10 Tallest Church Buildings In The World

I wrote on the most famous churches and most unique churches from around the world, and it’s time to list the tallest churches in history. Not surprising, the 10 tallest church buildings in the world are almost exclusively from Europe: 9 out of the 10 are European, and the other is from Africa. Another interesting fact is that out of the 10 cathedrals – only one was built during the 20th century (and it happen to be the single cathedral from Africa). Also note that the mentioned height is the original height, and for some of these structures it is not the current height, due to collapses that occurred over the years

1. Ulm Minster, Ulm, Germany – 161.5 m (530 ft) – The tallest cathedral in the world is also the latest cathedral built among all the European churches in this list. The Ulm Minster has 768 stairs that reach a height of 143 meters. Originally the spires of the structure were supposed to be shorter, but they were extended so the cathedral will be taller than the Cologne Cathedral built only a decade earlier

2. Lincoln Cathedral, Lincoln, England – 159.7 m (524 ft) – The Lincoln Cathedral was the tallest building in the world from its completion in 1311 till 1549. Today the height is only 83 meters as a spire collapsed in 1549

3. Our Lady of Peace Basilica, Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast – 158.0 m (518 ft) – This cathedral is the latest church in this list (completed in 1989) and the single non-European church in this list. It is also the tallest cathedral in Africa and arguably the largest cathedral in the entire world

4. Cologne Cathedral, Cologne, Germany – 157.4 m (516 ft) – The Cologne Cathedral was the tallest building in the world from its completion in 1880 till 1884

5. Beauvais Cathedral, Beauvais, France – 153.0 m (502 ft) – The Beauvais Cathedral is an incomplete (but active) Roman Catholic cathedral. The tower that achieved the impressive height collapsed in 1573

 

6. St. Mary’s church, Stralsund, Germany – 151.0 m (495 ft) – Completed in 1478, the church current height is 104 meters as a spire was destroyed in 1647

 

7. Rouen Cathedral, Rouen, France – 151.0 m (495 ft) – Rouen Cathedral was the tallest building in the world for a short period of time, from its completion in 1876 till 1880. It remains the tallest church in France

 

8. Old St Paul’s Cathedral, London, England – 150.0 m (493 ft) – Old St Paul’s Cathedral is the only cathedral in this list that no longer exists. Completed in 1240, Old St Paul’s Cathedral was located in the location of present day St Paul’s Cathedral. It was completely destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666

9. St. Nicholas’ Church, Hamburg, Germany – 147.3 m (483 ft) – Completed in 1874, this church was also once the tallest building in the world, from 1874 till 1876. It was heavily damaged by Allied air-force bombing in July 1943, and only the tower remained

 

10. Strasbourg Cathedral, Strasbourg, France – 142.0 m (466 ft) – The Strasbourg Cathedral also had the chance to be the tallest structure in the world. It was completed in 1439, but was the tallest in the world between the years 1647 to 1874