The nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church, in Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture. "Nave" ( Medieval Latin navis, "ship") was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting. [1] The nave of a church, whether Romanesque, Gothic or Classical, extends from the entry (which may have a separate vestibule, the narthex) to the chancel and is flanked by lower aisles [2] separated from the nave by an arcade.
# | Cathedral/Church | Nave height | City | Country | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Beauvais Cathedral | 47 m (154 ft) [3] | Beauvais | France | The "Parthenon of French Gothic", only one bay of the nave was built, but choir and transepts were completed to the same height. |
2 | St. Peter's Basilica | 46 m (151 ft)
[4] 45 m (148 ft) [5] |
Vatican City | Vatican City | |
3 | Florence Cathedral | 45 m (148 ft) | Florence | Italy | |
3 | Milan Cathedral | 45 m (148 ft) | Milan | Italy | |
3 | Santa Chiara | ~45 m (148 ft)
[a] ~33.5 m (110 ft) [b] [6] |
Naples | Italy | |
3 | Sagrada Família | 45 m (148 ft) [7] | Barcelona | Spain | Still under construction, although the interior of the church is complete. Vaults of the crossing and the apse reach 60 and 75 metres respectively. |
7 | San Petronio Basilica | 44.24 m (145.1 ft) [8] | Bologna | Italy | |
8 | Palma Cathedral | 44 m (144 ft) [9] [10] | Palma | Spain | Pillars sustaining vaults are the narrowest in the world: they measure 1/12 of vault width (at Reims, pillars are 1/6 of vault width) |
8 | People's Salvation Cathedral | 44 m (144 ft) [11] | Bucharest | Romania | It is the tallest and largest (by volume) Orthodox church building in the world. |
8 | Basilica of Our Lady of Licheń | 44 m (144 ft) | Licheń Stary | Poland | Highest nave in Poland, 77 m wide. The highest point inside the church (dome presbytery) is 85 meters high |
11 | Cologne Cathedral | 43.35 m (142.2 ft) [12] | Cologne | Germany | Highest height to width ratio of any nave |
12 | Amiens Cathedral | 42.3 m (139 ft) [13] | Amiens | France | |
13 | Seville Cathedral | 42 m (138 ft) [14] | Seville | Spain | Ranked as largest medieval Gothic church |
14 | Metz Cathedral | 41.41 m (135.9 ft) | Metz | France | Largest glass surface |
15 | St Bartholomew's Church | 41.15 m (135.0 ft) [15] | Brighton | United Kingdom | Highest nave in the UK, not vaulted (wooden wagon roof). |
16 | Ulm Münster | 41 m (135 ft) [16] | Ulm | Germany | |
16 | Narbonne Cathedral | 41 m (135 ft) 40.1 m (132 ft) [17] |
Narbonne | France | Only the great choir of this French Gothic cathedral has been built. |
18 | Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida | 40 m (130 ft) | Aparecida | Brazil | Third biggest church in the world. Biggest place of worship in all the Americas. |
19 | St. Mary's Church | 38.5 m (126 ft) | Lübeck | Germany | Highest brick vault in the world. |
20 | Reims Cathedral | 37.95 m (124.5 ft) [13] | Reims | France | Holds the world record for statues: 2303 stone figurines are represented on it. |
21 | Cathedral of St. John the Divine | 37.7 m (124 ft) [18] | New York City | United States | |
22 | Cathedral of La Plata | 37.5 m (123 ft) | La Plata | Argentina | |
22 | Nantes Cathedral | 37.5 m (123 ft) | Nantes | France | |
25 | Bourges Cathedral | 37 m (121 ft) [13] | Bourges | France | |
25 | Chartres Cathedral | 37 m (121 ft) 36.55 m (119.9 ft) [13] |
Chartres | France | |
25 | Basilica of St. Thérèse | 37 m (121 ft) | Lisieux | France | |
25 | St. Nicholas | 37 m (121 ft) | Wismar | Germany | |
25 | Cathedral of Christ the Saviour | 37 m (121 ft) [19] | Moscow | Russia | |
30 | Liverpool Cathedral | 36.54 m (119.9 ft) | Liverpool | United Kingdom | |
