Home Places Things Images Blog
Toggle sidebar
Home
Topics
cathedral

cathedral

A cathedral is a Christian church that serves as the headquarters of a bishop. It is often a large church and located in a city, but neither condition is necessary to qualify as a cathedral; the designation is functional, not architectural.

Rising Above the Rooftops - Lincoln Cathedral, England
The tall towers - and even part of the huge facade - of Lincoln Cathedral rise above the surrounding rooftops. View from northwest. The central tower was rebuilt around 1240 and raised to its present height in 1311; the twin west towers were built in the early 13th century and raised at the end of the 14th century. Lincoln, England. Image credit: David Joyal

Quick Facts on cathedral
old-fashioned flower design element

Go Historic ID
15
Getty AAT ID
300007501
Term Type
building/structure category
Parent Terms
Child Terms
Related Terms

Definition
old-fashioned flower design element

Churches that are the principal church of a diocese, serving as the seat of the bishop, or of the archbishop, primate, patriarch, or pope of the diocese. They are generally grandiose structures and house the "cathedra," which is the throne of the bishop.

Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT)®