Best Basilica

The Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark, commonly known as St. Mark's Basilica, is the primary Roman Catholic cathedral of Venice, Italy. Consecrated in 1094, the structure originally served as the personal chapel of the Doge and is a preeminent example of Italo-Byzantine architecture. The...

The Church of the Nativity is a historic basilica located in Bethlehem, situated over the cave that Christian tradition identifies as the birthplace of Jesus. Originally commissioned by the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great in the 4th century, the current structure largely dates to a 6th-century r...

The Catedral Basílica de Santiago de Compostela is a prominent Catholic church located in Galicia, Spain, and serves as the seat of the Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela. Constructed primarily in the Romanesque architectural style, the current cathedral was largely built between the 11th and 13t...

The Basílica de la Sagrada Família is a large unfinished Roman Catholic minor basilica in Barcelona, Spain, designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. Construction began in 1882 and combines Gothic and Art Nouveau forms, with Gaudí's work on the structure recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage S...

The Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine is a 12th-century Romanesque abbey church located in Vézelay, France. The site is famous for its intricately carved tympanum and its historical claim to hold the relics of Mary Magdalene. It served as a major departure point for the Second and Third Crusades and...

The Basilica of Saint-Sernin in Toulouse is a former abbey church whose Romanesque construction began in the eleventh century. Among the largest surviving Romanesque buildings in Europe, it was built to house the relics of Saint Saturnin, an early Christian martyr. Its role as a pilgrimage destinati...

In the northern suburbs of Paris, the Basilica of Saint-Denis preserves a medieval abbey church closely associated with the French monarchy. The twelfth-century work directed by Abbot Suger, especially in the choir, holds a foundational place in the development of Gothic architecture. Its use of lig...

Monreale Cathedral stands in the Sicilian town of Monreale, where King William II initiated its construction around 1174. A Norman Roman Catholic cathedral, it brings together architectural and decorative traditions associated with Latin Christianity, Byzantine art and the Islamic world. This combin...

Consecrated in 547, the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna is a surviving example of late antique and early Byzantine church architecture. Its octagonal plan sets it apart from churches organized around a long rectangular nave. The arrangement of its central space and surrounding areas offers a diffe...

The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence is the city's cathedral, famous for its brick dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi between 1420 and 1436, still the largest masonry dome ever built.

Construction of Florence's Basilica of Santa Croce began in the late thirteenth century. A Franciscan church known for its Gothic architecture, it combines a spacious religious interior with a major role in the remembrance of Italian cultural figures. The tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo Galilei and N...

Saint Mark's Basilica is the Roman Catholic cathedral of Venice and a defining example of Italo-Byzantine architecture. The present church was begun in the eleventh century, following earlier churches on the site. Attached to the Doge's Palace, it historically served as the chapel of the Venetian do...

The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome is the largest Catholic Marian church in the city and one of the four major papal basilicas, retaining original 5th-century mosaics from its founding under Pope Sixtus III.

Saint Paul Outside the Walls stands among Rome's four major papal basilicas and is traditionally associated with the burial place of Paul the Apostle. Its location beyond the ancient city walls gives the church its name. Founded under Emperor Constantine I in the fourth century and later enlarged, i...

Saint John Lateran serves as the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome and the ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome, the pope. This role distinguishes it from the other major papal basilicas in the city. It is the oldest and highest-ranking of the four, with origins in a church commissioned u...

The Basilica of Saint-Denis is a former Benedictine abbey church in the northern suburbs of Paris. Under Abbot Suger in the 1140s, its choir was rebuilt using pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and large stained-glass windows, an ensemble widely regarded as the first fully Gothic structure. The site ser...

The Basilica di Sant'Apollinare Nuovo is an early Christian church in Ravenna, Italy, originally constructed as a palatine chapel for the Ostrogothic king Theodoric in the early 6th century. The interior features extensive mosaic decorations along the nave walls, including processions of male and fe...

Trier Cathedral, officially the High Cathedral of Saint Peter, is a Roman Catholic church in Trier, Germany, recognized as the oldest cathedral in the country. Its core structure dates back to the 4th century CE, commissioned by the Roman Emperor Constantine I, though the current building features a...

The Basilica di Sant'Apollinare in Classe is an early Christian and Byzantine religious structure located near the city of Ravenna, Italy. Consecrated in 549 AD, it was built to house the relics of Saint Apollinaris, the first bishop of Ravenna. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the basili...

The Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie is a church and Dominican convent located in Milan, Italy, with construction largely completed in the late 15th century. The complex exhibits a blend of Renaissance and Gothic architectural elements, with design contributions from notable architects like Dona...

The Basilica di San Miniato al Monte is a Romanesque church situated on a hilltop south of the Arno River in Florence, Italy. The present structure was begun in 1013 and built by the Vallombrosan monastic order, which has maintained a presence there since the eleventh century. The marble façade feat...

The Basilica di Sant'Antonio di Padova (Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua) is a Roman Catholic church in Padua, Italy, begun in 1232 shortly after the death of Saint Anthony and substantially completed by 1310. The basilica combines Romanesque, Gothic, and Byzantine architectural elements in its de...

The Basilica of San Clemente al Laterano in Rome is a 12th-century church built atop a 4th-century basilica and a 1st-century Roman building, offering one of the city's clearest examples of layered archaeological history.

The Sagrada Familia is a large basilica in Barcelona, Spain designed by Antoni Gaudí. Constructed primarily in the Catalan Modernist style, its innovative use of form and light makes it a globally significant architectural achievement. The building’s complex design incorporates Gothic elements along...

The Euphrasian Basilica is a complex of early Christian religious buildings located in the town of Poreč, Croatia. Originally constructed in the 4th century and substantially rebuilt in the 6th century under Bishop Euphrasius, it is a premier example of early Byzantine architecture in the Mediterran...

The Basilica di Santa Maria Novella is a prominent Roman Catholic Dominican church located in Florence, Italy. Construction of the current structure began in the 13th century and was substantially completed in the 14th century, featuring a distinctive Gothic and Renaissance architectural blend. The...

The Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, commonly known as the Frari, is a Franciscan church located in the San Polo district of Venice. Built primarily in the Italian Gothic style, its construction was completed in the 15th century, making it one of the largest churches in the city. The inte...

The Basilica of Santa Sabina all'Aventino in Rome is an early Christian church built around 422 AD, preserving one of the oldest surviving carved wooden doors depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments.

The relics of Saint Paul are traditionally enshrined beneath the main altar of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, one of the four major papal basilicas. According to tradition, the site marks the burial place of the Apostle Paul, who was executed in Rome during the 1st century. Th...