List of highest church naves
The nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church, in Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture. "Nave" (Medieval Latin navis, "ship") was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting.[1] The nave of a church, whether Romanesque, Gothic or Classical, extends from the entry (which may have a separate vestibule, the narthex) to the chancel and is flanked by lower aisles[2] separated from the nave by an arcade.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/20121007_Beauvais_CathedralStPierre_DSC00749_PtrQs.jpg/130px-20121007_Beauvais_CathedralStPierre_DSC00749_PtrQs.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/Vatican04.jpg/130px-Vatican04.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/Duomo_di_Milano_interior_1.jpg/130px-Duomo_di_Milano_interior_1.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Duomo_Firenze_Apr_2008.jpg/130px-Duomo_Firenze_Apr_2008.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a1/La_Sagrada_Familia%2C_Barcelona%2C_Spain_-_panoramio_%2824%29.jpg/130px-La_Sagrada_Familia%2C_Barcelona%2C_Spain_-_panoramio_%2824%29.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Napoli_BW_2013-05-16_12-05-47_DxO.jpg/130px-Napoli_BW_2013-05-16_12-05-47_DxO.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/San_Petronio_Bologna_02.jpg/130px-San_Petronio_Bologna_02.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/LaSeu_interior_panorama.jpg/130px-LaSeu_interior_panorama.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Cupola_secundar%C4%83_a_Catedralei_M%C3%A2ntuirii_Neamului_%28Bucure%C8%99ti%29.jpg/129px-Cupola_secundar%C4%83_a_Catedralei_M%C3%A2ntuirii_Neamului_%28Bucure%C8%99ti%29.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/71/Koelner_Dom_Innenraum.jpg/130px-Koelner_Dom_Innenraum.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f1/Amiens_cathedral_nave-west.jpg/130px-Amiens_cathedral_nave-west.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Cathedrale_Metz_Nef_pano.jpg/130px-Cathedrale_Metz_Nef_pano.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/Frauenkirche_interior.jpg/120px-Frauenkirche_interior.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/68/Cathedral_of_St._John_in_Spokane.jpg/120px-Cathedral_of_St._John_in_Spokane.jpg)
# | Cathedral/Church | Nave height | City | Country | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Beauvais Cathedral | 47 m (154 ft)[3] | Beauvais | France | The "Parthenon of French Gothic", only one bay of the nave was built, but choir and transepts were completed to the same height. |
2 | St. Peter's Basilica | 46 m (151 ft)[4] 45 m (148 ft)[5] | Vatican City | Vatican City | |
3 | Florence Cathedral | 45 m (148 ft) | Florence | Italy | |
3 | Milan Cathedral | 45 m (148 ft) | Milan | Italy | |
3 | Santa Chiara | ~45 m (148 ft)[a] ~33.5 m (110 ft)[b][6] | Naples | Italy | |
3 | Sagrada Família | 45 m (148 ft)[7] | Barcelona | Spain | Still under construction, although the interior of the church is complete. Vaults of the crossing and the apse reach 60 and 75 metres respectively. |
7 | San Petronio Basilica | 44.24 m (145.1 ft)[8] | Bologna | Italy | |
8 | Palma Cathedral | 44 m (144 ft)[9][10] | Palma | Spain | Pillars sustaining vaults are the narrowest in the world: they measure 1/12 of vault width (at Reims, pillars are 1/6 of vault width) |
8 | People's Salvation Cathedral | 44 m (144 ft)[11] | Bucharest | Romania | It is the tallest and largest (by volume) Orthodox church building in the world. |
8 | Basilica of Our Lady of Licheń | 44 m (144 ft) | Licheń Stary | Poland | Highest nave in Poland, 77 m wide. The highest point inside the church (dome presbytery) is 85 meters high |
