1647; current, third spire finished in 1708; current height 104.0 m (341.2 ft) | |
1647–1874 | Strasbourg Cathedral | 142.0 m (465.9 ft) | −6% | 227 years | Strasbourg | Finished in 1439; tallest structure built and finished in the Middle Ages; earliest church to have been the world's tallest which still stands at its original height | |
1874–1876 | St. Nicholas Church | 147.3 m (483.3 ft) | 3.5% | 2 years | Hamburg | Bombed in 1943; demolition of large parts in 1951; tower serves as war memorial | |
1876–1880 | Rouen Cathedral | 151.0 m (495.4 ft) | 2.7% | 4 years | Rouen | Church finished in 1506; its cast iron spire was built between 1825 and 1876; painted by Claude Monet | |
1880–1890 | Cologne Cathedral | 157.4 m (516.4 ft) | 4.2% | 10 years | Cologne | Only church with two main towers to ever have been the world's tallest | |
since 1890 | Ulm Minster | 161.5 m (529.9 ft) | 2.6% | 131 years | Ulm | First time since 1311 that a church surpassed the original height of Lincoln Cathedral; intentionally built a few metres taller than Cologne Cathedral |
Church buildings ≥ 75 m (246 ft) < 99 m (325 ft)[edit]
Note: The church buildings are ordered based on their tallest recorded height in history. Those listed in italics and marked with H (for "historical") are church buildings no longer in existence (suffix D) or no longer as tall as their previous maximum height (suffix >99 if height today > 99 metres, suffix >75 if height today > 75 metres and suffix <75 if height today below 75 metres). These church buildings may appear a second time on the list if their current shorter height is still greater than 75 metres (3,000 inches). In order to view the tallest present churches in a row click the sorting button in the H column.
Height metres (feet) | H | Image | Name | Completed | City | Country | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
98.6 m (326 ft) | Munich Frauenkirche | 1525 | Munich | Germany | |||
98.0 m (280 ft) | Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom) | 1905 | Berlin-Mitte | Germany | Reconstructed after World War II; formerly considerably taller | ||
98.0 m (322 ft) | Marktkirche | 1862 | Wiesbaden | Germany | |||
98.0 m (322 ft) | Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren | 15th century | Amersfoort | Netherlands | Rest of church accidentally blown up in 1797 | ||
98.0 m (322 ft) | Sint-Vituskerk(nl) | 1890 | Hilversum | Netherlands | |||
98.0 m (322 ft) | St. Martin's Basilica(de) | 1534 | Amberg | Germany | |||
98.0 m (322 ft) | Wrocław Cathedral | 1341 | Wrocław | Poland | |||
98.0 m (322 ft) | H D | St. Ansgarii(de) | 1243 | Bremen | Germany | Destroyed in World War II | |
97.8 m (321 ft) | Nidaros Cathedral | 1300 | Trondheim | Norway | Northernmost medieval cathedral in the world, and the second largest in the Nordic countries | ||
97.6 m (320 ft) | St. Martin's Church | 1883 | Malters | Switzerland | |||
97.3 m (319 ft) | St. Rumbold's Cathedral | 1520 | Mechelen | Belgium | The tower was supposed to be 167 metres (548 ft) tall, but the money ran out. | ||
97.3 m (319 ft) | Marktkirche | 14th century | Hanover | Germany | Rebuilt after World War II in 1952 | ||
97.0 m (318 ft) | Pavia Cathedral | 1885 | Pavia | Italy | |||
97.0 m (318 ft) | Temple de Garnison(fr) | 1881 | Metz | France | Nave was demolished in 1952 | ||
97.0 m (318 ft) | Temple Saint-Étienne | 1866 | Mulhouse | France | Tallest Protestant church in France | ||
97.0 m (318 ft) | Grote Kerk[13] | 1547 | Breda | Netherlands | |||
97.0 m (318 ft) | St. Martin's Church (fr) | 1914 | Arlon | Belgium | |||
