Famous Cathedrals and Churches

Explanation: Notre-Dame de Paris saw its roof and Viollet-le-Duc spire collapse in a fire that held Paris breathless for hours. The official reopening took place in December 2024, after a five-year reconstruction.

Explanation: The Sagrada Familia is Antoni Gaudí's obsession: he dedicated the last forty years of his life to it before being killed by a tram in 1926. The work was supposed to be completed in 2026 for the centenary of his death, but the pandemic pushed back the deadline.

Explanation: Cologne Cathedral was begun in the 13th century then abandoned for more than 300 years after the Reformation. Work resumed in the 19th century based on the medieval plans found intact in the archives. It remained the tallest building in the world for four years.

Explanation: Chartres has the largest collection of 12th and 13th century stained glass in the world. The famous "Chartres blue" remains a technical mystery: its exact composition has never been reproduced identically. The windows were dismantled and hidden during both world wars to protect them.

Explanation: Westminster Abbey has hosted the coronation of every British monarch since William the Conqueror, with two exceptions. It is also the burial place of 17 kings and queens, along with figures like Newton, Darwin and Stephen Hawking.

Explanation: Saint Basil's Cathedral was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century to celebrate the capture of Kazan. Legend has it that he had the architects' eyes gouged out so they could never build anything as beautiful elsewhere. Probably a late invention, but it fits the character.

Explanation: Saint Mark's displays a unique mix of Byzantine, Gothic and Islamic influences that reflects Venice's role as a crossroads. The original horses have actually been kept safely inside since 1981; the horses visible on the loggia are copies.

Explanation: Christopher Wren redesigned about fifty London churches after the Great Fire. His Saint Paul's openly draws on Saint Peter's in Rome but with a very English touch. His tomb lies in the crypt with this Latin epitaph: if you seek my monument, look around you.

Explanation: Reims crowned 33 kings of France, from Louis VIII in 1223 to Charles X in 1825. The tradition goes back to the baptism of Clovis by Saint Remigius around 496. Joan of Arc had Charles VII crowned there in 1429 during the Hundred Years' War, a major political move.

Explanation: Mont-Saint-Michel was founded in 708 after the archangel Michael allegedly appeared to Bishop Aubert of Avranches. The tidal range can reach 14 meters, the highest in continental Europe. Before 1879, you could only reach it at low tide, sometimes at the cost of your life.

Explanation: Justinian funded the building with a colossal budget and inaugurated it after only five years of work, which was staggering for the time. Tradition reports that upon entering the finished building, he exclaimed: "Solomon, I have surpassed you."

Explanation: Michelangelo took over the project at 71 after several predecessors including Bramante. He designed the dome but did not see it completed: it was finished by Giacomo della Porta after his death. Saint Peter's remains the largest Catholic church in the world.

Explanation: The work started in 1163 under Bishop Maurice de Sully, who wanted to replace an older cathedral considered too small. Construction would last nearly two centuries, until the mid-14th century. A project that far exceeded the life expectancy of a human at the time.

Explanation: The Vatican is the smallest sovereign state in the world at 44 hectares and around 800 inhabitants. It was created in 1929 by the Lateran Accords, which ended the "Roman Question." Before that, popes refused to leave the Vatican so as not to recognize unified Italy.

Explanation: Gothic appears in Île-de-France in the 12th century, at the basilica of Saint-Denis, before spreading throughout western Europe. The name "Gothic" is actually a jibe invented by the Italians of the Renaissance to criticize a style they found barbaric. The name stuck.