11 | Cologne Cathedral | 43.35 m (142.2 ft)[12] | Cologne | Germany | Highest height to width ratio of any nave |
12 | Amiens Cathedral | 42.3 m (139 ft)[13] | Amiens | France | |
13 | Seville Cathedral | 42 m (138 ft)[14] | Seville | Spain | Ranked as largest medieval Gothic church |
14 | Metz Cathedral | 41.41 m (135.9 ft) | Metz | France | Largest glass surface |
15 | St Bartholomew's Church | 41.15 m (135.0 ft)[15] | Brighton | United Kingdom | Highest nave in the UK, not vaulted (wooden wagon roof). |
16 | Ulm Münster | 41 m (135 ft)[16] | Ulm | Germany | |
16 | Narbonne Cathedral | 41 m (135 ft) 40.1 m (132 ft)[17] | Narbonne | France | Only the great choir of this French Gothic cathedral has been built. |
18 | Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida | 40 m (130 ft) | Aparecida | Brazil | Third biggest church in the world. Biggest place of worship in all the Americas. |
19 | St. Mary's Church | 38.5 m (126 ft) | Lübeck | Germany | Highest brick vault in the world. |
20 | Reims Cathedral | 37.95 m (124.5 ft)[13] | Reims | France | Holds the world record for statues: 2303 stone figurines are represented on it. |
21 | Cathedral of St. John the Divine | 37.7 m (124 ft)[18] | New York City | United States | |
22 | Cathedral of La Plata | 37.5 m (123 ft) | La Plata | Argentina | |
22 | Nantes Cathedral | 37.5 m (123 ft) | Nantes | France | |
25 | Bourges Cathedral | 37 m (121 ft)[13] | Bourges | France | |
25 | Chartres Cathedral | 37 m (121 ft) 36.55 m (119.9 ft)[13] | Chartres | France | |
25 | Basilica of St. Thérèse | 37 m (121 ft) | Lisieux | France | |
25 | St. Nicholas | 37 m (121 ft) | Wismar | Germany | |
25 | Cathedral of Christ the Saviour | 37 m (121 ft)[19] | Moscow | Russia | |
30 | Liverpool Cathedral | 36.54 m (119.9 ft) | Liverpool | United Kingdom | |
31 | Tournai Cathedral | 36 m (118 ft) | Tournai | Belgium | Highest nave in the Low Countries |
32 | New Cathedral | 35.4 m (116 ft) | Salamanca | Spain | |
33 | Notre Dame | 35 m (115 ft)[20] 34 m (112 ft)[21][22] | Paris | France | |
33 | Málaga Cathedral | 35 m (115 ft) | Málaga | Spain | |
33 | St. George church | 35 m (115 ft) | Wismar | Germany | |
36 | Granada Cathedral | 34.5 m (113 ft)[23] | Granada | Spain | |
37 | Basilica of Saint-Quentin | 34 m (112 ft) | Saint-Quentin | France | |
37 | Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe | 34 m (112 ft)[24] | Zamora de Hidalgo | Mexico | Tallest Neo-Gothic church in Mexico, 106 m. Still under construction. Known as the "Incomplete Cathedral" ("La Catedral Inconclusa"). |
37 | Girona Cathedral | 34 m (112 ft) | Girona | Spain | Widest Gothic nave in the world, 22.98 m, and lower ratio high/wide[clarification needed] in Gothic architecture |
37 | Church of Our Lady of the Snows | 34 m (112 ft)[25] | Prague | Czech Republic | 39 m (128 ft) high nave destroyed during Hussite Wars |
41 | Chiesa di San Nicolò | 33.35 m (109.4 ft)[26] | Treviso | Italy | |
42 | Le Mans Cathedral | 33 m (108 ft) | Le Mans | France | |
42 | Segovia Cathedral | 33 m (108 ft)[27] | Segovia | Spain | |
42 | St. Vitus Cathedral | 33 m (108 ft)[28] | Prague | Czech Republic | |
42 | Speyer Cathedral | 33 m (108 ft) | Speyer | Germany | Highest romanesque vault |
46 | St. Mary's church | 32.95 m (108.1 ft) | Stralsund | Germany | World's highest building from 1625 to 1647 (151 m). Today 104 m. |
47 | St. Mary's Church | 32.5 m (107 ft) | Stargard Szczeciński | Poland | Second highest nave in Poland |
47 | Batalha Monastery | 32.5 m (107 ft)[29] | Batalha | Portugal | |
49 | Aachen Cathedral | 32 m (105 ft) | Aachen | Germany | Height of the gothic choir. |
49 | Bayeux cathedral | 32 m (105 ft) | Bayeux | ||
49 | Strasbourg Cathedral | 32 m (105 ft) | Strasbourg | France | |
49 | Ely Cathedral | 32 m (105 ft) | Ely | United Kingdom | |
