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List of highest church naves

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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.



Note: Due to lack of documented verification, the lower part of the list is incomplete and probably has missing cathedrals.

List of highest church naves
# Cathedral/Church Nave height City Country Denomination Notes Image
1 Beauvais Cathedral 47 m (154 ft)[3] Beauvais France Catholic 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 Catholic
3= Florence Cathedral 45 m (148 ft) Florence Italy Catholic
3= Milan Cathedral 45 m (148 ft) Milan Italy Catholic
3= Sagrada Família 45 m (148 ft)[6] Barcelona Spain Catholic Still under construction. Vaults of the crossing and the apse reach 60 and 75 metres respectively.
3= Santa Chiara ~45 m (148 ft)[a]
~33.5 m (110 ft)[b][7]		 Naples Italy Catholic
7 San Petronio Basilica 44.24 m (145.1 ft)[8] Bologna Italy Catholic
8 Palma Cathedral 44 m (144 ft)[9][10] Palma Spain Catholic Pillars sustaining vaults are the narrowest in the world; measuring 1⁄12 of vault width (at the Reims Cathedral, pillars are 1⁄6 of vault width).
8 People's Salvation Cathedral 44 m (144 ft)[11] Bucharest Romania Eastern Orthodox (Romanian Orthodox) Tallest and largest (by volume) Eastern Orthodox church building in the world.
10 Cologne Cathedral 43.35 m (142.2 ft)[12] Cologne Germany Catholic Highest height to width ratio of any nave.
11 Amiens Cathedral 42.3 m (139 ft)[13] Amiens France Catholic
12 Málaga Cathedral 41.79 m (137.1 ft)[14] Málaga Spain Catholic All three naves reach the same height, the highest among the Andalusian cathedrals.
13 Metz Cathedral 41.41 m (135.9 ft)[15] Metz France Catholic
14 St Bartholomew's Church 41.15 m (135.0 ft)[16] Brighton United Kingdom Anglican (Church of England)
15= Ulm Münster 41 m (135 ft)[17] Ulm Germany Protestant (Evangelical Church in Germany)
15= Narbonne Cathedral 41 m (135 ft)
40.1 m (132 ft)[18]		 Narbonne France Catholic Only the great choir of this French Gothic church is completely built.
17 Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady Aparecida 40 m (130 ft)[19] Aparecida Brazil Catholic
18 St. Mary's Church 38.5 m (126 ft) Lübeck Germany Protestant (Lutheran) Highest brick vault in the world.
19 Reims Cathedral 37.95 m (124.5 ft)[13] Reims France Catholic Holds the world record for statues: 2303 stone figurines are represented on it.
20 Cathedral of St. John the Divine 37.7 m (124 ft)[20] New York City United States Anglican (Episcopal Church)
21= Cathedral of La Plata 37.5 m (123 ft) La Plata Argentina Catholic
21= Nantes Cathedral 37.5 m (123 ft) Nantes France Catholic
23= Bourges Cathedral 37 m (121 ft)[13] Bourges France Catholic
23= Chartres Cathedral 37 m (121 ft)
36.55 m (119.9 ft)[13]		 Chartres France Catholic
23= Basilica of St. Thérèse 37 m (121 ft) Lisieux France Catholic
23= St. Nicholas 37 m (121 ft) Wismar Germany Protestant (Lutheran)
