1. Canterbury Cathedral
   Cathedral of the Queen of Poland
2. Cathedral of the Protection of the Mother of God
   Cathedral of Oviedo

English poet Geoffrey Chaucer recorded religious pilgrimages to Canterbury in "The Canterbury Tales." Canterbury Cathedral is the mother church of the Anglican denomination. In 597, Pope Gregory the Great sent Augustine to convert England's pagan populace.

1. Graz Cathedral
   Beauvais Cathedral
2. Westminster Abbey
   Porvoo Cathedral

Henry VIII severed ties with the Roman Catholic Church and instituted the Anglican order. Westminster Abbey, however, is not associated with a particular ecclesiastical order. In 1222, Westminster Abbey was made a non-jurisdictional papal peculiar.

1. Transfiguration Cathedral
   Cathedral of Granada
2. Notre Dame de Chartres
   Lund Cathedral

Notre Dame de Chartres was mostly constructed between 1194 and 1260. Nine master stonemasons rebuilt an earlier church that had been destroyed by fire. Of the three great cathedrals in France, Notre Dame de Chartres has the widest nave, measuring 53 feet from pillar to pillar.

1. Notre Dame de Paris
   Uspenski Cathedral
2. St. Andrew's Cathedral
   Terrassa Cathedral

The Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral​ in Paris was badly bruised during the French Wars of Religion and the French Revolution. An array of stonemasons and artists refurbished the historic church, which then survived an April 2019 fire that destroyed the building's roof and spire.

1. Montalcino Cathedral
   Lincoln Cathedral
2. Turku Cathedral
   Cathedral of Tudela

After an earthquake destroyed the original Lincoln Cathedral, Bishop Hugh started rebuilding it in 1192. The bishop is memorialized at Lincoln Cathedral by name; the oldest area of the building is called St. Hugh's Choir.

1. Cathedral of Leon
   Saint Wenceslas Cathedral
2. St. John Cathedral
   Winchester Cathedral

Philip of Spain married Queen Mary I at Winchester Cathedral in 1554. The English civil engineer responsible for the subway system in London, Francis Fox, rescued the damaged cathedral from severe flooding.

1. Karlstad Cathedral
   Sacred Heart Cathedral
2. St. Nicholas Cathedral
   Cologne Cathedral

Also known as the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Mary, Cologne Cathedral is a 770-year cultural beacon for the west German city's 1.1 million residents. The cathedral has twin spires that ascend 515 feet high.

1. Wiener Neustadt Cathedral
   Molfetta Cathedral
2. Cathedral of St. Mary Magdalene
   St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul's Cathedral has stood at that same address since 604 A.D; the Great Fire of London destroyed the first version. The current building was completed in 1710. Scientist and architect Christopher Wren announced plans for remodeling the destroyed building on August 5, 1666.

1. Calvi Cathedral
   Tui Cathedral
2. Saint Basil's Cathedral
   Vaxjo Cathedral

Moscow's Saint Basil's Cathedral sits in Moscow's Red Square and is comprised of nine separate churches. The cathedral's official name is "Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat." The Russian landmark also goes by the name "Pokrovsky Cathedral."

1. Notre Dame d'Amiens
   Monopoli Cathedral
2. Assumption Cathedral
   Cathedral of La Laguna

The stone sculptures on the Western portals of Notre Dame d'Amiens are the building's main draw. The building is twice the size of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and is the largest cathedral in all of France.

1. Cahors Cathedral
   Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky
2. St. Stephen's Cathedral
   Cathedral of Ceuta

Construction of Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral began in 1147. A Gothic-styled nave was attached from 1304 to 1450. A Gothic tower and spire were completed​ in 1433. The starkly dissimilar architectural style of Hans Hollein's glassy and modern Haas House, situated next to the cathedral, continues to stir controversy.

1. Gurk Cathedral
   Aix Cathedral
2. Cathedral of the Mother of God
   Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral

"Duomo" is the nickname for the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy. Architect Filippo Brunelleschi designed the cathedral's large marble dome, which was set in 1434. To reach the dome, you need to climb 463 steps of the 500-foot-length cathedral.

1. Lulea Cathedral
   Salisbury Cathedral
2. Cathedral of St. Stephen
   Tampere Cathedral

It took 38 years for the Salisbury Cathedral to be completed. English landscape painters J.M.W. Turner and John Constable have illustrated the cathedral and its 404-foot spire, which is the tallest in the country.