49 | Glasgow Cathedral | 32 m (105 ft) | Glasgow | United Kingdom | |
49 | Magdeburg Cathedral | 32 m (105 ft) | Magdeburg | Germany | |
49 | Santa Maria del Mar | 32 m (105 ft) | Barcelona | Spain | Greatest separation between pillars in Gothic architecture (15 m) |
49 | Engelbrekt Church | 32 m (105 ft) | Stockholm | Sweden | Highest nave in Scandinavia |
56 | Regensburg Cathedral | 31.85 m (104.5 ft)[30] | Regensburg | Germany | |
57 | Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels | 31.7 m (104 ft) | Los Angeles | United States | |
58 | St. Martin's Cathedral | 31.5 m (103 ft) | Utrecht | Netherlands | The nave collapsed during a storm in 1674. |
58 | St. Mary's Church | 31.5 m (103 ft) | Rostock | Germany | |
60 | St Bavo's Cathedral | 31.1 m (102 ft)[31] | Ghent | Belgium | |
61 | Westminster Abbey | 31 m (102 ft)[32] | London | United Kingdom | |
61 | Munich Frauenkirche | 31 m (102 ft) | Munich | Germany | |
61 | York Minster | 31 m (102 ft) | York | United Kingdom | |
61 | St. Olaf's Church | 31 m (102 ft)[33] | Tallinn | Estonia | |
61 | Washington National Cathedral | 31 m (102 ft) | Washington, D.C. | United States | |
66 | Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception | 30.5 m (100 ft) | Washington, D.C. | United States | |
67 | Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran | 30 m (98 ft) | Rome | Italy | |
67 | Pavia Cathedral | 30 m (98 ft) | Pavia | Italy | |
67 | St. Peter's Church | 30 m (98 ft) | Riga | Latvia | |
69 | Saint Thomas Church | 29 m (95 ft) | New York City | New York | |
69 | St. John's Cathedral | 29 m (95 ft) | 's-Hertogenbosch | Netherlands | |
71 | St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna | 28 m (92 ft) | Vienna | Austria | Height mentioned on the German Wikipedia article without source. |
71 | St Paul's Cathedral | 28 m (92 ft) | London | United Kingdom | |
71 | Alexander Nevsky Cathedral | 28 m (92 ft)[34] of the central nave | Sofia | Bulgaria | |
71 | Church of the Assumption of Our Lady and Saint John the Baptist | 28 m (92 ft)[35] | Kutná Hora | Czech Republic | |
71 | Cathedral of Our Lady (Antwerp) | 28 m (92 ft)[36] | Antwerp | Belgium | |
71 | St. Rumbold's Cathedral | 28 m (92 ft) | Mechelen | Belgium | Height mentioned on the Dutch Wikipedia article without source. |
71 | Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia | 28 m (92 ft)[37] | Barcelona | Spain | |
78 | Grace Cathedral | 27.7 m (91 ft)[38] | San Francisco | United States | |
79 | Lancing College Chapel | 27.4 m (90 ft)[39] | Lancing | United Kingdom | |
80 | Uppsala Cathedral | 27 m (89 ft)[40] | Uppsala | Sweden | |
81 | Salisbury Cathedral | 25.5 m (84 ft)[41] | Salisbury | United Kingdom | |
82 | Lincoln Cathedral | 25 m (82 ft)[42] | Lincoln | United Kingdom | A central spire from after 1311 until 1548 had a reputed height of 160 m (520 ft), which would have made the cathedral the tallest structure in the world during the spire's existence. |
83 | Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist | 24.3 m (80 ft) | Spokane | United States | |
84 | Canterbury Cathedral | 24 m (79 ft) | Canterbury | United Kingdom | Nave is 80 feet (24 metres) with a crossing height of 92 feet (28 metres), and a tower 169 feet (52 metres) tall |
85 | Grundtvigskirken | 22 m (72 ft) | Copenhagen | Denmark | |
86 | All Saints Cathedral | 19.5 m (64 ft) | Halifax | Canada |
Note: The lower part of the list probably has many missing cathedrals. For example, St Patrick's Cathedral Melbourne – 24.3 metres
See also
- Description of the term "nave"
- List of largest church buildings
- List of tallest church buildings
- List of tallest domes
Notes
References
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica, s.v. "nave".
