When most people hear the word church, they probably think of home. Maybe it's a beautiful house or just a simple house where believers meet. But in biblical terms, the church is more than a house.
In fact, some would say that the church is not a house at all, but about people. But what is the church? The area of theology that seeks to understand all aspects of the Church is known as ecclesiology. It comes from the Greek word Ekklesia which is a general word referring to a conference or meeting.
There are different aspects to the
subject of ecclesiology, but this subject will focus on defining the word
church, understanding its nature and purpose, analyzing some biblical images of
the church and emphasizing the unity of the church and the truth important
people.
What is the Church?
A
church is a building used for Christian public worship. It is also used to
refer to Christian gatherings. Interestingly, many churches have claimed to be
the largest church in the world, none of which have been confirmed by any
reputable authority. The early Christian church did not have a building, at
least not in the sense of what we would consider a church today.
The
Christians of the first century were persecuted, so they often met in private,
usually in homes. As the influence of Christianity spread, later houses
dedicated to worship were established and became what we know today as
churches.
In
this sense, the people make up the church, not the house. Fellowship, worship,
and service are directed by people, not houses. The structure of the church
supports the work of God's people, but they do not do it.
However,
we have done our own research and in doing so, we have found that different
methods can be used to measure large churches, such as area, volume and
capacity which makes it impossible for any organization to decide which is the
biggest church in the world. In order to provide the public with accurate
information and not get involved in the confusion that exists, we have compiled
our list of the largest church congregations in the world, according to their
number of seats.
It
is important to note that only closed church rooms are included in the list and
the plan is based on seating capacity. If you want to know the largest
congregation in the world, we invite you to continue reading this article. In
this article, we will tell you who are the largest churches in the world in terms
of area and numbers of worshippers.
List of the Largest Church Congregations in the World
Here
we have compiled an updated list of the 10 largest church congregations in the
world:
1.
St. Peter's Basilica, officially the Largest Congregation Church in the World
2.
Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida
3.
Seville Cathedral, Seville, Spain
4.
Cathedral of Burgos, City of Burgos, Spain
5.
Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York, United States
6.
Milan Cathedral, Milan, Italy
7.
Liverpool Cathedral, Liverpool, UK
8.
Church of the Holy Trinity, Santarem, Portugal
9.
Basilica of Our lady of Pillar, Aragon, Spain
10.
Ulm Cathedral, Ulm, Germany
In many parts of the world, Christian churches are considered high-end properties because of their finishes and designs, and some are considered some of the best building projects in the world.
1. St. Peter's Basilica, officially the Largest Congregation Church in the World
To
start our list we have St. Peter's Basilica, the museum of the church in the
world and which takes the first place in the ranking of the largest church in
the world. Unsurprisingly, the Renaissance and Baroque style of this
spectacular is located in Vatican City, the birthplace of Christianity.
Although it is the largest in the Vatican and in the world, this basilica is
not the main parish of the Vatican. On the contrary, the name Pauline Chapel
holds.
It
is also one of the four basilicas that make up the papal basilicas in Rome. In
addition, this World Heritage Site took 120 years to complete, ending in 1626.
Location: Vatican City, Italy Area: 20,139 m2
2. Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida
In
the second place is the Cathedral-Basilica Nuestra Señora Aparecida. Located in
the city of Aparecida, this church is part of the National Shrine of Aparecida,
patron of Brazil. Since 1980, it has held the title of being the largest church
in the Americas, with a capacity to accommodate up to 75,000 people. Location:
São Paulo State, Brazil at 18,000 m2 of elevation.
3. Seville Cathedral,
Seville, Spain
Seville
Cathedral in the city of Seville in Spain is the largest cathedral in the
world. The cathedral has an interior area of 11520 square meters. It is also
one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the third largest church in the
world. The cathedral is also the final resting place of the great Genoese
explorer Christopher Columbus. The cathedral was built to commemorate the
country's power and wealth. The cathedral was built between 1402 and 1528 on
the site of the Almohad mosque, to show the strength of the city after the
Reconquista of Iberia against the Moors. The grand cathedral was designed by
the French architect Rouen Cathedral. The centerpiece of Seville Cathedral is
42 meters high. The large interior is decorated in gold and silver. One of the
main attractions of the cathedral is the 45 wood carvings from the life of
Jesus Christ. It is the largest altar in the world. Seville Cathedral also has
a large chapel and choir. La Giralda, the minaret of the Almohad mosque still
stands next to the cathedral.
4. Cathedral of Burgos,
City of Burgos, Spain
Actually,
the name of this cathedral is Santa Iglesia Catedral Metropolitana de Santa
MarÃa. Likewise, the cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary is one of the
largest and most important in Spain. It also makes it one of the most valuable
buildings in the country because of the collection of Gothic-Baroque paintings
and paintings it has.
In
fact, this cathedral is one of the last places pilgrims visit after completing
the famous Camino de Santiago.