97.0 m (318 ft) | St. Paul's Church, Munich | 1906 | Munich | Germany | |||
97.0 m (318 ft) | Basilica of Sainte-Thérèse | 1954 | Lisieux | France | |||
97.0 m (318 ft) | Annunciation Cathedral | 2009 | Voronezh | Russia | |||
97.0 m (318 ft) | Predigerkirche | 18th century | Zürich | Switzerland | |||
96.9 m (318 ft) | Martinikerk | 1627 | Groningen | Netherlands | Spire burned down in 1577, was c. 100 tall | ||
96.6 m (317 ft) | Mikael Agricola Church | 1935 | Helsinki | Finland | |||
96.5 m (317 ft) | H<75 | St. Salvator's Church(de) | 1904 | Duisburg | Germany | Destroyed in World War II, rebuilt with a tower height of 62.5 metres | |
96.5 m (317 ft)[14] | St. Vitus Cathedral | 1554 | Prague | Czech Republic | Spire was rebuilt after fire in 1541 (top of the spire rebuilt again in 1770), according some sources pre-fire spire, built in 1402, was 156.5 m tall[15] | ||
96.5 m (317 ft) | Great Belfry of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra | 1744 | Kyiv | Ukraine | |||
96.1 m (315 ft) | Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral | 1884 | Clermont-Ferrand | France | |||
96.0 m (315 ft) | Basilica-Cathedral of Our Lady of the Pillar | 1681 | Zaragoza | Spain | |||
96.0 m (315 ft) | Basilica of St. Anthony(pl) | 1906 | Rybnik | Poland | |||
96.0 m (315 ft) | Norwich Anglican Cathedral | 1480 | Norwich | United Kingdom | Tallest building in the city of Norwich, UK | ||
96.0 m (315 ft) | Aarhus Cathedral | 1500 | Aarhus | Denmark | |||
96.0 m (315 ft) | Church of Donaufeld | 1914 | Vienna | Austria | |||
96.0 m (315 ft) | H<75 | St. Pius' Church (St.-Pius-Kirche) (de) | 1894 | Berlin-Friedrichshain | Germany | Destroyed in World War II, today 66 metres tall | |
96.0 m (315 ft) | St. Stephen's Basilica | 1905 | Budapest | Hungary | Still the tallest building in Budapest | ||
96.0 m (315 ft) | St. Paul's Cathedral | 1931 | Melbourne | Australia | |||
96.0 m (315 ft) | Transfiguration Cathedral | 2004 | Khabarovsk | Russia | |||
96.0 m (315 ft) | Basilica di San Nicolò(it) | 1881 | Lecco | Italy | |||
95.8 m (314 ft) | St. Bartholomew's Church(de) | 1867 | Demmin | Germany | |||
95.7 m (314 ft) | German Church, Stockholm | 1884 | Stockholm | Sweden | |||
95.3 m (313 ft) | Willibrordi-Dom (de) | 1540 | Wesel | Germany | |||
95.1 m (312 ft) | Kaiserdom | 1877 | Frankfurt | Germany | |||
95.0 m (312 ft) | St. Nicholas Cathedral | 1907 | Elbląg | Poland | |||
95.0 m (312 ft) | Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces | 2020 | Kubinka | Russia | |||
94.6 m (312 ft) | Herz-Jesu-Kirche (de) | 1900 | Münster | Germany | |||
94.2 m (312 ft) | Church of the Holy Cross (de) | 1886 | Munich | Germany | |||
94.1 m (309 ft) | Church of St. Walburge | 1866 | Preston | United Kingdom | The tallest parish church in the UK | ||
94.0 m (315 ft) | Church of the Cross (Kreuzkirche) | 1788 | Dresden-Innere Altstadt | Germany | |||
94.0 m (309 ft) | Martinikerk | 1430 | Doesburg | Netherlands | |||
94.0 m (312 ft) | St. James Church (de) | 1486 | Villach | Austria | |||
93.8 m (308 ft) | St. John's Cathedral | 1861 | Limerick | Ireland | Tallest church spire in Ireland | ||
93.8 m (308 ft) | Paderborn Cathedral | 13th century | Paderborn | Germany | |||
93.72 m (308 ft) | Peter and Paul Church (ru) | 1767 | Porechye | Russia | Tallest rural belltower in Russia | ||
93.7 m (307 ft) | Belfry of Transfiguration Cathedral (ru) | 1804 | Rybinsk | Russia | |||
93.7 m (307 ft) | Smolny Cathedral of the Resurrection | 1835 | St. Petersburg | Russia | |||
93.5 m (307 ft) | Church of the Savior on Blood | 1907 | St. Petersburg | Russia | |||
