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The Cathedrals of the Church

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts.i

Here are gathered the cathedrals and basilicas of the Catholic Church, country by country, each with its own record.

4,346 churches · 191 countries and territories

The atlas at a glance

One communion.
Thousands of places.

4,346Churches in the register
3,307Cathedral designations
1,351Basilica designations
191Countries & territories
Where they stand
Italy 923Brazil 389United States 292India 166Canada 146Mexico 142Spain 140Philippines 121
Of the Eastern Churches · 227
Maronite 38Syro-Malabar 33Melkite Greek Catholic 31Ukrainian Greek Catholic 25
Both cathedral and basilica
312
Their sees
verified as the seat of its see 2,502its see keeps its seat elsewhere 432seat not yet verified either way 373
Their websites
confirmed against a source 814listed, not yet proven 615keeps none of its own: answered here 2,768listed site no longer answers 149
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4,346 churches in view · jump to results

The choices update both the map and register. Press Enter after a search to fly to the first matching church.

The map

· churches shown · filtered by the choices above · 37 of the 4,346 in the register carry no coordinates yet and cannot be drawn

The register

Every church here is open to read. A church that keeps no website of its own is answered by its page here, open to everyone; the full register behind them opens soon. The twenty-four Churches of the communion are set out in their own register.

312 churches hold both titles and stand in both registers, once as the seat of their see and once under the honour granted to them.

The cathedral churches

3,307 churches

A cathedral is not a kind of building. It is the church that holds the chair of a bishop, and it is a cathedral for exactly as long as it holds it. These are ordered by the see each one seats.

All 189 countries and territories
Afghanistan 1Albania 3Algeria 5American Samoa 2Angola 19Antigua & Barbuda 2Argentina 77Armenia 1Aruba 1Australia 34Austria 3Bahamas 1Bahrain 1Bangladesh 5Barbados 1Belgium 5Belize 2Benin 9Bermuda 1Bolivia 17Bosnia & Herzegovina 7Botswana 2Brazil 321Bulgaria 4Burkina Faso 11Burundi 8Cambodia 1Cameroon 17Canada 128Central African Republic 8Chad 7Chile 27China 80Colombia 83Comoros 1Congo - Brazzaville 8Congo - Kinshasa 39Cook Islands 1Costa Rica 7Côte d’Ivoire 16Croatia 35Cuba 12Cyprus 1Czechia 1Djibouti 1Dominica 1Dominican Republic 13Ecuador 22Egypt 15El Salvador 8Equatorial Guinea 4Eritrea 2Estonia 1Eswatini 1Ethiopia 11Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 1Fiji 1Finland 1France 63French Guiana 1French Polynesia 1Gabon 6Gambia 1Georgia 1Germany 14Ghana 23Gibraltar 1Greece 6Grenada 1Guadeloupe 1Guam 1Guatemala 17Guinea 5Guinea-Bissau 2Guyana 1Haiti 9Honduras 11Hong Kong 1Hungary 13India 148Indonesia 42Iran 10Iraq 14Ireland 29Israel 16Italy 490Jamaica 2Japan 1Jordan 1Kazakhstan 5Kenya 22Kiribati 1Laos 3Lebanon 26Lesotho 4Liberia 3Libya 2Liechtenstein 2Lithuania 10Luxembourg 3Macao 1Madagascar 21Malawi 6Malaysia 11Mali 6Malta 1Marshall Islands 1Martinique 1Mauritania 1Mauritius 2Mexico 113Micronesia 1Monaco 1Mongolia 1Montenegro 1Morocco 5Mozambique 14Myanmar (Burma) 17Nepal 1Netherlands 11New Caledonia 1New Zealand 5Nicaragua 9Niger 2Nigeria 58North Korea 2North Macedonia 3Northern Mariana Islands 1Norway 3Pakistan 7Panama 8Papua New Guinea 20Paraguay 19Peru 45Philippines 95Poland 52Portugal 32Puerto Rico 7Réunion 1Romania 7Russia 3Rwanda 2Samoa 1São Tomé & Príncipe 1Saudi Arabia 1Senegal 7Serbia 6Seychelles 1Sierra Leone 3Singapore 1Slovakia 10Slovenia 5Solomon Islands 3Somalia 1South Africa 20South Korea 9South Sudan 2Spain 79Sri Lanka 11St. Lucia 1St. Vincent & Grenadines 1Sudan 1Suriname 1Sweden 1Switzerland 10Syria 18Taiwan 2Tajikistan 1Tanzania 21Thailand 8Timor-Leste 3Togo 7Tokelau 1Trinidad & Tobago 2Tunisia 1Türkiye 5Uganda 14Ukraine 9United Arab Emirates 1United Kingdom 25United States 225Uruguay 11Vanuatu 1Venezuela 45Vietnam 5Wallis & Futuna 1Western Sahara 1Zambia 9Zimbabwe 7

