Church vs Cathedral

Early Christians originally met in their homes because they were once persecuted by people of other religions. As Christianity grew and began to be accepted by governments, they started to meet in rooms and buildings which were then called churches.

As there are several Christian denominations, the places where Christians worship also have different names; the Jehovah’s Witness Church has the Kingdom Hall and the Mormons have Temples or Meetinghouses, but all of them are also called churches. Other churches are also known as chapels, basilicas, and cathedrals.
A chapel is a part of a larger church or a small building used for worship and is associated with relics. A basilica is a church that refers to a major building used for worship which has been given special rites by the pope. Here are the characteristics of a church and a cathedral.

A church is a building which is used for Christian worship. In the early days of Christianity, churches were also used by guilds as meeting places and banquet halls. It has even been used as a place to store grain.

A church can have many shapes; churches have been constructed in the form of a cross which has a dome inside to draw attention to the heavens, a circle which represents eternity, an octagon or star shape. Most have a spire and a tower.

Roman Catholic, Anglican, Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, or other Episcopalian churches house their bishops in the cathedral or in its premises. The cathedral serves as the bishop’s site and is the central church of a diocese, conference or episcopate.

It is also the meeting place for the diocese and offers daily church services, celebrating mass three times with more services on Sundays.
A cathedral can be a large or small building. Some people have the notion that a cathedral is a large church, but there are many cathedrals that are housed in small buildings. Some Episcopalian churches that changed to Presbyterian still retain the names of their churches as cathedrals even though they do not have bishops.

In Britain a settlement that has a cathedral is called a city. This started when King Henry VII founded dioceses in some towns and gave them city status. The cathedral is oftentimes the most imposing building in the city and symbolizes the glory of God and the church.

Summary
1. A church is a term that refers to a Christian houses of worship, while a cathedral is a church which is the site of a bishop for churches that have them.
2. Churches can be found anywhere, in both small towns and big cities, while cathedrals are usually found only in cities.
3. A cathedral is where diocesan chapters meet and congregate, while a church can only be a place of worship where people meet on Sundays for mass or religious service.
4. Most churches only celebrate a religious service or mass on Sundays, while cathedrals celebrate mass one to three times every day.
5. Most churches only have one pastor or priest, while cathedrals usually have more.

Sharing is caring!