After composing the lists of the most famous churches in the world, the tallest churches and the most unique churches, it’s time to list the 10 most famous, beautiful and altogether celebrated medieval cathedrals in Europe. These cathedral have are built in the Gothic architecture style. I already wrote on some of those cathedrals in individual posts as one of the best attractions in their city: Notre Dame de Paris as one of Paris’ best attractions, Milan Cathedral as a prime attraction in Milan, and so on. So now let’s collect those cathedral to a single list
1. Milan Cathedral, Milan, Italy – The Milan Cathedral or Duomo di Milano is the main cathedral of Milan and stands proud in the main square of the city – the Piazza del Duomo (cathedral square). The monumental church is the largest in Italy and 5th largest in the world. Construction began in 1386 and wasn’t completed until 1965, taking just under 600 years to complete! The beautiful Milan Cathedral is the most famous icon of the city and since the famous “Madonnina” statue atop the main spire reaches 108 meters (354 ft) in height, it can be seen from far away
2. Seville Cathedral, Seville, Spain – Built between 1401 and 1528, the Seville Cathedral, or the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See is the third largest church in the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The immense structure features more than 1,000 figures covered in gold leaf depicting the life of Jesus, as well as the tomb of Christopher Columbus and many other interesting artifacts. The cathedral along with the Giralda (the cathedral’s bell tower, see bellow) is the pride of the city and its prime tourists attraction, with a constant line of visitors waiting to enter the landmark
3. Florence Cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore), Florence, Italy – The main church of Florence, Italy. Construction begun in 1296 in the Gothic style and completed in 1436 with the completion of the dome. The exterior of the basilica is faced with marble panels in various shades of green and pink bordered by white and has an elaborate 19th-century Gothic Revival facade
4. Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France – The small city near Paris holds one of the most beautiful and best preserved medieval cathedral in Europe. The cathedral construction was completed in 1220 and seen little changes since. This monumental achievement of Gothic style architecture is yet another cultural UNESCO heritage site
5. Saint Mark’s Basilica, Venice, Italy – The most famous of Venice’s churches and one of the best known examples of Byzantine architecture. It is one of the icons of the city and the destination of every tourist in Venice. It was constructed in 1650
6. Notre Dame de Paris, Paris, France – The Notre Dame cathedral is one of the most singular and beautiful cathedrals of Europe. The cathedral’s dramatic towers, spire, stained glass and statuary are most impressive. The Notre Dame was the heart of medieval Paris and took over than a century to complete
7. Cologne Cathedral, Cologne, Germany – The Cologne Cathedral was the tallest building in the world from its completion in 1880 till 1884, and is still among the tallest cathedral in Europe today. It reaches a height of 157.4 m (516 ft). The pride of Cologne is a prime example of Gothic architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage Site
8. Burgos Cathedral, Burgos, Spain – This huge medieval Gothic cathedral was constructed for literally centuries: from 1221 till 1567. Like other cathedral in this list, it is a UNESCO world heritage site
9. Reims Cathedral, Reims, France – The Reims Cathedral, or Notre-Dame de Reims, is another medieval Gothic cathedral. This UNESCO world heritage site was built relatively fast to other cathedral from the same era. It was constructed from 1211 till 1275
10. York Minster, York, United Kingdom – The cathedral we see today was constructed between 1230 and 1472. The York cathedral is among the largest in Europe and stands out over the skyline of York