Afghanistan 1

Albania 3

Algeria 5

American Samoa 2

Angola 19

Antigua & Barbuda 2

Argentina 77

Armenia 1

Aruba 1

Australia 34

Austria 3

Bahamas 1

Bahrain 1

Bangladesh 5

Barbados 1

Belgium 5

Belize 2

Benin 9

Bermuda 1

Bolivia 17

Bosnia & Herzegovina 7

Botswana 2

Brazil 321

Bulgaria 4

Burkina Faso 11

Burundi 8

Cambodia 1

Cameroon 17

Canada 128

Central African Republic 8

Chad 7

Chile 27

China 80

Colombia 83

Comoros 1

Congo - Brazzaville 8

Congo - Kinshasa 39

Cook Islands 1

Costa Rica 7

Côte d’Ivoire 16

Croatia 35

Cuba 12

Cyprus 1

Czechia 1

Djibouti 1

Dominica 1

Dominican Republic 13

Ecuador 22

Egypt 15

El Salvador 8

Equatorial Guinea 4

Eritrea 2

Estonia 1

Eswatini 1

Ethiopia 11

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 1

Fiji 1

Finland 1

France 63

French Guiana 1

French Polynesia 1

Gabon 6

Gambia 1

Georgia 1

Germany 14

Ghana 23

Gibraltar 1

Greece 6

Grenada 1

Guadeloupe 1

Guam 1

Guatemala 17

Guinea 5

Guinea-Bissau 2

Guyana 1

Haiti 9

Honduras 11

Hong Kong 1

Hungary 13

India 148

Indonesia 42

Iran 10

Iraq 14

Ireland 29

Israel 16

Italy 490

Jamaica 2

Japan 1

Jordan 1

Kazakhstan 5

Kenya 22

Kiribati 1

Laos 3

Lebanon 26

Lesotho 4

Liberia 3

Libya 2

Liechtenstein 2

Lithuania 10

Luxembourg 3

Macao 1

Madagascar 21

Malawi 6

Malaysia 11

Mali 6

Malta 1

Marshall Islands 1

Martinique 1

Mauritania 1

Mauritius 2

Mexico 113

Micronesia 1

Monaco 1

Mongolia 1

Montenegro 1

Morocco 5

Mozambique 14

Myanmar (Burma) 17

Nepal 1

Netherlands 11

New Caledonia 1

New Zealand 5

Nicaragua 9

Niger 2

Nigeria 58

North Korea 2

North Macedonia 3

Northern Mariana Islands 1

Norway 3

Pakistan 7

Panama 8

Papua New Guinea 20

Paraguay 19

Peru 45

Philippines 95

Poland 52

Portugal 32

Puerto Rico 7

Réunion 1

Romania 7

Russia 3

Rwanda 2

Samoa 1

São Tomé & Príncipe 1

Saudi Arabia 1

Senegal 7

Serbia 6

Seychelles 1

Sierra Leone 3

Singapore 1

Slovakia 10

Slovenia 5

Solomon Islands 3

Somalia 1

South Africa 20

South Korea 9

South Sudan 2

Spain 79

Sri Lanka 11

St. Lucia 1

St. Vincent & Grenadines 1

Sudan 1

Suriname 1

Sweden 1

Switzerland 10

Syria 18

Taiwan 2

Tajikistan 1

Tanzania 21

Thailand 8

Timor-Leste 3

Togo 7

Tokelau 1

Trinidad & Tobago 2

Tunisia 1

Türkiye 5

Uganda 14

Ukraine 9

United Arab Emirates 1

United Kingdom 25

United States 225

Uruguay 11

Vanuatu 1

Venezuela 45

Vietnam 5

Wallis & Futuna 1

Western Sahara 1

Zambia 9

Zimbabwe 7

The basilicas

1,351 churches

A basilica holds a title granted by the Holy See and keeps it. The title says nothing about who governs there and nothing about size: it is an honour paid to a particular church, and these are ordered by the place that keeps it.

All 61 countries and territories

Albania 1

Algeria 2

Argentina 52

Australia 5

Bahrain 1

Belgium 9

Benin 1

Bolivia 3

Brazil 82

Burkina Faso 1

Cameroon 1

Canada 39

Chile 9

Colombia 28

Congo - Kinshasa 1

Costa Rica 2

Côte d’Ivoire 1

Croatia 12

Cuba 3

Ecuador 3

Egypt 2

Equatorial Guinea 1

France 42

Germany 9

Ghana 1

Guam 1

Guatemala 1

Hungary 9

India 23

Ireland 2

Israel 9

Italy 589

Kazakhstan 1

Kenya 1

