Until the advent of the skyscraper, Christian churches were some of the tallest buildings in the world. From 1311, when the spire of Lincoln Cathedral surpassed the height of the Great Pyramid of Giza, until 1884, a succession of churches held the title of world's tallest building.
Even today, churches are still some of the most dominant buildings on the landscape. The following list shows the tallest churches (including the spire) in the modern world.
Rank |
Name |
Location |
Completed |
Height (m) |
Height (ft) |
1 |
Ulm, Germany |
1890 |
161.5 |
530 |
|
2 |
Our Lady of Peace Basilica |
Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire |
1989 |
158 |
518 |
3 |
Cologne (Köln), Germany |
1880 |
157.4 |
516 |
|
4 |
Rouen, France |
1876 |
151 |
495 |
|
5 |
St. Nikolai Church |
Hamburg, Germany |
1847 |
147.3 |
483 |
6 |
Strasbourg, France |
1439 |
144 |
472 |
|
7 |
Vienna, Austria |
1570 |
137 |
449 |
|
8 |
Neuer Dom |
Linz, Austria |
1924 |
134.1 |
440 |
9 |
St. Petri Church |
Hamburg, Germany |
1878 |
132.8 |
436 |
10 |
Vatican City |
1626 |
132.5 |
435 |
Other Tall Buildings
For comparison, here are some of the tallest non-church buildings in the modern world:
Name |
Location |
Completed |
Height (m) |
Height (ft) |
Sears Tower |
Chicago, USA |
529 |
1736 |
|
Petronas Twin Towers |
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
452 |
1486 |
|
Empire State Building |
New York City, USA |
449 |
1472 |
|
Hassan II Mosque |
Casablanca, Morocco |
210 |
689 |
|
Giza, Egypt |
c.2580 BC |
139 |
455 |
