The Cathedral
What is a cathedral?
The church that holds the bishop’s chair, and so the mother church of a diocese. Not the largest church, nor the oldest, nor the most beautiful, though it is often all three.
In one sentence
A cathedral is the church of a diocese in which the bishop’s chair, the cathedra, is kept, and from that chair it takes its name. The Ceremonial of Bishops calls the chair the sign of the bishop’s teaching authority and pastoral power, and the cathedral church the sign of the unity of believers in the faith he proclaims.i Every diocese on earth has one; a few have two, and a few make do with a church that stands in for one. The word says nothing about size, age or beauty. A cathedral can be a village church, and the largest church in a city is very often not its cathedral.
The cathedra
The Council teaches that the bishop is to be considered the high priest of his flock, and that the pre-eminent manifestation of the Church is found in the full, active participation of all God’s holy people in the same liturgical celebrations, especially in his cathedral church.ii
There the bishop presides at the sacred liturgy; there, in the week of the Lord’s Passion, the holy oils used in every parish of the diocese are consecrated at the chrism Mass;iii there his priests are ordained and gather around him. Whoever stands in a cathedral stands at the visible center of a particular church.
What happens in a cathedral
A new bishop takes possession of his diocese there, in a liturgical act the law asks to be held in the cathedral church.iv He is bound to preside there often at the Eucharist, above all on the holy days and solemnities of the year.v The chrism Mass, the ordinations of deacons and priests, the great feasts of the diocese and the funerals of its bishops belong to it.
Most days it is quieter than that. Many cathedrals are parish churches as well, with a pastor, a school, confessions on Saturday afternoon and a morning Mass for whoever comes. The hours of Mass and confession at a cathedral are on its own page, as they are for any parish, and can be found with Find a Mass.
Cathedral, co-cathedral, pro-cathedral, basilica, shrine
Where dioceses have been joined, or a see moved, a diocese may have a co-cathedral sharing the dignity of the chair; a pro-cathedral serves as cathedral where none has been erected. A basilica is a different honor altogether: a title conferred by the Apostolic See, or held from time immemorial, binding the church that bears it in a particular way to the Church of Rome.vi The four major basilicas stand in Rome; minor basilicas stand throughout the world. Some cathedrals are basilicas also; neither dignity implies the other. A shrine is a church or other sacred place approved for the pilgrimage of the faithful.vii
| Kind | What makes it so | An example |
|---|---|---|
| Cathedral | The one church of a diocese that holds the bishop’s chair. It comes with the diocese, erected by the Apostolic See. | Notre-Dame de Paris |
| Co-cathedral | A second church sharing the dignity of the chair, usually where two dioceses became one or the see moved city. | Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Houston |
| Pro-cathedral | A church that serves as the cathedral of a diocese that has none, or whose cathedral cannot be used. | Pro-Cathedral of the Assumption, North Bay |
| Basilica | A title of honor from the Apostolic See, major or minor. Not a rank of governance; a basilica may or may not be a cathedral. | St Peter’s, Vatican City, which is not a cathedral |
| Shrine | A church or sacred place approved by the bishop, the conference or the Holy See for pilgrimage. | Holy Family, Nairobi, cathedral and minor basilica both |
| Parish church | The church of a parish, the stable community entrusted to a pastor.viii Most churches; many cathedrals are these as well. | The Immaculate Conception, Albany, a cathedral that is a parish |
St Peter’s is not a cathedral
The most visited church in the world is a papal basilica, not a cathedral. The cathedral of Rome, and so of the Pope as Bishop of Rome, is the Archbasilica of St John Lateran, dedicated in the fourth century and named on its own facade the mother and head of all the churches of the city and the world. The Pope takes possession of it after his election as any bishop takes possession of his cathedral. It is a useful test of the word: the grandest church of a city is the cathedral only if the chair is there.
How many cathedrals there are
One for each diocese, in principle, and on 7 September 2026 the register read as follows.
- 3,158 living dioceses on earth
- 3,156 with their cathedral named
- 249 dioceses with a co-cathedral as well
- 317 cathedrals that are also basilicas, among 1,377 basilicas in all
- 1,677 cathedrals with a photograph on their page
- 3,583 churches marked as a cathedral, present or former, most of them in Italy, Brazil and the United States
Every diocese has a public page naming its cathedral, and members can see the cathedrals gathered country by country.
Six cathedrals