5. Cathedral of Saint John the
Divine, New York, United States
The
Cathedral of Saint John, the Divine in New York, is the largest Anglican
Cathedral in the world. The great cathedral has an interior area of 112,000
square meters and a length of 183.2 meters. The construction of the cathedral
began in 1892. It was originally designed by two famous American craftsmen,
George Heins and Christopher Grant Lafarge. The construction of the choir and
living quarters of the cathedral took more than 20 years. After George Heins'
death, new architects chose a Gothic design for the cathedral. Construction was
halted for several years during World War II. Part of the cathedral was also
destroyed by fire in 2001 and the restoration is still unfinished.
The
Passage of Saint John the Divine is 162 meters high. The cathedral door depicts
Saint John witnessing the transfiguration of Jesus Christ. Some famous Bible
verses were also carved on the door. The main door of Saint Jean Le divine is
in bronze and decorated with 48 panels. The cathedral also has a large rose
window with 10,000 stained glass windows. It is the fifth largest stained glass
window in the world and the largest in the United States.
6. Milan Cathedral, Milan,
Italy
Milan
Cathedral in the city of Milan in Italy is the second Catholic Cathedral in the
world. It is also one of the best examples of Gothic architecture. There are
135 spires in the church. The spires are also crowned with images that are
important in Italian history. The highest point of the Milan Cathedral reaches
108.8 meters. It is also decorated with a golden image of the Virgin Mary
(Milan la Madonnie).
Construction
of the Milan Cathedral began in 1386 and continued for the next five centuries.
The great cathedral is 157 meters long and can accommodate 40,000 worshipers at
a time. The cathedral is decorated with 3400 beautiful statues. They represent
different types of sculptures. Visitors can climb to the roof of the cathedral.
The cathedral also has a unique collection of sculptures and paintings.
7. Liverpool Cathedral,
Liverpool, UK
At
9687 square kilometers, Liverpool Cathedral is the largest cathedral in the UK.
At 189 meters tall, Liverpool Cathedral is also the tallest cathedral in the
world. It is a simple church that is 101 meters high. The great cathedral is
also known as the Cathedral of Christ the King. Construction of Liverpool
Cathedral began in 1904 and was completed at various points in history.
Finally, Liverpool Cathedral was consecrated in 1978. The main altar is in the
form of a circle inside the church.
The
interior is also sought after in many colors. With 10,268 pipes, the Great
Church Organ in Liverpool is the largest working church organ in the world.
Another famous thing in this cathedral is the peak of 67 meters, and it is the
heaviest and longest carillon in the world.
8. Church of the Holy
Trinity, Santarem, Portugal
The
Church of the Holy Trinity is the largest congregation in Portugal. It is
located in the Santarem region of Portugal. This church has a modern oval
design and an interior area of 8700 square meters. The large church can
accommodate 9,000 worshipers at a time.
The
church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It was built by the Greek architect
Alexandros Tombazis between 2004 and 2007. The church also has several chapels
and 44 confessionals.
9. Basilica of Our lady of Pillar,
Aragon, Spain
The
Basilica El Pilar in the Argón region of Spain is the first church dedicated to
the Virgin Mary. According to legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to the Apostle
James while he was praying on the banks of the Ebro in the Iberian Peninsula of
Spain.
The
Virgin gave herself an image of a tree and a pillar. Then he asked him to enter
the church. Following his instructions, Saint James built a small church in the
Zaragoza area in the first century AD.
Some
churches were added there in the following centuries. The original church on
the site was also demolished at this time. But the image of the Virgin Mary on
the pillar still remains. The current model of El Pilar Basilica was built in
the 17th century. A century later it was renovated by the Spanish architect
Ventura Rodriguez. The last column work of the church was completed in the 20th
century.
This
large church has an interior area of 8318 square meters. There are four
beautiful towers and eleven domes in the church. A 15-inch tall statue of the
Virgin Mary is located in the church's sanctuary. Today, the Cathedral of El
Pilar is one of the tourist attractions in Spain.
10. Ulm Cathedral, Ulm,
Germany
Standing
at 161.5m, the Ulm High Cathedral in the city of Ulm in Germany is the tallest
church in the world. This church has an interior area of 8260 square meters.
It is also one of the great examples of Gothic churches. There are 768 steps to
reach the top of the church. From the top, the church offers a beautiful
panoramic view of the city of Ulm.
The
construction of this church started in 1377 and stopped for a long time. It was
finally completed on May 31, 1890. Today, it is a Protestant church, which was
converted in the 16th century. The tall spiers of the church represent the way
to heaven.
The
15th century oak hall and hundreds of busts are the most famous sights of Ulm
Minster. The shops were designed by the famous German sculptor Jirg Syrin the
Elder. The great hall is also covered with figures of sparrows - a signature
symbol of the city of Ulm.
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