Here you will find a list of most of the great Catholic cathedrals by location and starting date of construction. Please comment below with the ones we missed.
While by no means an exhaustive list, CQBO finds that the following great works of architecture will be valuable to know, especially when preparing for Catholic quiz bowl tournaments.
| Name | City and Country | Date of Construction | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santiago de Compostela Cathedral | Santiago, Spain | 1075 | Major pilgrimage destination said to house the tomb of St. James, terminus of the Camino de Compostela |
| Speyer Cathedral | Speyer, Germany | 1081 | One of the largest and most important Romanesque churches. |
| Cluny Abbey (Cluny III) | Cluny, France | 1088 | Once the largest church in Christendom, center of Benedictine reform. |
| Durham Cathedral | Durham, England | 1093 | Masterpiece of Norman architecture and early rib vaulting. |
| Modena Cathedral | Modena, Italy | 1099 | Romanesque church renowned for its sculptural decoration. |
| Notre-Dame de Paris | Paris, France | 1163 | Iconic Gothic cathedral known for its façade, sculptures, and flying buttresses. |
| Monreale Cathedral | Monreale, Italy | 1174 | Blend of Norman, Byzantine, and Arab architecture with extensive mosaics. |
| Chartres Cathedral | Chartres, France | 1194 | Famous for its Gothic architecture and original stained-glass windows. |
| Siena Cathedral | Siena, Italy | 1215 | Known for its black and white marble and elaborate facade. |
| Amiens Cathedral | Amiens, France | 1220 | Largest cathedral in France by interior volume. |
| Basilica of St. Francis | Assisi, Italy | 1228 | Contains tomb of St. Francis; frescoes by Giotto and Cimabue. |
| Basilica of Santa Maria Novella | Florence, Italy | 1246 | Important Dominican church with frescoes by Masaccio. |
| Cologne Cathedral | Cologne, Germany | 1248 | Took over 600 years to complete; houses relics of the Magi. |
| Orvieto Cathedral | Orvieto, Italy | 1290 | Noted for its golden façade and Gothic frescoes. |
| Florence Cathedral (Duomo) | Florence, Italy | 1296 | Renowned for Brunelleschi's dome, a Renaissance engineering feat. |
| Milan Cathedral | Milan, Italy | 1386 | One of the largest Gothic cathedrals in the world. |
| Seville Cathedral | Seville, Spain | 1402 | Largest Gothic church and third-largest in the world. |
| Basilica of San Lorenzo | Florence, Italy | 1421 | Early Renaissance church designed by Brunelleschi. |
| St. Peter's Basilica | Vatican City | 1506 | Major pilgrimage site; masterpiece by Michelangelo and Bernini. |
| Church of the Gesù | Rome, Italy | 1568 | Mother church of the Jesuits; early Baroque architecture. |
| Cathedral of Mexico City | Mexico City, Mexico | 1573 | Largest cathedral in the Americas; blends Renaissance and Baroque. |
| Il Redentore | Venice, Italy | 1577 | Palladio's Renaissance masterpiece built in thanksgiving for ending plague. |
| Sant'Andrea della Valle | Rome, Italy | 1590 | Important Baroque church with a prominent dome. |
| Basilica of Bom Jesus | Goa, India | 1594 | Houses remains of St. Francis Xavier; example of Baroque architecture. |
| San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane | Rome, Italy | 1638 | Innovative Baroque design by Borromini. |
| Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar | Zaragoza, Spain | 1681 | First church dedicated to Mary; major Marian pilgrimage site. |
| St. Patrick’s Cathedral | New York City, USA | 1858 | Neo-Gothic landmark in the heart of Manhattan. |
| Basilica of the Sacred Heart | Paris, France | 1875 | Prominent white-domed basilica overlooking Paris. |
| Sagrada FamÃlia | Barcelona, Spain | 1882 | GaudÃ’s ongoing masterpiece blending Gothic and Art Nouveau. |
| Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception | Washington, D.C., USA | 1920 | Largest Catholic church in North America. |
| Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré | Quebec, Canada | 1923 | Popular healing shrine dedicated to St. Anne. |
| Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa | Doylestown, USA | 1953 | Polish-American shrine modeled after Jasna Góra. |
| Cathedral of Mary Our Queen | Baltimore, USA | 1954 | Post-war modern-style cathedral. |
| Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida | Aparecida, Brazil | 1955 | Second largest church in the world. |
| San Giovanni Rotondo | Foggia, Italy | 1956 | Modern pilgrimage site built near Padre Pio's monastery. |
| Cathedral of BrasÃlia | BrasÃlia, Brazil | 1958 | Modernist cathedral by Oscar Niemeyer with glass roof. |
| Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral | Liverpool, England | 1962 | Modern circular cathedral known for its striking design. |
| Basilica of the Annunciation | Nazareth, Israel | 1969 | Modern church built over the traditional site of the Annunciation. |
| Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe | Mexico City, Mexico | 1976 | Modern church built to accommodate pilgrims to Marian apparition site. |
| Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels | Los Angeles, USA | 1996 | Modern cathedral with postmodern architectural style. |
| Jubilee Church | Rome, Italy | 1996 | Modern church by Richard Meier with symbolic sail-like design. |
| Our Lady of La Vang Basilica | Quang Tri, Vietnam | 1998 | Commemorates Marian apparition in Vietnam. |
| Cathedral of Christ the Light | Oakland, USA | 2008 | Modern cathedral using glass and wood symbolism. |
| St. John Lateran | Rome, Italy | 324 | The cathedral of the Bishop of Rome and oldest major basilica in the West. |
| Santa Sabina | Rome, Italy | 422 | Early Christian basilica with preserved classical architecture. |
| Basilica of San Vitale | Ravenna, Italy | 547 | Known for its exceptional Byzantine mosaics. |
| Monastery of St. Catherine | Sinai, Egypt | 565 | One of the oldest working Christian monasteries, at the foot of Mt. Sinai. |
| St. Mark's Basilica | Venice, Italy | 832 | Famous for its opulent Italo-Byzantine design and mosaics. |
| Old St. Peter's Basilica | Rome, Italy | c. 330 | Original basilica built over the tomb of St. Peter; replaced in the 16th century. |
| Church of the Nativity | Bethlehem, Palestine | c. 339 | Built over the site traditionally considered the birthplace of Jesus. |
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