Kuwait 1

Lebanon 1

Lithuania 8

Malaysia 1

Mexico 30

Netherlands 27

Nigeria 1

Paraguay 2

Peru 11

Philippines 29

Poland 71

Portugal 17

Puerto Rico 2

Romania 2

Samoa 1

Serbia 1

Slovakia 11

Slovenia 2

Spain 74

Sri Lanka 1

Switzerland 12

Tonga 1

Trinidad & Tobago 1

United States 82

Uruguay 6

Venezuela 8

Zimbabwe 1

The cathedra

A cathedral is not the largest church of a diocese, nor the oldest, nor the most beautiful, though it is often all three. It is the church that holds the cathedra, the chair of the bishop, and from that chair it takes its name. The Council teaches that the bishop is to be considered the high priest of his flock, and that the pre-eminent manifestation of the Church is found in the full, active participation of all God’s holy people in the same liturgical celebrations, especially in his cathedral church.ii

There the bishop presides at the sacred liturgy; there the holy oils are consecrated in the week of the Lord’s Passion; there his priests are ordained. Whoever stands in a cathedral stands at the center of a particular church.

The basilica

A basilica bears a different honor. The title is conferred by the Apostolic See, or held from time immemorial, and it binds the church that bears it in a particular way to the Church of Rome. Some basilicas are cathedrals also; many are shrines of pilgrimage; all are marked in this record with their designation, beside the cathedrals, so that neither dignity is confused with the other.

The Churches of the communion

The see churches gathered here are not of the Latin Church alone. The cathedrals of the Eastern Catholic Churches, the eparchial seats of the Maronites, the Melkites, the Chaldeans, the Syro-Malabar faithful and their brethren, stand in this register beside the cathedrals of the West, each marked with its Church. The register may be narrowed to any one of them below; the Churches themselves, twenty-four in communion with the See of Peter, are set out in the communion of Churches.

The keeping of this register

Where a website is shown as verified, the claim rests on a receipt from the church’s own published statements, checked within the last season; where it is merely listed, it is reported as found and not yet proven. A church that publishes nothing anywhere is not left blank: its own page in this record is opened to everyone, because a silence we could break and did not is our failure and not the church’s. Designations whose citations are still being gathered are withheld rather than guessed. Whoever finds an error is asked, in charity, to write: hello@catholicintelligence.com.

The accounting, stated plainly: 4,346 churches, carrying 3,307 cathedral designations and 1,351 basilica designations, of which 312 carry both. Of their websites, 814 source-verified; the source-verified count refers to website ownership receipts only, never to the designation itself. 2,768 keep no website of their own, and for those this record is the open answer. 4,309 carry coordinates and are drawn on the map; the remaining 37 are in the register and not yet on it. Designation rows that do not own their profile’s canonical key are withheld from this register until they do.