- ^ Nave (definition from Answers.com. Accessed 2010-01.20.)
- ^ "Architecture". MSN Encarta. Archived from the original on 2009-10-29.
- ^ "The Basilica of St. Peter". Argiletum Tour. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "The Nave". St. Peter's Basilica. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ Bruzelius, Caroline; Giordano, Andrea; Basso, Andrea; Castagna, Elisa; Giles, Lucas; Repola, Leopoldo; De Feo, Emanuela (2018). "L'eco delle pietre: history, modeling, and GPR as tools in reconstructing the choir screen at Sta. Chiara in Naples". Archeologia e Calcolatori. Supplementi. 10 (Progetti digitali per la storia dell’arte medievale - Digital Projects in Medieval Art History): 81–103. doi:10.19282/acs.10.2018.06. ISSN 2385-202X.
- ^ "Informe Del Comité Español Del Consejo Internacional De Monumentos Y Sitios (ICOMOS) Sobre El Posible Impacto Del Tren De Alta Velocidad (AVE) En El Templo Expiatorio De La Sagrada Familia De Barcelona" (PDF). International Council on Monuments and Sites. 1 February 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2007.
- ^ "Basilica di San Petronio: La Fabbriceria" (in Italian). Basilica di San Petronio [official website]. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
- ^ "Restoration of the Cathedral of Palma de Majorca". Gaudi & Barcelona Club. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ Roca, P.; Gonzalez, J. L. "Morphology, Structure and History – The Case of the Upper Flying Arches of Mallorca Cathedral" (PDF). Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 January 2004.
- ^ "INTERVIU: "Se vor face multe teze de doctorat" despre construcția Catedralei Mântuirii Neamului". www.digi24.ro (in Romanian). 7 October 2016. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
- ^ "Measures and dates" Archived 2017-11-08 at the Wayback Machine. Der Kölner Dom. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ a b c d Der Geschichtliche Weg Der grossen Kathedralen Frankreichs, France Monuments.
- ^ "Seville Cathedral". Spain (official tourism portal). Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "St Bartholomews Church". Visit Brighton. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
- ^ "St. Mary's Lutheran Cathedral". Université du Québec. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "Narbonne". Université du Québec. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine". New York Architecture. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
- ^ "The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour" Archived 2009-03-25 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "Façade - Notre Dame Cathedral". Buffalo Architecture and History. Archived from the original on 22 March 2007.
- ^ "Notre Dame en long et en large chiffres et anecdotes". Notre Dame de Paris. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "Notre-Dame de Paris, Paris – Interior". Planetware. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "Catedral de Granada [homepage]"
- ^ "El proyecto". Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "Church of Our Lady of the Snows". Prague Welcome. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "Architettura del Tempio". www.sannicolotreviso.it (in Italian). 30 June 2016. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
- ^ "Social events"[permanent dead link]. CLIP Lab. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "Stavba". Katedrála sv. Víta. Archived from the original on 25 May 2007.
- ^ "Ely Cathedral - Facts and Figures".
- ^ Hubel, Achim (2010). Regensburg: St Peter's Cathedral. Schnell, Art Guide (4th ed.). Regensburg: Schnell & Steiner. p. 12. ISBN 978-3-7954-6162-1.
- ^ "OKV: De Sint-Baafskathedraal gent. Monument en heiligdom.". Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ "Jewels of the Architecture: London". Europanas. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ St. Olaf's Church, Tallinn
- ^ "Architecture".
- ^ "Santini". Česká televize. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "De Kathedraal - Facts and Figures". dekathedraal.be. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ^ "Dimensions".
- ^ "Architecture".
- ^ "Nimbus Hosting".
- ^ "Hur hög och hur lång?" Archived 2014-07-23 at archive.today. Linköpings domkyrkoförsamling. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions" Archived 2013-10-05 at the Wayback Machine. Salisbury Cathedral. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "Plan and Description of Lincoln Cathedral from an Anonymous guide booklet printed near the end of the Nineteenth Century" Archived 2012-07-22 at the Wayback Machine. The Bourne Archive. Retrieved 24 January 2013.