1. Cathedral of Christ the King
   Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis
2. Cathedral of the Transfiguration
   Dornoch Cathedral

Like its residence city, Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis is named for the king of France, Louis IX, who is the patron saint of the worship center and the city. A log cabin, built in 1770, was the city's first Catholic church.

1. Liverpool Cathedral
   Cathedral Church of St. James
2. Acerno Cathedral
   Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral

A 22-year-old Giles Gilbert Scott commenced designs for Liverpool's neo-Gothic Anglican Cathedral in 1902. The First and Second World Wars curbed initial design schemes for the structure, which was completed in 1978. Scott also designed England's iconic red phone booths.

1. Santiago de Compostela Cathedral
   Brechin Cathedral
2. Terrassa Cathedral
   Abbey of St. Maurice

Along the historic pilgrimage route in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, cafes and churches stamp the passports of pilgrims to prove that they have traversed at least 62 miles of the course. With the required proof, travelers earn a certificate of completion at the end of the trek.

1. Uppsala Cathedral
   Reims Cathedral
2. St. Leon Cathedral
   Klagenfurt Cathedral

French monarchs Louis VII and Charles X were crowned at Reims Cathedral in 1223 and 1824, respectively. Religious visionary Joan of Arc's statue occupies the front of the Reims Cathedral. On July 17, 1429, she attended the coronation of Charles VII at the cathedral, after she helped liberate the city.

1. Sankt Polten Cathedral
   Cathedral of St. Joseph
2. Durham Cathedral
   St. Vladimir's Cathedral

The Romanesque Durham Cathedral of northeast England shares a landscape with a castle. Construction for the cathedral began in 1093 and took four decades to complete. The church contains the tomb of St. Cuthbert.

1. Duomo di Milano
   Belfort Cathedral
2. St. Augustine's Cathedral
   Holy Resurrection Cathedral

Construction of the Duomo di Milano began in 1386 and was completed in the 20th century. Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano is the organization that has supervised the cathedral's construction and upkeep since 1387.

1. York Minster
   Salzburg Cathedral
2. St. Michael's Cathedral
   Gothenburg Cathedral

After William the Conqueror seized the region of York, he immediately destroyed the church at the cathedral's present site. Norman religious authorities built the Gothic cathedral thereafter.

1. St. Mary's Cathedral
   Strasbourg Cathedral
2. Cathedral of the Holy Spirit
   Maribo Cathedral

Strasbourg Cathedral replaced an earlier building that was destroyed by fire in the 12th century. A 466-foot spire adorns the current cathedral, whose construction began in 1176 and was completed in 1439.

1. St. Boris Cathedral
   Kuopio Cathedral
2. Naples Cathedral
   St. Vitus Cathedral

Builders began working on St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague in 1344 but construction was not completed until 1929. Czech painter Alphonse Mucha designed an Art Nouveau-style window for the Gothic cathedral in the early 1900s.

1. Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral
   Sacred Heart Cathedral
2. St. Saviour's Cathedral
   Seckau Abbey

Located in Zocalo Square, the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral was built starting in 1573 and was completed in 1813. Spain's Gothic cathedrals served as inspiration for this national cathedral of Mexico.

1. St. Louis Cathedral
   St. Simeon Cathedral
2. Millport Cathedral
   Cathedral of Palencia

St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans was named after King Louis IX of France. Established in 1789, the building houses a statue of the French king and its stained glass windows contain images that illustrate his life.

1. Bodo Cathedral
   Cathedral Basilica of St. James the Apostle
2. Annunciation Cathedral
   Coventry Cathedral

Present-day Coventry Cathedral replaces a prior building destroyed during a Second World War bombing raid. King Henry VIII destroyed the city's first cathedral, St. Mary's, in 1539.

1. St. Peter's Cathedral
   Washington National Cathedral
2. Salzburg Cathedral
   Cathedral of St. Jude Thaddeus

President Theodore Roosevelt set the foundation stone of the Washington National Cathedral in 1907. Carved into the twin-towered ecclesiastical center are unusual gargoyles and grotesques, which are designed to keep rainwater from eroding the building. Assorted figurines, which act as rain spouts, include the likeness of unscrupulous politicians and Darth Vader of "Star Wars" fame.

