The 10 Largest Churches in the World 2024

We’ve listed here the updated list of the top 10 largest churches in the world. In most of the world, Christian churches are valued as high-level infrastructures due to their finishes and designs, and some are even considered some of the greatest architectural works in the world.

If you want to know the largest churches in the world, we urge you to continue reading this article. In this case, we will tell you which are the largest churches in the world in terms of area.

Likewise, we will use the term “church” in a general way to talk about cathedrals and basilicas, since both are centers of Christian worship.

What are the largest churches in the world?

1. St. Peter’s Basilica, officially the largest church in the world

Location: Vatican City, Italy.
Area: 20,139 m2

Starting our list, we have Saint Peter’s Basilica, the largest church museum in the world and the one that occupies the first position in the ranking of the largest churches in the world. Unsurprisingly, this imposing Renaissance and Baroque-style structure is located in Vatican City, the epicenter of Christianity.

It is also one of the four basilicas that comprise the set of Papal Basilicas in Rome. Also, this World Heritage Site took 120 years to finish building, culminating in 1626.

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Despite being the largest within the Vatican and in the world, this basilica is not the main parish of the Vatican. On the contrary, that title is held by the Pauline Chapel.

2. Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida

Location: São Paulo state, Brazil
Area: 18,000 m2

In second place is the cathedral-basilica Nuestra Señora Aparecida. Located in the city of Aparecida, this church is part of the National Sanctuary of Aparecida, patron saint of Brazil. Since 1980 it has held the title of being the largest church in the American continent, with a capacity to accommodate up to 75,000 people inside.

3. Burgos Cathedral

Location: Burgos municipality, Spain.
Area: 12,000 m2

Actually, the name of this cathedral is Santa Iglesia Catedral Metropolitana de Santa María. Similarly, this cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary is one of the largest and most important in Spain. It also turns out to be one of the most valuable architectural elements in the country due to the collection of Gothic-Baroque sculptures and paintings it possesses.

Actually, this cathedral is one of the final destinations that pilgrims visit after completing the famous Camino de Santiago.

4. Seville Cathedral

Location: Seville municipality, Spain.
Area: 11,520 m2

Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987, Seville Cathedral is also the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. This church was built on the site of the previous aljama mosque in Seville, around the year 1433.

How clever! The highest tower of this cathedral received the name of Giralda, due to the giraldillo placed on the statue at the top of the tower. Which also fulfills a weathervane function.

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5. Cathedral of Saint John the Divine

Location: Manhattan, United States.
Area: 11,200 m2

Occupying the fifth place, we have the Cathedral of San Juan el Divino, also called San Juan el Interminable, as it is still under construction. Despite this, it is considered the largest Anglican church in the world, dedicated to John the Evangelist. The style of the façade is a combination of Neo-Romanesque and Neo-Gothic architecture.

Something unusual! The construction or this church cathedral was paused on two occasions due to the warlike conflicts resulting from the World Wars. On the other hand, currently the infrastructure is not considered finished and is always being remodeled.

6. Milan Cathedral

Location: Milan, Italy.
Area: 10,186 m2

This 157-meter-high Metropolitan Gothic Cathedral is one of the largest in Italy and the world. This immense infrastructure of Catholic worship can hold up to 40,000 people inside. The beginnings of its construction date back to 1386, however, it was completed in the last century in 1965, preserving its Renaissance appearance.

To date, there are still some stones and pillars that are part of the design or the cathedral that have not been finished sculpting, impressive!

7. Basilica of Our Lady of Licheń

Location: Licheń Stary, Poland.
Area: 10,090 m2

The Basilica of Our Lady of Lichen, apart from being one of the largest in the World, is the largest Catholic church in Poland. Similarly, this impressive building of postmodern architecture is dedicated to the
Queen of Poland, known as the Virgin of Mercy.

The construction of this basilica, financed by pilgrims, took a decade and was completed in 2004. Today, it is an important pilgrimage center and is also called the “Spiritual Capital” of Poland.

8. Liverpool Cathedral

Location: Liverpool, UK.
Area: 9,687 m2

In the eighth place of the largest churches in the world, Liverpool Cathedral, better known as Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, is located. This imposing building of neo-Gothic architecture was built during the 20th century. The cathedral was built as a tribute to the most glorious resurrection of Jesus
Christ.

The strongest of all! Even after the attacks and conflicts oI the First and Second World Wars, this cathedral has remained intact.

9. Holy Trinity Church

Location: City of Fatima, Portugal.
Area: 8,700 m2

It is an extension belonging to the sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima, located in Cova de Iría, City of Fátima. Although the Sanctuary was completed in 1953, this extension used as a Marian church is much more recent. In fact, it was built in just three years, and it is estimated that it is visited by more than 6 million pilgrims a year.

A truly religious experience! Some faithful claim to have seen apparitions of the Virgin Mary herself inside the Sanctuary.

10. Cathedral-basilica of Our Lady of the Pllar of Zaragoza

Location: city of Zaragoza, Spain.
Area: 8,318 m2

Finally, in last place, we have the one commonly known as the Basilica del Pilar de Zaragoza, Spain.
This temple of Baroque Gothic architecture is actually the first Marian Christian temple in the world. The construction of this cathedral began during the twelfth century, beginning as a Romanesque church, later acquiring its Gothic overtones. Finally, it obtained its current appearance between the years 1950-1961.

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Now that you know which are the largest churches in the world, you may also be interested in this article about the largest empires in the history of mankind