93.5 m (307 ft) | Saint Ulrich and Afra Basilica (de) | 1594 | Augsburg | Germany | |||
93.4 m (306.5 ft) | Cathedral of Saint Paul, National Shrine of the Apostle Paul | 1915 | St. Paul | United States | |||
93.0 m (299 ft) | St. Andreas (de) | 13th century | Braunschweig | Germany | |||
93.0 m (326 ft) | Saint Vincent's Church (nl) | 1883 | Eeklo | Belgium | |||
93.0 m (305 ft) | New Cathedral of Salamanca | 1733 | Salamanca | Spain | The third tallest cathedral in Spain. | ||
93.0 m (305 ft) | Nikolo-Ugresha monastery | 1763 | Dzerzhinsky | Russia | |||
93.0 m (305 ft) | Mariahilfkirche (de) | 1839 | Munich | Germany | |||
93.0 m (305 ft) | Priory Church of St. Augustine (de) | Gelsenkirchen | Germany | ||||
93.0 m (305 ft) | H<75 | 300x300px | St. Matthew's Church (Matthiaskirche) | 1895 | Berlin-Schöneberg | Germany | Destroyed in World War II, today 60 metres tall tower |
93.0 m (305 ft) | Basilica of the Sacred Heart | 1970 | Koekelberg | Belgium | |||
93.0 m (305 ft) | Dijon Cathedral | 1393 | Dijon | France | |||
92.9 m (305 ft) | St Eusebius' Church | 1965 | Arnhem | Netherlands | |||
92.9 m (305 ft) | St. James' Cathedral | 1853 | Toronto | Canada | |||
92.7 m (304 ft) | Nicolaikirche (de) | 1895 | Lüneburg | Germany | Church built from 1407 to 1440, new spire built from 1831 to 1895 | ||
92.6 m (303 ft) | Great, or St. James Church | 1424 | The Hague | Netherlands | |||
92.6 m (303 ft) | Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church | 1973 | Fort Lauderdale | United States | |||
92.5 m (303 ft) | Chiesa di Santa Sofia (it) | 1824 | Lendinara | Italy | |||
92.5 m (303 ft) | Marienkirche(de) | 1892 | Kaiserslautern | Germany | |||
92.3 m (322 ft) | Bremen Cathedral | 1893 | Bremen | Germany | |||
92.3 m (302 ft) | Cathedral Church of Saint Mary in Murcia | 1792 | Murcia | Spain | |||
92.0 m (302 ft) | Pfarrkirche Mariä Himmelfahrt (de) | 1505 | Schlanders | Italy | |||
92.0 m (302 ft) | Church of St. James | 1592 | Brno | Czech Republic | |||
92.0 m (302 ft) | São Paulo Cathedral | 1954 | São Paulo | Brazil | |||
92.0 m (302 ft) | Västerås Cathedral | 1693 | Västerås | Sweden | |||
92.0 m (302 ft) | Église Saint-Pierre | 17th century | Steenvoorde | France | |||
92.0 m (302 ft) | Sacred Heart Church (nl) | 1907 | Turnhout | Belgium | |||
92.0 m (302 ft) | Saint Bartholomew's Church (pl) | 1911 | Gliwice | Poland | |||
91.7 m (301 ft) | National Cathedral | 1990 | Washington, D.C. | United States | |||
91.7 m (301 ft) | St. Francis de Sales Church | 1908 | St. Louis | United States | |||
91.7 m (301 ft) | Pfarrkirche St. Egid(de | 1725 | Klagenfurt | Austria | |||
91.7 m (301 ft) | Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré | 1923 | Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré | Canada | |||
91.6 m (300.5 ft) | St. James's Cathedral | 1225 | Riga | Latvia | |||
91.5 m (287 ft) | St. Elizabeth's Church | Wrocław | Poland | ||||
91.5 m (300 ft) | Halberstadt Cathedral | 1491 | Halberstadt | Germany | |||
91.4 m (300 ft) | Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba | 1607 | Córdoba | Spain | Formerly the second largest mosque in the world, before being converted into a cathedral during the 13th century | ||
91.2 m (299 ft) | Church of St. Magdalene | 1820 | Alpnach | Switzerland | |||
91.2 m (299 ft)[16] | Our Lady's Church (Frauenkirche) | 1743 | Dresden-Innere Altstadt | Germany | Destroyed by bombing in 1945 and rededicated in 2005 | ||
91.1 m (299 ft) | St. James Church (nl) | 1878 | The Hague | Netherlands | |||
91.0 m (299 ft) | Cathedral of Hope | 1935 | Pittsburgh |
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