31 | Tournai Cathedral | 36 m (118 ft) | Tournai | Belgium | Highest nave in the Low Countries |
32 | New Cathedral | 35.4 m (116 ft) | Salamanca | Spain | |
33 | Notre Dame | 35 m (115 ft)
[20] 34 m (112 ft) [21] [22] |
Paris | France | |
33 | Málaga Cathedral | 35 m (115 ft) | Málaga | Spain | |
33 | St. George church | 35 m (115 ft) | Wismar | Germany | |
36 | Granada Cathedral | 34.5 m (113 ft) [23] | Granada | Spain | |
37 | Basilica of Saint-Quentin | 34 m (112 ft) | Saint-Quentin | France | |
37 | Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe | 34 m (112 ft) [24] | Zamora de Hidalgo | Mexico | Tallest Neo-Gothic church in Mexico, 106 m. Still under construction. Known as the "Incomplete Cathedral" ("La Catedral Inconclusa"). |
37 | Girona Cathedral | 34 m (112 ft) | Girona | Spain | Widest Gothic nave in the world, 22.98 m, and lower ratio high/wide[ clarification needed] in Gothic architecture |
37 | Church of Our Lady of the Snows | 34 m (112 ft) [25] | Prague | Czech Republic | 39 m (128 ft) high nave destroyed during Hussite Wars |
41 | Chiesa di San Nicolò | 33.35 m (109.4 ft) [26] | Treviso | Italy | |
42 | Le Mans Cathedral | 33 m (108 ft) | Le Mans | France | |
42 | Segovia Cathedral | 33 m (108 ft) [27] | Segovia | Spain | |
42 | St. Vitus Cathedral | 33 m (108 ft) [28] | Prague | Czech Republic | |
42 | Speyer Cathedral | 33 m (108 ft) | Speyer | Germany | Highest romanesque vault |
46 | St. Mary's church | 32.95 m (108.1 ft) | Stralsund | Germany | World's highest building from 1625 to 1647 (151 m). Today 104 m. |
47 | St. Mary's Church | 32.5 m (107 ft) | Stargard Szczeciński | Poland | Second highest nave in Poland |
47 | Batalha Monastery | 32.5 m (107 ft) [29] | Batalha | Portugal | |
49 | Aachen Cathedral | 32 m (105 ft) | Aachen | Germany | Height of the gothic choir. |
49 | Bayeux cathedral | 32 m
(105 ft) |
Bayeux | ||
49 | Strasbourg Cathedral | 32 m (105 ft) | Strasbourg | France | |
49 | Ely Cathedral | 32 m (105 ft) | Ely | United Kingdom | |
49 | Glasgow Cathedral | 32 m (105 ft) | Glasgow | United Kingdom | |
49 | Magdeburg Cathedral | 32 m (105 ft) | Magdeburg | Germany | |
49 | Santa Maria del Mar | 32 m (105 ft) | Barcelona | Spain | Greatest separation between pillars in Gothic architecture (15 m) |
49 | Engelbrekt Church | 32 m (105 ft) | Stockholm | Sweden | Highest nave in Scandinavia |
56 | Regensburg Cathedral | 31.85 m (104.5 ft) [30] | Regensburg | Germany | |
57 | Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels | 31.7 m (104 ft) | Los Angeles | United States | |
58 | St. Martin's Cathedral | 31.5 m (103 ft) | Utrecht | Netherlands | The nave collapsed during a storm in 1674. |
58 | St. Mary's Church | 31.5 m (103 ft) | Rostock | Germany | |
60 | St Bavo's Cathedral | 31.1 m (102 ft) [31] | Ghent | Belgium | |
61 | Westminster Abbey | 31 m (102 ft) [32] | London | United Kingdom | |
61 | Munich Frauenkirche | 31 m (102 ft) | Munich | Germany | |
61 | York Minster | 31 m (102 ft) | York | United Kingdom | |
61 | St. Olaf's Church | 31 m (102 ft) [33] | Tallinn | Estonia | |
61 | Washington National Cathedral | 31 m (102 ft) | Washington, D.C. | United States | |
66 | Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception | 30.5 m (100 ft) | Washington, D.C. | United States | |
67 | Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran | 30 m (98 ft) | Rome | Italy | |
67 | Pavia Cathedral | 30 m (98 ft) | Pavia | Italy | |
67 | St. Peter's Church | 30 m (98 ft) | Riga | Latvia | |
69 | Saint Thomas Church | 29 m (95 ft) | New York City | New York | |
69 | St. John's Cathedral | 29 m (95 ft) | 's-Hertogenbosch | Netherlands | |
71 | St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna | 28 m (92 ft) | Vienna | Austria | Height mentioned on the German Wikipedia article without source. |