1. Visby Cathedral
   Cathedral of the Holy Trinity
2. Cathedral of St. Peter
   Seville Cathedral

The 14th-century Seville Cathedral is comprised of numerous chapels, including Royal Chapel and five naves. The building showcases a statue of patron saint Virgin de los Reyes, Our Lady of the Kings. The building also houses one of several tombs for Christopher Columbus.

1. St. Canute's Cathedral
   Norwich Cathedral
2. Birmingham Cathedral
   Fidenza Cathedral

After the grounds of the Norwich Cathedral were damaged during a riot in 1272, new cloisters were started in 1297 and weren't completed until 130 years later. The cathedral's foundation was laid in 1096.

1. Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
   Cathedral of St. Catherine in Utrecht
2. Wells Cathedral
   Hamar Cathedral

The 14th-century Gothic Wells Cathedral is home to a 10th-century manuscript and an astronomical clock dating to the 16th century. The building's spire was dismantled in 1438 after it was struck by lightning.

1. Cathedral of Christ's Transfiguration
   Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
2. Basilica of Saint-Denis
   Cathedral of St. Joseph

For more than 1,000 years, France buried its kings at the Basilica of Saint-Denis, located in Saint-Denis, France. In the cathedral's basement, archaeologists have found foundation stones dating from the Middle Ages.

1. St. Bartholomew's Cathedral
   Haderslev Cathedral
2. Saint Olaf's Cathedral
   Christ Church Cathedral

Christ Church Cathedral has served as a learning center at Oxford since the 12th century. Christ Church is the biggest of the 40 halls and colleges that comprise Oxford University.

1. Cathedral of St. Philip
   Tromso Cathedral
2. Cathedral of the Resurrection and St. Thomas the Apostle
   Worcester Cathedral

Stonemasons replaced nearly 70 percent of Worcester Cathedral's facade between 1855 and 1870. The red sandstone cathedral is home to the remains of distinguished English notables, including King John.

1. Grace Cathedral
   Roskilde Cathedral
2. Derby Cathedral
   Frascati Cathedral

San Francisco's Grace Cathedral reflects architectural hints of medieval style. Every year, nearly half a million visitors witness the structure's stained-glass windows and high ceiling. Grace Cathedral is the third largest​ Episcopal cathedral in the United States.

1. St. Andrew's Cathedral
   Cathedral of Saint John the Divine
2. Cathedral of Girona
   Skara Cathedral

New York City's Saint John the Divine Cathedral is the world's fifth-largest church building. The structure's Portal of Paradise is the building's central entrance where you'll find its 3-ton bronze doors.

1. Albi Cathedral
   Cathedral of St. Joseph
2. Holy Rosary Cathedral
   St. Nicholas Cathedral

In the summer of 2010, Albi Cathedral, also known as Sainte-Cecile Cathedral of Albi, was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Gothic structure stands on a hill near Tarn River.

1. Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady Help of Christians
   St. Michael's Basilica
2. Southwell Minster
   Saint Wenceslas Cathedral

England's Southwell Minster stands in the town of Southwell, which has a population of approximately 7,500. The cathedral's design is a mix of Norman and Gothic architecture. Minster School is the town's largest building.

1. St. Olaf's Cathedral
   Gibraltar Cathedral
2. Southwark Cathedral
   Gerace Cathedral

The relatively small Southwark Cathedral is located on London's south side. Like St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminister Abbey, Southwark was first a Catholic church before King Henry VIII severed ties with Rome in 1536.

1. Sion Cathedral
   St. Alban's Cathedral
2. Cathedral of the Holy Cross
   Burgos Cathedral

The Gothic Burgos Cathedral of northern Spain is a Roman Catholic church that was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Fifteenth-century limestone carvings adorn the cathedral's retro-choir.

1. Sion Cathedral
   Sacred Heart Cathedral
2. Peterborough Cathedral
   St. Saviour's Cathedral

The 12th-century Peterborough Cathedral is an example of Norman architecture. The building includes an embellished nave ceiling that was completed in the mid-13th century. The elaborate ceiling is one of four of its kind throughout Europe.

1. Ely Cathedral
   St. Bartholomew's Cathedral
2. Laval Cathedral
   Cathedral of Solsona

Waterlogged marshland surrounds the sturdy medieval Ely Cathedral, which boasts a lantern tower that weighs 200 tons. Construction for the holy place began in 1110. Ely's octagonal crossing replaced the Norman crossing tower, which collapsed on February 22, 1322.