23= Cathedral of Christ the Saviour 37 m (121 ft)[21] Moscow Russia Eastern Orthodox (Russian Orthodox)
28 Liverpool Cathedral 36.54 m (119.9 ft) Liverpool United Kingdom Anglican (Church of England)
29= Seville Cathedral 36 m (118 ft)[22] Seville Spain Catholic Largest medieval Gothic church. The vaults at the crossing reach 40 m.
29= Tournai Cathedral 36 m (118 ft) Tournai Belgium Catholic Highest nave in the Low Countries
31 New Cathedral 35.4 m (116 ft) Salamanca Spain Catholic
32= Notre Dame 35 m (115 ft)[23]
34 m (112 ft)[24][25]		 Paris France Catholic
32= St. George's Church 35 m (115 ft) Wismar Germany Protestant (Lutheran)
34 Granada Cathedral 34.5 m (113 ft)[26] Granada Spain Catholic
35= Basilica of Saint-Quentin 34 m (112 ft) Saint-Quentin France Catholic
35= Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe 34 m (112 ft)[27] Zamora de Hidalgo Mexico Catholic Still under construction (work began in 1898). Known as the "Incomplete Cathedral" ("La Catedral Inconclusa").
35= Girona Cathedral 34 m (112 ft) Girona Spain Catholic Widest Gothic nave in the world, 22.98 m, and lower ratio high/wide[clarification needed] in Gothic architecture
35= Church of Our Lady of the Snows 34 m (112 ft)[28] Prague Czech Republic Catholic 39 m (128 ft) high nave destroyed during Hussite Wars
39 Chiesa di San Nicolò 33.35 m (109.4 ft)[29] Treviso Italy Catholic
40= Le Mans Cathedral 33 m (108 ft) Le Mans France Catholic
40= Segovia Cathedral 33 m (108 ft)[30] Segovia Spain Catholic
40= St. Vitus Cathedral 33 m (108 ft)[31] Prague Czech Republic Catholic
40= Speyer Cathedral 33 m (108 ft) Speyer Germany Catholic Highest Romanesque vault
40= St. Mary's Church 32.95 m (108.1 ft) Stralsund Germany Protestant (Lutheran) World's highest building from 1625 to 1647 (151 m). Today 104 m.
45= St. Mary's Church 32.5 m (107 ft) Stargard Szczeciński Poland Catholic
45= Batalha Monastery 32.5 m (107 ft)[32] Batalha Portugal Catholic
47= Aachen Cathedral 32 m (105 ft) Aachen Germany Catholic Height of the gothic choir.
47= Bayeux Cathedral 32 m (105 ft) Bayeux France Catholic
47= Strasbourg Cathedral 32 m (105 ft) Strasbourg France Catholic
50= Ely Cathedral 32 m (105 ft) Ely United Kingdom Anglican (Church of England)
50 Glasgow Cathedral 32 m (105 ft) Glasgow United Kingdom Protestant (Church of Scotland)
50= Magdeburg Cathedral 32 m (105 ft) Magdeburg Germany Protestant (Lutheran)
50= Santa Maria del Mar 32 m (105 ft) Barcelona Spain Catholic Greatest separation between pillars in Gothic architecture (15 m)
50= Engelbrekt Church 32 m (105 ft) Stockholm Sweden Protestant (Lutheran)
55 Regensburg Cathedral 31.85 m (104.5 ft)[33] Regensburg Germany Catholic
56 Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels 31.7 m (104 ft) Los Angeles United States Catholic
57= St. Martin's Cathedral 31.5 m (103 ft) Utrecht Netherlands Protestant (Protestant Church in the Netherlands) Ruin. The nave collapsed during a storm in 1674.
