While tall buildings are a relatively new thing, churches have been built to incredible heights for almost a thousand years! While most of them are not that old they are all very tall and all of them are from the Christian religion…
Strasbourg Cathedral, France
10 – Strasbourg Cathedral, France (Approximate Height: 466 ft)
Wiki Info: At 466 feet, it was the world’s tallest building from 1647 to 1874 (227 years), when it was surpassed by St. Nikolai’s Church, Hamburg. Today it is the sixth-tallest church in the world and the highest extant structure built entirely in the Middle Ages.
St. Nikolai, Hamburg, Germany
9 – St. Nikolai, Hamburg, Germany (Approximate Height: 483 ft)
Wiki Info: The Gothic Revival Church of St. Nicholas was formerly one of the five Lutheran Hauptkirchen in the city of Hamburg. The church lies now in ruins, with only its tower remaining, serving as a memorial and an important architectural landmark.
Old St Paul’s Cathedral, UK
8 – Old St Paul’s Cathedral, UK (Approximate Height: 493 ft)
Wiki Info: The cathedral was already in severe structural decline by the 17th century. Restoration work by Inigo Jones in the 1620s was halted by the English Civil War. Sir Christopher Wren was attempting another restoration in 1666 when the cathedral was destroyed in the Great Fire of London.
Rouen Cathedral, France
7 – Rouen Cathedral, France (Approximate Height: 495 ft)
Wiki Info: Rouen Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Rouen, Normandy, France. It is the see of the Archbishop of Rouen, Primate of Normandy. The cathedral is in the Gothic architectural tradition.
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St. Mary’s church, Germany
6 – St. Mary’s church, Germany (Approximate Height: 495 ft)
Wiki Info: The bell tower collapsed in 1382, and was rebuilt by 1478. In 1495, the steeple tower blew down during a severe storm and was then rebuilt taller. This was subsequently struck by lightning in 1647, and burned down, and was rebuilt as a baroque dome, which, completed in 1708, can be seen today.
Beauvais Cathedral, France
5 – Beauvais Cathedral, France (Approximate Height: 502 ft)
Wiki Info: A small Romanesque church dating back to the 10th-century, known as the Basse Œuvre, still occupies the site destined for the nave of the Beauvais Cathedral.
Cologne Cathedral, Germany
4 – Cologne Cathedral, Germany (Approximate Height: 516 ft)
Wiki Info: Tallest building in the world from 1880 to 1884; largest Gothic church in Germany and tallest Roman Catholic cathedral in the world
Our Lady of Peace Basilica, Ivory Coast
3 – Our Lady of Peace Basilica, Ivory Coast (Approximate Height: 518 ft)
Wiki Info: The basilica is not a cathedral; the nearby Cathedral of Saint Augustine is the principal place of worship and seat of the bishop of the Diocese of Yamoussoukro.
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Lincoln Cathedral, UK
2 – Lincoln Cathedral, UK (Approximate Height: 524 ft)
Wiki Info: Lincoln Cathedral or the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, and sometimes St. Mary’s Cathedral in Lincoln, England is the seat of the Anglican bishop. Building commenced in 1088 and continued in several phases throughout the medieval period.
Ulm Minster, Germany
1 – Ulm Minster, Germany (Approximate Height: 530 ft)
Wiki Info: Largest Protestant Gothic church in Germany; 768 stairs going up to a height of 469 ft. The spire’s height was intended to be shorter but increased in order to surpass Cologne Cathedral.