Top 10 most beautiful churches in Europe

Churches are known as being places of fellowship and incredible grace and are still often visited for their majesty and splendour, even if they are now less often visited for their religious importance. There are so many gorgeous cathedrals all around Europe with wonderful architecture and ornate work that you simply must see at least once in a lifetime. However, since it is impossible to visit them all, below you will find the top 10 most beautiful and impressive churches in Europe. 

The Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family in Barcelona began in 1882 and is ongoing to this day. The world-famous structure, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi, has sparked debate and appreciation throughout the years. It is currently the largest unfinished Roman Catholic church, designed as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The project was recently scheduled to be completed in 2026, the century of Gaudi's death. When asked about the construction's long duration, Gaudi famously said: "My client is not in a hurry". Describing the Sagrada Familia, art critic Rainer Zerbst said that it is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art. And, what to say, it is really amazing! 

The Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, or "Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flowers" in Florence was built between 1296 and 1436. The exterior is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink, bordered by white, and has an elaborate 19th-century Gothic Revival facade by Emilio De Fabris. The cathedral complex, which includes the Baptistery and Giotto's Campanile, comprises a UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the historic centre of Florence. The basilica is one of Italy’s largest churches. The dome was the largest in the world until the contemporary development of new structural materials allowed for larger structures to be erected. Thus, to this day, it is the largest brick dome ever constructed.  

Considered to be the largest church in the world, St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City was constructed from 1506 to 1626 and is believed to have been built on the burial site of St. Peter, one of Jesus Christ’s apostles and the first Catholic Pope. St. Paul's Cathedral was built on the same site as earlier cathedrals dating back to the Roman Emperor Constantine. It is visited by Catholic pilgrims from all over the world, as well as aficionados of Renaissance art and architecture. Designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the basilica is the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and the largest church in the world by interior measure. Throughout the year, the pope presides over a variety of liturgies held within the basilica and St. Peter's Square, which draw crowds ranging from 15,000 to over 80,000 people.

The Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Paris, often known as Notre-Dame de Paris or Our Lady of Paris, is located on the eastern part of the Île de la Cité. The world-famous church was built between 1160 and 1345. The cathedral was started in 1163 by Bishop Maurice de Sully and was mostly finished by 1260, though it was altered several times over the ages. The church was extensively damaged during the French Revolution in the 1790s, and restoration work was undertaken in 1845 and 1991. Flying buttresses (which weren't part of the original plan but were added to deal with structural concerns identified during construction) were used for the first time in Notre Dame. The cathedral’s treasury houses several sacred church artefacts including the Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the True Cross, and one of the Holy Nails.

The Duomo di Milano, or Milan Cathedral, is Italy's second-largest church and the fifth largest in the world. The basilica was built over a 600-year period, commencing in 1387 and officially concluding in 1965. In 1805, Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned King of Italy in the cathedral, and a monument to him sits atop one of the spires as a thank you for his patronage during the latter stages of the facade’s construction. Percy Shelley, Lord Tennyson, Oscar Wilde, and Mark Twain, who dedicated Chapter 18 of Innocents Abroad to the cathedral, are among the most prolific names in writing who have benefited from visits to the Duomo throughout the years. 

The Basilica di San Marco, also known as St. Mark's Basilica in Venice was completed in 1092 and is a symbol of Venetian splendour and wealth, earning it the nickname "Golden Church". It is the city's most famous church and one of the best-known examples of Italo-Byzantine architecture. It was originally the Doge's chapel and has been the city's cathedral since 1807. It is located at the eastern end of the Piazza San Marco, next and connected to the Doge's Palace. The ancient brick facades and inner walls were adorned with precious stones and rare marbles over time, primarily in the thirteenth century, to portray the republic's wealth and might. Many of the columns, reliefs, and sculptures were looted from Constantinople's churches, palaces, and public monuments as a result of Venetian involvement in the Fourth Crusade. The four antique bronze horses that were conspicuously displayed over the entrance were among the looted relics brought back to Venice.

St. Stephen's Cathedral (more commonly known by its German title: Stephansdom) is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Schönborn. St. Stephen's Cathedral was built between 1137 and 1160 and is the seat of the Archdiocese of Vienna. In the presence of Conrad III of Germany, Bishop Otto of Freising, and other German nobility preparing to embark on the Second Crusade, the church was dedicated to Saint Stephen in 1147. The church has held weddings and burials for some of Europe's most famous figures, including Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Antonio Vivaldi. 

On the summit of Montmartre Butte, the city's highest point is the Basilica du Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre or Basilica of the Sacred Heart. The basilica was designed by Paul Abadie. The construction began in 1875 and was completed in 1914 (it was consecrated for the first time after World War I ended in 1919). After a century of "moral deterioration" since the French Revolution influenced the design of Sacré-Coeur, Bishop Fournier attributed the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian war to divine judgement. With its multi-coloured tile roof, the basilica has become one of the city's most identifiable landmarks, having witnessed many significant events in Habsburg and Austrian history. 

The Meteora, or "middle of the sky", is a collection of six Greek Orthodox monasteries located on the pinnacle of sandstone rock pillars on the Plain of Thessaly in Central Greece. This type of rock formation and weathering process has happened in many other places locally and throughout the world, but what makes Meteora's appearance special is the uniformity of the sedimentary rock constituents deposited over millions of years, leaving few signs of vertical layering, and localised abrupt vertical weathering. The territory has been inhabited by monastic orders since the 9th century CE, but the exact date of the first ascetic community is uncertain. However, the monasteries are deliberately difficult to reach, both to encourage their cloistered existence and to protect their faith tradition from centuries of religious persecution. Thus, Meteora has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The holy island commune of Le Mont-Saint-Michel, also known as Saint Michael's Mount, is located in Normandy, France, and is home to the same-named monastery. Every year, almost 3 million people visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site. The first monastery on the island was established in the eighth century after the Archangel Michael visited St. Aubert, Bishop of Avranches, and directed him to build a church on the isle, according to legend. Michael burned a hole in Aubert's forehead after he continually disobeyed the directions. Over the years, the island has played a key role in military battles and has even served as a prison. This magical France’s island, the Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay count among France's most stunning sights.