57= St. Mary's Church 31.5 m (103 ft) Rostock Germany Protestant (Lutheran)
59= St Bavo's Cathedral 31.1 m (102 ft)[34] Ghent Belgium Catholic
59= Westminster Abbey 31 m (102 ft)[35] London United Kingdom Anglican (Church of England)
59= Munich Frauenkirche 31 m (102 ft) Munich Germany Catholic
59= York Minster 31 m (102 ft) York United Kingdom Anglican (Church of England)
59= St. Olaf's Church 31 m (102 ft)[36] Tallinn Estonia Protestant (Baptist)
59= Washington National Cathedral 31 m (102 ft) Washington, D.C. United States Anglican (Episcopal Church)
65= Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception 30.5 m (100 ft) Washington, D.C. United States Catholic
65= Riverside Church 30.5 m (100 ft)[37] New York City United States N/A (Interdenominational)
67= Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran 30 m (98 ft) Rome Italy Catholic
67= Pavia Cathedral 30 m (98 ft) Pavia Italy Catholic
67= St. Peter's Church 30 m (98 ft) Riga Latvia Protestant (Lutheran)
70= St. Bavo Church 29 m (95 ft) Haarlem Netherlands Protestant (Protestant Church in the Netherlands) The nave is covered by a 16th-century wooden net vault.
70= Saint Thomas Church 29 m (95 ft) New York City United States Anglican (Episcopal Church)
70 St. John's Cathedral 29 m (95 ft) 's-Hertogenbosch Netherlands Catholic
73= St. Catherine's Church 28 m (92 ft) Brielle Netherlands Protestant (Protestant Church in the Netherlands)
73= St Paul's Cathedral 28 m (92 ft) London United Kingdom Anglican (Church of England)
73= Alexander Nevsky Cathedral 28 m (92 ft)[38] Sofia Bulgaria Eastern Orthodox (Bulgarian Orthodox)
73= Church of the Assumption of Our Lady and Saint John the Baptist 28 m (92 ft)[39] Kutná Hora Czech Republic Catholic
73= Cathedral of Our Lady (Antwerp) 28 m (92 ft)[40] Antwerp Belgium Catholic
73= Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia 28 m (92 ft)[41] Barcelona Spain Catholic
79 Grace Cathedral 27.7 m (91 ft)[42] San Francisco United States Anglican (Episcopal Church)
80 Lancing College Chapel 27.4 m (90 ft)[43] Lancing United Kingdom Anglican (Church of England)
81= Upper Church 27 m (89 ft) Kampen Netherlands Protestant (Protestant Church in the Netherlands)
81= Uppsala Cathedral 27 m (89 ft)[44] Uppsala Sweden Protestant (Lutheran)
83 Der Aa Church 26 m (85 ft) Groningen Netherlands N/A No longer operating as a church.
84 Salisbury Cathedral 25.5 m (84 ft)[45] Salisbury United Kingdom Anglican (Church of England)
85= De Krijtberg 25 m (82 ft) Amsterdam Netherlands Catholic
85= Lincoln Cathedral 25 m (82 ft)[46] Lincoln United Kingdom Anglican (Church of England)
87 Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist 24.3 m (80 ft) Spokane United States Anglican (Episcopal Church)
88= Church of Our Lady 24 m (79 ft) Dordrecht Netherlands Protestant (Protestant Church in the Netherlands)
88= Canterbury Cathedral 24 m (79 ft) Canterbury United Kingdom Anglican (Church of England) Nave with a crossing height of 92 feet (28 metres)
88= Turku Cathedral 24 m

