Cathedral

( To Greek καθέδρα cathedra " seat " and καθεδρικός kathedrikos " Chair " in Latin ecclesia cathedralis " church of the bishopric "), even episcopal church or Mother Church called a cathedral or cathedral church is a church that seat (Latin cathedra ) of a bishop, and thus the center a diocese is. The main church of an ecclesiastical province ( Metropolia ) is also called the Metropolitan Church.

The name is in the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Old Catholic Church an ecclesiastical title. In the Protestant church, the highest-ranking churches are called main church, they are usually the seat of a bishop or country equivalent. Occasionally, even in Protestantism episcopal church, and names, which go back to pre-Reformation dioceses in use.

In the list of lists of the Cathedrals Cathedrals are listed sorted by continent.

• 4.1 Co-Cathedral
• 4.2 Prokathedrale

• 5.1 History of Art importance
• 5.2 Typical designs
• 5.3 Late improvements
• 5.4 Small and large

Etymology

The term cathedral ( ecclesia cathedralis ) first appears in 516 at the Council of Tarragona, which does not belong, however, to the series of ecumenical councils. In addition, they called episcopal churches also ecclesia maior " big church ", which today corresponds in some languages, the German Cathedral.

Similar terms

Especially in the German and Italian -speaking cathedrals are also called cathedral or Münster, are designated by the generally significant churches. Examples include Cologne Cathedral, Cathedral of Milan, Freiburger Münster and Strasbourg Cathedral. However, not all cathedrals and minsters are also episcopal sees: the Gothic cathedral and St. Peter's Basilica itself are no cathedrals.

Metropolitan Church

In the Orthodox Church of Greece, carry their head and most important bishops at the same time the title of Metropolitan, there is the name Mitropolitikós Naos ( Μητροπολιτικός Ναός ), Metropolitan Church, actually, Metropolitan Temple.

Special cathedrals

The highest-ranking church of the Roman Catholic Church is the Lateran Basilica, the Cathedral of the Diocese of Rome. She is the oldest of the Basilicae maiores and bears the honorary title " mother and head of all churches of the earth ." Your Dedication is celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church as hard with the rank of Mr. festival.

The cathedrals of the Catholic patriarch Patriarchal Basilica hot.

Cathedrals and episcopal

The relocation of episcopal sees, or the cancellation of dioceses by the Reformation cathedrals or secularization may lose her title.

Concathedral

In the Roman Catholic Church, a former Episcopal Church after the installation of a bishop's seat or the merger of two dioceses is sometimes continued as a second cathedral of the diocese and is called co-cathedral or co- cathedral. The Archdiocese of Munich and Freising cathedral is still under its old name Frauenkirche is known as the original bishopric of Freising Cathedral, is now co-cathedral. The co-cathedral of the Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem is referred to as such because the diocese is managed orthodox.

More Konkathedralen are:

• Dom St. Petri ( Bautzen ) in Saxony ( Germany )
• Cathedral of St. Eberhard (Stuttgart), Co-Cathedral of the Diocese of Rottenburg -Stuttgart
• Co-Cathedral of St. Nicholas, Prešov
• Concathedral Lord's Transfiguration ( Varnsdorf )
• Co-Cathedral of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, Jerusalem
• Co-Cathedral in memory of the Seven Sorrows of Mary, Poprad, Slovakia
• Assumption ( Bolzano ), Co-Cathedral of the Diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone
• St. Mary's Church (Danzig)
• St. John 's Co-Cathedral, Malta in Valletta

Prokathedrale

Provisionally or temporarily established episcopal churches are called Prokathedrale and retain this designation in most cases, after the bishop's seat was moved again. Especially for newly constructed dioceses it is possible that another church temporarily acts to completion of a planned cathedral bishop 's seat.

Kathedralbau

Art -historical importance

Hans Jantzen described the cathedral as "carriers of the leading ideas of Western architecture ". In the Catholic Church and many Orthodox communities have been or episcopal churches are designed especially large and complex. The artistic and structural climax learned the cathedrals in the Gothic, particularly in France.

The art-historical definition Adolf Adams, " under the main cathedrals churches of the Gothic architectural style " is understood, is consistent with the Church's consistent insofar as episcopal churches were basically the largest and most important, in the Gothic period but learned the most attention. In early medieval times monasteries and their churches were just as important. After the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, the focus of the church (s) focused more on the pastoral care and so on parish churches and sanctuaries.

The most famous gothic cathedral in Germany, the Cologne Cathedral.

Typical designs

In the sphere of influence of the French Kathedralbaus have since the late Romanesque cathedrals similarities in design and equipment. Typical is a large choir in the east, which was reserved to the clergy and is separated by a transept from the rest of the nave. Thus the Church has a total of a cross-shaped floor plan. The nave is designed as mehrschiffige Basilica, where the nave is taller and wider than the aisles. The west facade is dominated by two towers. Another tower is often located on the intersection of the nave and transept, called the crossing. In the Gothic period was on this crossing tower often omitted, while the west towers were built higher and higher.

At lower French influence also single-tower dome were built ( Baltic Sea ). In Italy, with its predominantly independent architectural tradition outweigh towerless west facades. In general, only single Gothic style elements have been adopted in most Italian churches.

After the end of the Gothic cathedrals have built over the crossing often a dome like in Florence, Rome ( St. Peter's ), Salzburg and London ( St Paul's Cathedral ). Domes on parish churches are outside the Orthodox denominations, however, rare. Many places additional pompous altars built-in - In the Baroque period were - as with other churches.

Adopted Draft of 1675

Actually exported Cathedral

St. Paul 's Cathedral from the southeast

Late improvements

Quite a few cathedrals, such as the Cologne Cathedral, the Milan Cathedral, the St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague and the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, remained after the end of the Gothic period are incomplete and were not completed until the 19th century.

Small and large

• Built around the year 800 Crkva svetoga Križa (Holy Cross Church ) in Nin, Croatia, is dubbed "the smallest cathedral in the world ," although it probably never was a bishop 's seat.

• The Great Mosque of Córdoba is with a floor area of 23,000 m² the world's largest cathedral.

Churches as a social meeting place

A cathedral or church of the Middle Ages was as a social meeting place for the center of the village or urban life in which bundled a variety of political, social and spiritual functions. Until the advent of the Town Halls in the 13th century, the church central assembly, consulting and place of election for the institutions of the civil parish was as legal transactions were settled there. The nave of a cathedral was a religious and social meeting point of the city. The church was occasionally used as a merchandise store, barn, guest house, whores fail, market, fortress and refuge for the population. Were performed in the church, the popular mystery plays, which had developed from the repeated readings annually the fair.