Churches are important for Catholics and Christians, just as mosques are for Muslims and temples are for Buddhists. These are special places of worships people come to fulfill religious duties as part of their faithful obligations. They come in all sizes, they come in all forms. They have distinct characteristics, yet they have their own uniqueness that make them just perfect for the purpose by which they are made. Very beautiful churches abound the world, including Staten Island church.
They exude such breathtaking beauty that even those who are not affiliated in the said religion come to visit just to gawk at its designs. Most of these infrastructures are thousands of years old yet remarkably they retain the same majestic splendor that they had back in their heydays. If anything else, the years just added to their timeless beauty.
For some, these buildings are nothing but places where people worship the God that they believe in. The truth of the matter is that these different structures have different functions. For starters, very many people mistakenly use the term cathedral to define a castle like church with its magnanimous proportions. Not all big churches are cathedrals, and there are cathedrals that are not as imposing as the others.
A cathedral gets its name from the Latin cathedra. This literally means the throne of the bishop, and it goes without saying that this infrastructure is where the bishop performs his ecclesiastical obligations. It also serves as a pilgrimage site and a venue for important events, so they had to be spacious to be able to hold the throng of people quite comfortably.
A basilica, in the architectural sense, bears similarities in the structures of the ancient Roman basilicas, hence the apt name. It typically has a longitudinal plan rather than a central one. The center naves of these structures have aisles on both sides and are often separated by a colonnade. In the ecclesiastical sense, however, it will only be termed as such if it were designated with basilica status by the pope.
There are four known basilicas in the world and most of them are found in Rome, which is not surprising as it is the seat of Christianity. The most popular of the four is the famed Basilica of St. Peter which is a dream destination of people, religious or otherwise. There are also thousands of basilicas all over the world, even outside Europe. A building is often turned into a basilica when it serves as the home of objects that are used in religious veneration, like it houses parts of the True Cross, and other things of similar religious importance. If a church holds under its roof some relics of a saint, it is also granted basilica status, which explains why most churches in areas that has produced a saint has its share of basilicas.
Abbeys are church buildings occupied by monastic orders such as the Franciscans, Augustinians, Jesuits, and other religious societies. Back in the monastic era these does not only feature a place of worship. It often includes an entire complex that caters to the needs of the monks living in it.
These abbeys have often served as shelter in times of utmost peril. This is where most people run to when their lives are threatened, especially when they find themselves caught in warfare. Upon the end of the monastic era, the buildings were turned into local parish churches.
Truly, churches have a very colorful history behind every pillar and every pew. But, it does not necessarily mean that those which as not as magnificent as aforementioned are less. All of these serve the same purpose and deserve the same treatment.
They exude such breathtaking beauty that even those who are not affiliated in the said religion come to visit just to gawk at its designs. Most of these infrastructures are thousands of years old yet remarkably they retain the same majestic splendor that they had back in their heydays. If anything else, the years just added to their timeless beauty.
For some, these buildings are nothing but places where people worship the God that they believe in. The truth of the matter is that these different structures have different functions. For starters, very many people mistakenly use the term cathedral to define a castle like church with its magnanimous proportions. Not all big churches are cathedrals, and there are cathedrals that are not as imposing as the others.
A cathedral gets its name from the Latin cathedra. This literally means the throne of the bishop, and it goes without saying that this infrastructure is where the bishop performs his ecclesiastical obligations. It also serves as a pilgrimage site and a venue for important events, so they had to be spacious to be able to hold the throng of people quite comfortably.
A basilica, in the architectural sense, bears similarities in the structures of the ancient Roman basilicas, hence the apt name. It typically has a longitudinal plan rather than a central one. The center naves of these structures have aisles on both sides and are often separated by a colonnade. In the ecclesiastical sense, however, it will only be termed as such if it were designated with basilica status by the pope.
There are four known basilicas in the world and most of them are found in Rome, which is not surprising as it is the seat of Christianity. The most popular of the four is the famed Basilica of St. Peter which is a dream destination of people, religious or otherwise. There are also thousands of basilicas all over the world, even outside Europe. A building is often turned into a basilica when it serves as the home of objects that are used in religious veneration, like it houses parts of the True Cross, and other things of similar religious importance. If a church holds under its roof some relics of a saint, it is also granted basilica status, which explains why most churches in areas that has produced a saint has its share of basilicas.
Abbeys are church buildings occupied by monastic orders such as the Franciscans, Augustinians, Jesuits, and other religious societies. Back in the monastic era these does not only feature a place of worship. It often includes an entire complex that caters to the needs of the monks living in it.
These abbeys have often served as shelter in times of utmost peril. This is where most people run to when their lives are threatened, especially when they find themselves caught in warfare. Upon the end of the monastic era, the buildings were turned into local parish churches.
Truly, churches have a very colorful history behind every pillar and every pew. But, it does not necessarily mean that those which as not as magnificent as aforementioned are less. All of these serve the same purpose and deserve the same treatment.
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