(79 ft)

 Turku Finland Protestant (Lutheran)
91 East Liberty Presbyterian Church 22.86 m (75 ft)[47] Pittsburgh United States Protestant (Presbyterian)
92 All Saints Cathedral 19.5 m (64 ft) Halifax Canada Anglican (Anglican Church of Canada)

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
a.^ Height to the top of the roof.
b.^ Height up to the base of the roof trusses.

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica, s.v. "nave".
  2. ↑ Nave (definition from Answers.com. Accessed 2010-01.20.)
  3. ↑ "Architecture". MSN Encarta. Archived from the original on 2009-10-29.
  4. ↑ "The Basilica of St. Peter". Argiletum Tour. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  5. ↑ "The Nave". St. Peter's Basilica. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  6. ↑ "Informe Del Comité Español Del Consejo Internacional De Monumentos Y Sitios (ICOMOS) Sobre El Posible Impacto Del Tren De Alta Velocidad (AVE) En El Templo Expiatorio De La Sagrada Familia De Barcelona" (PDF). International Council on Monuments and Sites. 1 February 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2007.
  7. ↑ Bruzelius, Caroline; Giordano, Andrea; Basso, Andrea; Castagna, Elisa; Giles, Lucas; Repola, Leopoldo; De Feo, Emanuela (2018). "L'eco delle pietre: history, modeling, and GPR as tools in reconstructing the choir screen at Sta. Chiara in Naples". Archeologia e Calcolatori. Supplementi. 10 (Progetti digitali per la storia dell’arte medievale - Digital Projects in Medieval Art History): 81–103. doi:10.19282/acs.10.2018.06. ISSN 2385-202X.
  8. ↑ "Basilica di San Petronio: La Fabbriceria" (in Italian). Basilica di San Petronio [official website]. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  9. ↑ "Restoration of the Cathedral of Palma de Majorca". Gaudi & Barcelona Club. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  10. ↑ Roca, P.; Gonzalez, J. L. "Morphology, Structure and History – The Case of the Upper Flying Arches of Mallorca Cathedral" (PDF). Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 January 2004.
  11. ↑ "INTERVIU: "Se vor face multe teze de doctorat" despre construcția Catedralei Mântuirii Neamului". www.digi24.ro (in Romanian). 7 October 2016. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  12. ↑ "Measures and dates" Archived 2017-11-08 at the Wayback Machine. Der Kölner Dom. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Der Geschichtliche Weg Der grossen Kathedralen Frankreichs, France Monuments.
  14. ↑ Casas, Narciso (2013). Historia y Arte en las Catedrales de España (in Spanish). p. 110. ISBN 9788468632018.
  15. ↑ "The cathedral in figures - cathedrale de metz"
  16. ↑ "St Bartholomews Church". Visit Brighton. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  17. ↑ "St. Mary's Lutheran Cathedral". Université du Québec. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  18. ↑ "Narbonne". Université du Québec. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  19. ↑ "63 years since the construction of the National Shrine of Aparecida". a12.com - The official website of the Cathedral Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady Aparecida (in Portuguese). Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  20. ↑ "Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine". New York Architecture. Archived from the original on May 11, 2004. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
  21. ↑ "The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour" Archived 2009-03-25 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  22. ↑ "Seville Cathedral". Spain (official tourism portal). Retrieved 01 March 2025.
  23. ↑ "Façade - Notre Dame Cathedral". Buffalo Architecture and History. Archived from the original on 22 March 2007.
  24. ↑ "Notre Dame en long et en large chiffres et anecdotes". Notre Dame de Paris. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  25. ↑ "Notre-Dame de Paris, Paris – Interior". Planetware. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  26. ↑ "Catedral de Granada [homepage]"
  27. ↑ "El proyecto". Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  28. ↑ "Church of Our Lady of the Snows". Prague Welcome. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  29. ↑ "Architettura del Tempio". www.sannicolotreviso.it (in Italian). 30 June 2016. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  30. ↑ "Social events"[dead link]. CLIP Lab. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  31. ↑ "Stavba". Katedrála sv. Víta. Archived from the original on 25 May 2007.
  32. ↑ "Ely Cathedral - Facts and Figures".
  33. ↑ Hubel, Achim (2010). Regensburg: St Peter's Cathedral. Schnell, Art Guide (4th ed.). Regensburg: Schnell & Steiner. p. 12. ISBN 978-3-7954-6162-1.
  34. ↑ "OKV: De Sint-Baafskathedraal gent. Monument en heiligdom.". Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  35. ↑ "Jewels of the Architecture: London". Europanas. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  36. ↑ St. Olaf's Church, Tallinn
  37. ↑ Historic Structures Report: Riverside Church (PDF) (Report). National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service. December 21, 2012. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 24, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  38. ↑ "Architecture".
  39. ↑ "Santini". Česká televize. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  40. ↑ "De Kathedraal - Facts and Figures". dekathedraal.be. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  41. ↑ "Dimensions".
  42. ↑ "Architecture".
  43. ↑ "Nimbus Hosting".
  44. ↑ "Hur hög och hur lång?" Deprecated link archived 2014-07-23 at archive.today. Linköpings domkyrkoförsamling. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  45. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions" Archived 2013-10-05 at the Wayback Machine. Salisbury Cathedral. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  46. ↑ "Plan and Description of Lincoln Cathedral from an Anonymous guide booklet printed near the end of the Nineteenth Century" Archived 2012-07-22 at the Wayback Machine. The Bourne Archive. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  47. ↑ Historic Landmark Plaques 1968-2009 (PDF). Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
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