71 | St Paul's Cathedral | 28 m (92 ft) | London | United Kingdom | |
71 | Alexander Nevsky Cathedral | 28 m (92 ft) [34] of the central nave | Sofia | Bulgaria | |
71 | Church of the Assumption of Our Lady and Saint John the Baptist | 28 m (92 ft) [35] | Kutná Hora | Czech Republic | |
71 | Cathedral of Our Lady (Antwerp) | 28 m (92 ft) [36] | Antwerp | Belgium | |
71 | St. Rumbold's Cathedral | 28 m (92 ft) | Mechelen | Belgium | Height mentioned on the Dutch Wikipedia article without source. |
71 | Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia | 28 m (92 ft) [37] | Barcelona | Spain | |
78 | Grace Cathedral | 27.7 m (91 ft) [38] | San Francisco | United States | |
79 | Lancing College Chapel | 27.4 m (90 ft) [39] | Lancing | United Kingdom | |
80 | Uppsala Cathedral | 27 m (89 ft) [40] | Uppsala | Sweden | |
81 | Salisbury Cathedral | 25.5 m (84 ft) [41] | Salisbury | United Kingdom | |
82 | Lincoln Cathedral | 25 m (82 ft) [42] | Lincoln | United Kingdom | A central spire from after 1311 until 1548 had a reputed height of 160 m (520 ft), which would have made the cathedral the tallest structure in the world during the spire's existence. |
83 | Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist | 24.3 m (80 ft) | Spokane | United States | |
84 | Canterbury Cathedral | 24 m (79 ft) | Canterbury | United Kingdom | Nave is 80 feet (24 metres) with a crossing height of 92 feet (28 metres), and a tower 169 feet (52 metres) tall |
85 | Grundtvigskirken | 22 m (72 ft) | Copenhagen | Denmark | |
86 | All Saints Cathedral | 19.5 m (64 ft) | Halifax | Canada |
Note: The lower part of the list probably has many missing cathedrals. For example, St Patrick's Cathedral Melbourne – 24.3 metres
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The nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church, in Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture. "Nave" ( Medieval Latin navis, "ship") was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting. [1] The nave of a church, whether Romanesque, Gothic or Classical, extends from the entry (which may have a separate vestibule, the narthex) to the chancel and is flanked by lower aisles [2] separated from the nave by an arcade.
# | Cathedral/Church | Nave height | City | Country | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Beauvais Cathedral | 47 m (154 ft) [3] | Beauvais | France | The "Parthenon of French Gothic", only one bay of the nave was built, but choir and transepts were completed to the same height. |
2 | St. Peter's Basilica | 46 m (151 ft)
[4] 45 m (148 ft) [5] |
Vatican City | Vatican City | |
3 | Florence Cathedral | 45 m (148 ft) | Florence | Italy | |
3 | Milan Cathedral | 45 m (148 ft) | Milan | Italy | |
3 | Santa Chiara | ~45 m (148 ft)
[a] ~33.5 m (110 ft) [b] [6] |
Naples | Italy | |
3 | Sagrada Família | 45 m (148 ft) [7] | Barcelona | Spain | Still under construction, although the interior of the church is complete. Vaults of the crossing and the apse reach 60 and 75 metres respectively. |
7 | San Petronio Basilica | 44.24 m (145.1 ft) [8] | Bologna | Italy | |
8 | Palma Cathedral | 44 m (144 ft) [9] [10] | Palma | Spain | Pillars sustaining vaults are the narrowest in the world: they measure 1/12 of vault width (at Reims, pillars are 1/6 of vault width) |
8 | People's Salvation Cathedral | 44 m (144 ft) [11] | Bucharest | Romania | It is the tallest and largest (by volume) Orthodox church building in the world. |
8 | Basilica of Our Lady of Licheń | 44 m (144 ft) | Licheń Stary | Poland | Highest nave in Poland, 77 m wide. The highest point inside the church (dome presbytery) is 85 meters high |
