Mapped: 15 Largest Churches in the World by Interior Area (2025)

The world’s largest church isn’t in Rome — it’s in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast. The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace covers 30,000 m² of interior space, nearly double that of St. Peter’s Basilica. But if you measure by volume, status, or historical significance, the Vatican’s masterpiece still reigns supreme. Below, we rank the 15 largest churches in the world by interior area, map their locations, and explore the extraordinary stories behind each one.

From Renaissance masterpieces in Italy to Gothic cathedrals in France and Germany, these houses of worship represent some of humanity’s greatest architectural achievements — centuries of ambition, faith, and engineering condensed into stone, marble, and stained glass.

Map: Largest Churches in the World

Map showing the locations of the 15 largest churches in the world — The 15 largest churches in the world by interior area. Map: mappr.co

Key Takeaways

Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Ivory Coast (30,000 m²) is the largest church by interior area — it was modeled on St. Peter’s and built in just 3 years (1986–1989).
St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City (15,160 m²) is the most famous church in the world and the center of Roman Catholicism.
Europe claims 11 of the 15 largest churches, with Italy, England, Spain, Germany, and France all represented.
The oldest on the list is the Hagia Sophia (537 AD), originally a Byzantine cathedral, now a mosque in Istanbul.
Sagrada Família in Barcelona has been under construction since 1882 and is expected to be completed by 2026 — 144 years after breaking ground.

Complete Rankings: 15 Largest Churches

Rank	Church	Location	Interior Area (m²)	Built	Style
1	Basilica of Our Lady of Peace	🇨🇮 Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast	30,000	1989	Neoclassical
2	Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida	🇧🇷 Aparecida, Brazil	18,000	1980	Modern
3	St. Peter’s Basilica	🇻🇦 Vatican City	15,160	1626	Renaissance/Baroque
4	Milan Cathedral (Duomo)	🇮🇹 Milan, Italy	11,700	1965	Gothic
5	Seville Cathedral	🇪🇸 Seville, Spain	11,520	1528	Gothic
6	Cathedral of St. John the Divine	🇺🇸 New York City, USA	11,200	Ongoing	Romanesque/Gothic
7	Liverpool Cathedral	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Liverpool, England	9,687	1978	Gothic Revival
8	Florence Cathedral (Duomo)	🇮🇹 Florence, Italy	8,300	1436	Gothic/Renaissance
9	Cologne Cathedral	🇩🇪 Cologne, Germany	7,914	1880	Gothic
10	Basilica of the National Shrine	🇺🇸 Washington D.C., USA	7,710	1961	Byzantine/Romanesque
11	Chartres Cathedral	🇫🇷 Chartres, France	5,940	1220	Gothic
12	St. Paul’s Cathedral	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 London, England	5,513	1710	Baroque
13	Sagrada Família	🇪🇸 Barcelona, Spain	4,500	~2026	Art Nouveau/Gothic
14	Westminster Abbey	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 London, England	3,000	1269	Gothic
15	Hagia Sophia	🇹🇷 Istanbul, Turkey	7,570	537	Byzantine

1. Basilica of Our Lady of Peace 🇨🇮

The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast, is the largest church in the world with 30,000 m² of interior space. Built between 1986 and 1989 at a cost of $300 million by President Félix Houphouët-Boigny, it was modeled on St. Peter’s Basilica but deliberately designed to be larger.

The church can accommodate 18,000 people (7,000 seated) and features 7,431 m² of contemporary stained glass, including a panel depicting the president himself kneeling before Christ. Despite its enormous size, it is rarely filled — Yamoussoukro’s population is only about 360,000, and Ivory Coast is majority Muslim. Pope John Paul II consecrated the basilica in 1990, on the condition that a hospital be built nearby.

2. Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida 🇧🇷

The Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil covers 18,000 m² and can hold 45,000 worshippers. Located in the city of Aparecida in São Paulo state, it is the largest Marian shrine in the world and receives about 12 million pilgrims annually — making it the most visited Catholic church after St. Peter’s.

The modern basilica, completed in 1980 in a Greek cross plan, enshrines a small statue of the Virgin Mary found by fishermen in 1717. Our Lady of Aparecida is the patroness of Brazil, and the annual feast day (October 12) is a national holiday.

3. St. Peter’s Basilica 🇻🇦

St. Peter’s Basilica at 15,160 m² is the world’s most famous church and the spiritual center of Roman Catholicism. Located in Vatican City, it was designed by architects including Bramante, Michelangelo, Maderno, and Bernini, and completed in 1626 after 120 years of construction.

The basilica holds masterpieces including Michelangelo’s Pietà, Bernini’s Baldachin (the 29-meter-tall bronze canopy), and the dome that dominates the Roman skyline at 136 meters high. It stands on the traditional site of Saint Peter’s crucifixion and burial. Over 10 million people visit annually.

4–5. Milan Cathedral and Seville Cathedral

The Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano, 11,700 m²) in Milan, Italy, took nearly 600 years to complete and is the largest church in Italy and the third-largest in Europe. Its facade features 3,400 statues and 135 spires. Seville Cathedral (11,520 m²) in Seville, Spain, is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world and contains the tomb of Christopher Columbus. It was built on the site of a former Almohad mosque, and the Giralda bell tower was originally the mosque’s minaret.

6–10. Transatlantic Giants

The Cathedral of St. John the Divine (11,200 m²) in New York City has been under construction since 1892 and remains unfinished. Liverpool Cathedral (9,687 m²) is the largest Anglican church in the world. Florence Cathedral (8,300 m²) is crowned by Brunelleschi’s revolutionary dome — the largest masonry dome ever built. Cologne Cathedral (7,914 m²) in Germany was the world’s tallest building when completed in 1880. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (7,710 m²) in Washington, D.C. is the largest Catholic church in North America.

11–15. From Chartres to the Hagia Sophia

Chartres Cathedral (5,940 m²) in France is the finest example of French Gothic architecture and famous for its medieval stained glass. St. Paul’s Cathedral (5,513 m²) in London is Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece, rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666. Sagrada Família (4,500 m²) in Barcelona, Antoni Gaudí’s unfinished masterwork, is expected to be completed in 2026. Westminster Abbey (3,000 m²) has hosted every English coronation since 1066. Hagia Sophia (7,570 m²) in Istanbul, built in 537 AD, was the world’s largest cathedral for nearly 1,000 years before being converted to a mosque.

Methodology

Rankings are based on interior floor area in square meters. Different sources use varying measurement methods (some include narthex, transepts, and side chapels; others measure only the main nave). We’ve used the most commonly cited figures from architectural databases and UNESCO records. Only Christian churches (including those converted to other uses, like Hagia Sophia) are included. Mosques, temples, and other religious buildings are excluded.