This article lists the longest church buildings in the world as measured by various criteria.

Scope

The term church is open to interpretation and debate. However, for the purposes of this article, it will be used to mean any building which was built for the primary purpose of Christian worship, for any recognised denomination of Christianity. This includes all cathedrals (the seat of a bishop), basilicas, and other types of churches. It does not include temples of other religions, e.g. mosques, synagogues. It does include at least one building, Hagia Sophia, which was built as a church but currently operates as a mosque.

List

External length in m Internal length in m Nave length in m Width in m Name Completion City Country Comment
N/A (underground) 262 89 18 Basílica de la Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos 1959 Madrid  Spain
211.5 186.36 91 150 St. Peter's Basilica 1506–1626 Vatican City  Vatican City 694 ft
195 150 Yamoussoukro Basilica 1990 Yamoussoukro  Côte d'Ivoire
188.7[1] 146 59 60 Liverpool Cathedral 1978 Liverpool  United Kingdom The total external length, including Lady Chapel, is 188.7 m (619 ft). Its internal length is 146 m (480 ft).
187[2] ? ? ? Cluny III 1130 Cluny  France 90% destroyed during the French Revolution
183.18[3] ? 70 70.7 Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York 1892[4] (unfinished) New York City  United States
173[5] 168[5] ? 168 Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida 1955– Aparecida  Brazil
170.1 ? ? ? Winchester Cathedral 1079–c.1400 Winchester  United Kingdom Longest medieval cathedral still intact
167.8 ? 84 58.5 St Albans Cathedral c.1080–1200 St Albans  United Kingdom
165 ? 75 ? Ely Cathedral c.1081–1189 Ely  United Kingdom
161.5 156 ? ? Westminster Abbey c.1065–1745 London  United Kingdom
160[6] ? ? ? Washington National Cathedral 1990 Washington, DC  United States
158.50 148.50 ? 93 Milan Cathedral 1386–1965 Milan  Italy  
158.4 ? ? ? Canterbury Cathedral 1077 Canterbury  United Kingdom  
158.10 ? ? 75 St Paul's Cathedral 1677–1708 London  United Kingdom  
158[7] ? ? 159 York Minster 1220–1472 York  United Kingdom  
156.05 ? ? ? Lincoln Cathedral 1311 Lincoln  United Kingdom  
153 ? ? 90 Florence Cathedral 1436 Florence  Italy
150 131.66 ? 80 Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls c.600 Rome  Italy  
149.17 138.75 ? 90 Reims Cathedral 1211–1275 Reims  France
147 ? ? ? Peterborough Cathedral 1118–1237 Peterborough  United Kingdom  
145[8] ? ? 70 Amiens Cathedral c. 1300 Amiens  France  
144 136.86 60 61.6 Rouen Cathedral 1202 Rouen  France  
143[9] ? ? ? Durham Cathedral 1133 Durham  United Kingdom  
142 ? ? ? Marseille Cathedral 1893 Marseille  France
140.94 ? ? 107.8 Basilica of the Sacred Heart 1970 Koekelberg (Brussels)  Belgium
140 ? ? ? Norwich Cathedral 1096–1145 Norwich  United Kingdom
140 ? ? 35 Basilica of the National Vow 1883–1924 Quito  Ecuador
150 ? ? 73 Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception 1919–1961 Washington D.C.  United States
139.0[10] 120 ? 77.0[10] Sanctuary of Our Lady of Licheń 1994–2004 Licheń Stary  Poland
138.69 ? ? ? Reims Cathedral c. 1300 Reims  France  
134.94 ? 58 86.25 Cologne Cathedral 1248–1880 Cologne  Germany  
134.7[11] ? ? ? Salisbury Cathedral 1258 Salisbury  United Kingdom  
134 ? 48 67 Tournai Cathedral 1140–1255 Tournai  Belgium  
134 ? ? 43 Speyer Cathedral 1030–1858 Speyer  Germany  
132.54 ? ? 66 San Petronio 1390–1658 Bologna  Italy  
132 ? 60 100 Seville Cathedral 1196 Seville  Spain
130 ? ? 46 Chartres Cathedral 1260 Chartres  France  
130 ? ? 69 Notre Dame Cathedral 1345 Paris  France  
130 ? ? ? Gloucester Cathedral 1089–1499 Gloucester  United Kingdom
127[12] ? ? 67 Basilica-Cathedral of Our Lady of the Pillar 1681–1872 Zaragoza  Spain  
126.1 67.7 People's Salvation Cathedral 2010–present Bucharest Romania
124 ? ? 60 St. Vitus Cathedral 1344–1929 Prague  Czech Republic  
123 ? ? 49 Sint Janskerk c.1300 Gouda  Netherlands
122 ? ? 59 Toledo Cathedral c.1500 Toledo  Spain
121.66 ? ? 140 Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran 324–1735 Rome  Italy  
120.62 ? ? ? Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels 2002 Los Angeles  United States  
120 ? ? ? Cathedral of La Plata 1990s La Plata  Argentina  
119.55 110 ? 54.5 Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral 1813 Mexico City  Mexico  
118.70 ? ? ? Uppsala Cathedral 1431 Uppsala  Sweden  
118.60 101 ? 75 Cathedral of Our Lady 1521 Antwerp  Belgium  
118.50 ? ? ? Abbey of Santa Giustina ? Padua  Italy  
118 ? ? 49 Esztergom Basilica 1869 Esztergom  Hungary  
118 ? ? ? Ferrara Cathedral 1493 Ferrara  Italy  
116.7 ? ? ? Wells Cathedral 1176–1490 Wells  United Kingdom
115[13] ? ? 62 St. John's Cathedral, 's-Hertogenbosch 1380–1550 's-Hertogenbosch  Netherlands  
114.76 ? ? 65 Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli 1679 Assisi  Italy  
114.61 107 ? 33 St Mary's Cathedral 2000 Sydney  Australia  
114 ? ? 73 Berlin Cathedral 1905 Berlin  Germany
114 ? ? 50 Troyes Cathedral 1905 Troyes  France
113 ? ? 40 Cathedral of Mary Our Queen 1959 Baltimore  United States  
111.45 ? ? 46 Sao Paulo Cathedral 1967 Sao Paulo  Brazil  
111.2 ? ? 97.6 Saint Isaac's Cathedral 1818–1858 Saint Petersburg  Russia  
111.2 ? ? 62 Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis 1907–1914 St. Louis  United States  
110.5 ? 85 40 Santa Chiara (Naples) 1310–1340 Napoli  Italy
110 ? ? 52 Westminster Cathedral 1903 London  United Kingdom  
109.57 ? ? ? Hagia Sophia 537 Istanbul  Turkey
107[14] 97.6 ? 19 Oliwa Cathedral c. 1350 Gdańsk  Poland Longest Cistercian church in the world
103.6[15] ? ? 56.4 St Patrick's Cathedral 1858 Melbourne  Australia  
103.5 ? ? 27 Cathedral of the Holy Cross 1875 Boston  United States  
103.5 ? ? 66 Basilica of St Mary 1496 Gdańsk  Poland  
102 ? ? ? Nidarosdomen c. 1300 Trondheim  Norway  
101.19 ? ? 53 St. Patrick's Cathedral 1878 New York City  United States  
93 ? 67 51.8 Aarhus Cathedral 1300 Aarhus  Denmark  
[16] 86.86 ? ? 65.53 Our Lady Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral 1940 Toledo United States Steel post and beam frame covered with seam faced granite and limestone accents.
77.72[17] 65 41 26 All Saint's Cathedral 1910 Halifax  Canada
72[18] 55[19] Alexander Nevsky Cathedral 1912 Sofia  Bulgaria One of the largest Eastern Orthodox Cathedrals

