Churches can be measured and compared in several different ways. These include
area
Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape
A shape or figure is a graphics, graphical representation of an obje ...
,
volume
Volume is a measure of occupied three-dimensional space. It is often quantified numerically using SI derived units (such as the cubic metre and litre) or by various imperial or US customary units (such as the gallon, quart, cubic inch). The de ...
,
length
Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Interna ...
,
width
Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Interna ...
,
height
Height is measure of vertical distance, either vertical extent (how "tall" something or someone is) or vertical position (how "high" a point is).
For example, "The height of that building is 50 m" or "The height of an airplane in-flight is abou ...
, or
capacity. Several churches individually claim to be "the largest church", which may be due to any one of these criteria.
Criteria for inclusion
* The reason the edifice was built was for Christian religious services (see
Church (building)
A church, church building or church house is a building used for Christian worship services and other Christian religious activities. The earliest identified Christian church is a house church founded between 233 and 256. From the 11th thro ...
for more detail)
** Entries are included even if they ''currently'' do not function as a church. For example, the
Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia ( 'Holy Wisdom'; ; ; ), officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque ( tr, Ayasofya-i Kebir Cami-i Şerifi), is a mosque and major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. The cathedral was originally built as a Greek Ortho ...
is included;/it was originally built as a church, later converted into a mosque, and then into a museum.
** Buildings that have become churches/but were not built for that purpose are not included/such as the
Lakewood Church
Lakewood Church is a non-denominational evangelical Christian megachurch located in Houston, Texas. It is one of the largest congregations in the United States, averaging about 45,000 attendees per week. The 16,800-seat Lakewood Church building, ...
building, which used to be the
Compaq Center.
* The building must still be standing.
* The building have a known
floor area
In architecture, construction, and real estate, floor area, floor space, or floorspace is the area (measured as square feet or square metres) taken up by a building or part of it. The ways of defining "floor area" depend on what factors of the buil ...
of more than .
** Internal floor area is measured to the internal face of the external walls.
** External floor area is measured to the external face of the external walls.
** A reliable source is present that states the building's area.
* Not a
Shrine
A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy sacred space, space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daem ...
,
Tabernacle
According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle ( he, מִשְׁכַּן, mīškān, residence, dwelling place), also known as the Tent of the Congregation ( he, link=no, אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, ’ōhel mō‘ēḏ, also Tent of Meeting, etc.), ...
,
Temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
, or any other structures that function separately from a church.
:
See also
*
List of the largest evangelical church auditoriums
This is a list of the largest evangelical church auditoriums. The list is based on the human seating capacity of the evangelical church auditoriums.
Characteristics
The building of an Evangelical Christian megachurch has a main auditorium for Wo ...
*
List of Christian denominations by number of members
This is a list of Christian denominations by number of members. It is inevitably partial and generally based on claims by the denominations themselves. The numbers should therefore be considered approximate and the article an ongoing work-in-pro ...
*
List of tallest church buildings
This list of tallest church buildings ranks Church (building), church buildings by height. From the Middle Ages until the advent of the skyscraper, Christian church buildings were often the History of the world's tallest buildings, world's tall ...
*
List of largest Eastern Orthodox church buildings
This is a list of the largest Eastern Orthodox church buildings in the world, based on area and capacity. Any Eastern Orthodox church building that has a capacity of 3,000 people or more, can be added to this page. Entries are included even if they ...
*
List of tallest Eastern Orthodox church buildings
This is a list of tallest Orthodox church buildings in the world, all those higher than 70 metres.
Traditionally, an Orthodox church building is crowned by one or several domes with Orthodox crosses on the top of each. The overall height of th ...
*
List of tallest domes
This is a list of the tallest domes in the world. The dome can be measured by various criteria. There are different types of domes. Many of the tallest domes have a Roof lantern, lantern. Strictly speaking, the lantern is not part of the dome, b ...
*
List of highest church naves
The nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church, in Romanesque architecture, Romanesque and Gothic architecture, Gothic Christianity, Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture. "Nave" (Latin, Medie ...
*
Monumental crosses
This is a list of notable monumental crosses.
Planned projectsFamily Worship Center Cairo, Ga, USA, 45.72 m, announced 2020
* Cross of Blaszki, Poland, 100 * Constantine the Great Cross, Serbia, 80 m, abandoned
* Kraljevo Cross, Kraljevo, S ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Largest Church Buildings in the World
Lists of churches
Churches, largest
Churches, largest
Churches