In all the Spanish and Latin American towns we will always come across the main square. The square is a meeting place for the neighbors and a place for the kids to play. And around the square we will find the town hall and the cathedral, right? It will be more difficult to come across a basilica, which is something like the godmother of the cathedral; the basilicas are not as numerous as the cathedrals, but they are greater in degree of importance. In OneHowTo we tell you what is the difference between a cathedral and a basilica so you have a better understanding of what both builds are about.
What is a basilica?
The basilica is a temple that enjoys great prestige, either for its antiquity, for the greatness and beauty of its construction and also for the religious celebrations that take place in it. In addition, it is a building that takes us back to the ancient Roman Empire (27th century BC to 476 AD), when meetings and open forums were held.
The basilica has a central nave surrounded by columns and is flanked by two lateral naves. With the passage of time and the consolidation of Christianity, the basilicas became the great sacred spaces that they represent today, of great historical and spiritual importance.
The term “Basilica”, according to Joan Corominas’ etymological dictionary, means’ remarkable church ‘. And the greatest proof of this exceptional character is St. Peter’s Basilica, the great architectural jewel of the Vatican State, whose construction was completed in 1626. This space, located in the heart of the Vatican City, houses the largest interior space of a Christian church in all the world. It is 193 meters long and 44.5 meters high; in total, its surface occupies 2.3 hectares. Saint Peter’s Basilica is one of the spaces most visited by Catholic believers.
There are major basilicas and minor basilicas. In different countries we can find the so-called minor basilicas, which are in total 1,500 throughout the world. On the other hand, the major basilicas are counted on the fingers of one hand, there are only four in the whole world: San Pedro, San Juan de Letrán, San Pablo Outside the Walls and Santa María la Mayor.
What is a cathedral?
The cathedral is the most important temple of a city or a town, in it is the bishop, the main priest of a Christian community. Cathedrals are spread all over the world and tend to stand out for their special beauty, in addition to being the seat of a diocese or Christian community. Examples of this are the Cathedral of Seville or the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, which once completed the Tower of Jesus will be the highest in the world: it will be 172.5 meters.
The construction of cathedral churches expanded hand in hand with Christianity from late antiquity (3rd century AD). Many were the architectural styles developed since then, often subject to the construction techniques of each place. With the passage of time the Byzantine, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque cathedrals gained relevance.
If we stop at the 20th century, perhaps one of the most acclaimed and admired cathedrals is, together with the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the Cathedral of Brasilia, by the architect Oscar Niemeyer. Its construction began in 1958 and ended in 1970, it consists of a 70 m circular base. in diameter, from which a total of 16 columns rise in a hyperboloid format, representing two hands that open towards the high sky.
So what is the difference between a basilica and a cathedral?
The difference between a basilica and a cathedral is a matter of rank or category: the basilica, due to its antiquity and magnificence, surpasses the cathedral, whose importance is associated with a city or community.
It is clear that the number of basilicas is less if we compare it with the number of cathedrals, a very difficult number to know given that there are as many as there are Christian towns throughout the world.
It is true that many of the main cathedrals in the world have nothing to envy the best known basilicas and a sample of this is the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, located in the heart of the capital of Galicia.
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