11 | Cologne Cathedral | 43.35 m (142.2 ft) [12] | Cologne | Germany | Highest height to width ratio of any nave |
12 | Amiens Cathedral | 42.3 m (139 ft) [13] | Amiens | France | |
13 | Seville Cathedral | 42 m (138 ft) [14] | Seville | Spain | Ranked as largest medieval Gothic church |
14 | Metz Cathedral | 41.41 m (135.9 ft) | Metz | France | Largest glass surface |
15 | St Bartholomew's Church | 41.15 m (135.0 ft) [15] | Brighton | United Kingdom | Highest nave in the UK, not vaulted (wooden wagon roof). |
16 | Ulm Münster | 41 m (135 ft) [16] | Ulm | Germany | |
16 | Narbonne Cathedral | 41 m (135 ft) 40.1 m (132 ft) [17] |
Narbonne | France | Only the great choir of this French Gothic cathedral has been built. |
18 | Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida | 40 m (130 ft) | Aparecida | Brazil | Third biggest church in the world. Biggest place of worship in all the Americas. |
19 | St. Mary's Church | 38.5 m (126 ft) | Lübeck | Germany | Highest brick vault in the world. |
20 | Reims Cathedral | 37.95 m (124.5 ft) [13] | Reims | France | Holds the world record for statues: 2303 stone figurines are represented on it. |
21 | Cathedral of St. John the Divine | 37.7 m (124 ft) [18] | New York City | United States | |
22 | Cathedral of La Plata | 37.5 m (123 ft) | La Plata | Argentina | |
22 | Nantes Cathedral | 37.5 m (123 ft) | Nantes | France | |
25 | Bourges Cathedral | 37 m (121 ft) [13] | Bourges | France | |
25 | Chartres Cathedral | 37 m (121 ft) 36.55 m (119.9 ft) [13] |
Chartres | France | |
25 | Basilica of St. Thérèse | 37 m (121 ft) | Lisieux | France | |
25 | St. Nicholas | 37 m (121 ft) | Wismar | Germany | |
25 | Cathedral of Christ the Saviour | 37 m (121 ft) [19] | Moscow | Russia | |
30 | Liverpool Cathedral | 36.54 m (119.9 ft) | Liverpool | United Kingdom | |
31 | Tournai Cathedral | 36 m (118 ft) | Tournai | Belgium | Highest nave in the Low Countries |
32 | New Cathedral | 35.4 m (116 ft) | Salamanca | Spain | |
33 | Notre Dame | 35 m (115 ft)
[20] 34 m (112 ft) [21] [22] |
Paris | France | |
33 | Málaga Cathedral | 35 m (115 ft) | Málaga | Spain | |
33 | St. George church | 35 m (115 ft) | Wismar | Germany | |
36 | Granada Cathedral | 34.5 m (113 ft) [23] | Granada | Spain | |
37 | Basilica of Saint-Quentin | 34 m (112 ft) | Saint-Quentin | France | |
37 | Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe | 34 m (112 ft) [24] | Zamora de Hidalgo | Mexico | Tallest Neo-Gothic church in Mexico, 106 m. Still under construction. Known as the "Incomplete Cathedral" ("La Catedral Inconclusa"). |
37 | Girona Cathedral | 34 m (112 ft) | Girona | Spain | Widest Gothic nave in the world, 22.98 m, and lower ratio high/wide[ clarification needed] in Gothic architecture |
37 | Church of Our Lady of the Snows | 34 m (112 ft) [25] | Prague | Czech Republic | 39 m (128 ft) high nave destroyed during Hussite Wars |
41 | Chiesa di San Nicolò | 33.35 m (109.4 ft) [26] | Treviso | Italy | |
42 | Le Mans Cathedral | 33 m (108 ft) | Le Mans | France | |
42 | Segovia Cathedral | 33 m (108 ft) [27] | Segovia | Spain | |
42 | St. Vitus Cathedral | 33 m (108 ft) [28] | Prague | Czech Republic | |
42 | Speyer Cathedral | 33 m (108 ft) | Speyer | Germany | Highest romanesque vault |
46 | St. Mary's church | 32.95 m (108.1 ft) | Stralsund | Germany | World's highest building from 1625 to 1647 (151 m). Today 104 m. |
47 | St. Mary's Church | 32.5 m (107 ft) | Stargard Szczeciński | Poland | Second highest nave in Poland |
47 | Batalha Monastery | 32.5 m (107 ft) [29] | Batalha | Portugal | |
49 | Aachen Cathedral | 32 m (105 ft) | Aachen | Germany | Height of the gothic choir. |
49 | Bayeux cathedral | 32 m
(105 ft) |
Bayeux | ||
49 | Strasbourg Cathedral | 32 m (105 ft) | Strasbourg | France | |