Note: this list is incomplete e.g. St. Mary's Cathedral, Sydney is 107 metres long (ref. St. Mary's Cathedral website). Portugal's Alcobaça Monastery is 106 metres long.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Cathedral – Liverpool Cathedral". Liverpoolcathedral.org.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
  2. ^ "Maior Ecclesia – church, Cluny, France". Britannica.com. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  3. ^ "Cathedral of St. John Divine". www.stjohndivine.org. Archived from the original on 17 June 2004. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  4. ^ The Cathedral Church of St John the Divine Tourist Brochure
  5. ^ a b "Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida (Aparecida, 1984)". Structurae.de. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  6. ^ "WNC: Architectural Facts". Archived from the original on 5 April 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  7. ^ Felipe Otondo. "SHAPING SOUNDS IN YORK MINSTER" (PDF). Doc.gold.ac.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  8. ^ "Amiens Cathedral – cathedral, Amiens, France". Britannica.com. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  9. ^ "Durham Cathedral - Cathedral History". Archived from the original on 21 December 2008. Retrieved 1 December 2008.
  10. ^ a b "Sanktuarium Maryjne w Licheniu". Lichen.pl. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  11. ^ [1] [dead link]
  12. ^ "La Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar". Goya.unizar.es. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  13. ^ ""Welkom op de website van de Sint-Jan te 's-Hertogenbosch". Archived from the original on 4 September 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2011."
  14. ^ "Archikatedra w Gdańsku-Oliwie". Archikatedra w Gdańsku-Oliwie.
  15. ^ "St Patrick's Cathedral: Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne - Cathedral". Archived from the original on 4 March 2010. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  16. ^ "The Catholic Diocese of Toledo". Toledodiocese.org. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  17. ^ "Cathedral homepage". Cathedralchurchofallsaints.com. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  18. ^ "15 Century Bulgaria Foundation (15 века БЪЛГАРИЯ) website, article with title Patriarchal cathedral stauropigial memorial church St. Alexander Nevsky (pdf in English)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  19. ^ "15 Century Bulgaria Foundation (15 века БЪЛГАРИЯ) website, article with title Patriarchal cathedral stauropigial memorial church St. Alexander Nevsky (pdf in English)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
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