49 | Ely Cathedral | 32 m (105 ft) | Ely | United Kingdom | |
49 | Glasgow Cathedral | 32 m (105 ft) | Glasgow | United Kingdom | |
49 | Magdeburg Cathedral | 32 m (105 ft) | Magdeburg | Germany | |
49 | Santa Maria del Mar | 32 m (105 ft) | Barcelona | Spain | Greatest separation between pillars in Gothic architecture (15 m) |
49 | Engelbrekt Church | 32 m (105 ft) | Stockholm | Sweden | Highest nave in Scandinavia |
56 | Regensburg Cathedral | 31.85 m (104.5 ft) [30] | Regensburg | Germany | |
57 | Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels | 31.7 m (104 ft) | Los Angeles | United States | |
58 | St. Martin's Cathedral | 31.5 m (103 ft) | Utrecht | Netherlands | The nave collapsed during a storm in 1674. |
58 | St. Mary's Church | 31.5 m (103 ft) | Rostock | Germany | |
60 | St Bavo's Cathedral | 31.1 m (102 ft) [31] | Ghent | Belgium | |
61 | Westminster Abbey | 31 m (102 ft) [32] | London | United Kingdom | |
61 | Munich Frauenkirche | 31 m (102 ft) | Munich | Germany | |
61 | York Minster | 31 m (102 ft) | York | United Kingdom | |
61 | St. Olaf's Church | 31 m (102 ft) [33] | Tallinn | Estonia | |
61 | Washington National Cathedral | 31 m (102 ft) | Washington, D.C. | United States | |
66 | Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception | 30.5 m (100 ft) | Washington, D.C. | United States | |
67 | Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran | 30 m (98 ft) | Rome | Italy | |
67 | Pavia Cathedral | 30 m (98 ft) | Pavia | Italy | |
67 | St. Peter's Church | 30 m (98 ft) | Riga | Latvia | |
69 | Saint Thomas Church | 29 m (95 ft) | New York City | New York | |
69 | St. John's Cathedral | 29 m (95 ft) | 's-Hertogenbosch | Netherlands | |
71 | St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna | 28 m (92 ft) | Vienna | Austria | Height mentioned on the German Wikipedia article without source. |
71 | St Paul's Cathedral | 28 m (92 ft) | London | United Kingdom | |
71 | Alexander Nevsky Cathedral | 28 m (92 ft) [34] of the central nave | Sofia | Bulgaria | |
71 | Church of the Assumption of Our Lady and Saint John the Baptist | 28 m (92 ft) [35] | Kutná Hora | Czech Republic | |
71 | Cathedral of Our Lady (Antwerp) | 28 m (92 ft) [36] | Antwerp | Belgium | |
71 | St. Rumbold's Cathedral | 28 m (92 ft) | Mechelen | Belgium | Height mentioned on the Dutch Wikipedia article without source. |
71 | Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia | 28 m (92 ft) [37] | Barcelona | Spain | |
78 | Grace Cathedral | 27.7 m (91 ft) [38] | San Francisco | United States | |
79 | Lancing College Chapel | 27.4 m (90 ft) [39] | Lancing | United Kingdom | |
80 | Uppsala Cathedral | 27 m (89 ft) [40] | Uppsala | Sweden | |
81 | Salisbury Cathedral | 25.5 m (84 ft) [41] | Salisbury | United Kingdom | |
82 | Lincoln Cathedral | 25 m (82 ft) [42] | Lincoln | United Kingdom | A central spire from after 1311 until 1548 had a reputed height of 160 m (520 ft), which would have made the cathedral the tallest structure in the world during the spire's existence. |
83 | Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist | 24.3 m (80 ft) | Spokane | United States | |
84 | Canterbury Cathedral | 24 m (79 ft) | Canterbury | United Kingdom | Nave is 80 feet (24 metres) with a crossing height of 92 feet (28 metres), and a tower 169 feet (52 metres) tall |
85 | Grundtvigskirken | 22 m (72 ft) | Copenhagen | Denmark | |
86 | All Saints Cathedral | 19.5 m (64 ft) | Halifax | Canada |
Note: The lower part of the list probably has many missing cathedrals. For example, St Patrick's Cathedral Melbourne – 24.3 metres
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title missing][
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