What are your favorite Cathedrals/Churches in Europe?

I tend to focus on the stained glass when I visit a major church but also love mosaics. Recent favorites have included, in no particular order:

La Sagrada Familia
Coventry
Reims
Monreale (near Palermo)
The mosaic sites in Ravenna
Assisi

Practically every cathedral I saw in eastern France last year was magnificent. For exterior beauty, I think it's hard to beat the little wooden churches in northwestern Romania.

Too many lovely churches to pick a favorite - but my favorite piece of art in a church is in Naples: the Sansevero Chapel, the Veiled Christ is one of the most famous and impressive works of art in the world.
I am amazed how the artist was able to carve in marble and give a view under a veiled christ. I stood and looked at it for a long time - really amazing.

There are lots of beautiful churches, but here are some I like. Some for the interior, some for the exterior, or some combination of both

Wells cathedral
Burgos cathedral
St Appollonaire Nuovo in Ravenna (more for the interior)
St Paul's cathedral in London
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane in Rome
The Duomo in Florence (more for the exterior)

I am sure that I will change my mind about this list if was asked again.

Just to diversify a little, I will mention the Mezquita in Cordoba, Spain, which is a very large and unique Islamic mosque, with a Catholic Cathedral built inside of it. Also the Alexander Mevski Cathedral in Sofia, Bulgaria, not so old, but a magnificent structure from every angle, at every time of day, and beautifully illuminated at night. Very interesting inside as well, especially during mass. And then I have to mention the Duomo in Florence, I could photograph that beautiful structure from every angle, day after day and night after night, in good weather and bad.

On cathedrals and churches in Europe: Notre Dame/Paris, Cathedral in Strasbourg (das Straßburger Münster),

Frauenkirche/Dresden, Berliner Dom/Berlin, the Amiens cathedral, Johanniskirche/Lüneburg, Elisabethskirche/Marburg an der Lahn,

I love the art and architecture of many churches. Some big, famous Baroque churches are amazing but too...much for me to really connect to.

My favorites:
Pantheon in Rome (yes, it’s a church)

Santa Maria Del Mar in Barcelona

Monreale in Palermo

Mosque/Cathedral in Cordoba

Small, random village churches that I just stumble into and can’t quite remember the names of

St. Peter's Basilica, Rome
Notre Dame, Paris
Doumo, Florence
St. Mark's, Venice
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul (now a museum)
Spilt Blood Cathedral, St. Petersburg, Russia
Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See, Seville, Spain
Toledo Catedral, Toledo, Spain
Sangrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain
Bayeux Cathedral, Bayeux, Normandy, France
Chartres Cathedral, France
Winchester Cathedral, England
Salisbury Cathedral, England
York Cathedral, England
Durham Cathedral, England
Wesminster Abbey, England (not a cathedral)
St. Sophia, Kiev, Ukraine

So far:
Cathedrals:
St. Paul's, London
Notre Dame, Paris
Notre Dame, Chartre
Salisbury, England
(Name?), Florence
Corpus Christi (?), Orvieto
Seville
Basilicas:
St. Mark, Venice
St. Denis, Paris
St. Peters, Rome
Abbeys:
Mt. St. Michel
(I'll think of more as soon as I leave this thread)

I have varied reasons why I like churches and cathedrals, so will post that too.

• St. Justinus Church, Frankfurt Höchst. One of the oldest churches in Germany, consecrated in 850. The age as well as the beauty make it one of my favorites over all the others.
• Cathedral from Santiago de Compestela. Being here when they swing the Botafumeiro is breathtaking.
• Mainzer Dom, Mainz. 3 cathedrals built at the same time and similar in look - Mainz, Speyer, Worms, but I like the interior of Mainz the best
• Regensburg Cathedral - Regensburg. I just really liked the magnificence of it.
• Leon Cathedral, Leon Spain - the most stained glass of any church I have seen so far. The audio guide is super here.
• St. Leonhards Church, Frankfurt. Built in 1219, it is the only church with a hanging vault, which makes it unique
• St. Martin, Fromista Spain. Built in 1066, I think this may have been the oldest church I visited in Spain. The stone carvings were unique and interesting.
• The Union Church, Idstein Germany. The ceiling of this church is amazing, as it is created from 36 paintings, done in the style of Rubin, all hooked together
• Erlöscher Church, Bad Homburg, Germany. Art Deco style with Byzantine flair mixed in. Love the gold and blue mosaic ceiling
• St. Peters, Vatican City. Everything done on a massive, over the top, flamboyant scale, and climbing up in the dome was a highlight for me in Rome
• Burgos Cathedral, Burgos, Spain. Massive, elegant, huge amounts of gold used EVERYWHERE! Now we know where the gold from the Aztecs went.

It's certainly not historic and many people detest it, but I like the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral (Roman Catholic). It was completed in 1967 and certainly reflects that time period.

Heres the Wikipedia article on it

My favorite is St. Chapelle in Paris. The stained glass in the upper chapel is breathtaking

Don't make me choose! But I will always love Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. We walked into a practically empty church - with beautiful ceilings and a Michelangelo sculpture- The Risen Christ - that we could have reached out and touched if we wanted to be arrested.

Second choice would be Augustinerkirche in Vienna. We happened to walk in when the organist was rehearsing - sublime!

Bayeux Cathedral really touched me. I was not expecting it. I liked Orvieto as well.

While not technically a church or cathedral, can I say the Blue Mosque in Istanbul? Took my breath away in it's simplicity but complexity at the same time. Also Canterbury Cathedral (Canterbury, England) for it's history, St Peter's (Rome), St Paul's, (London) St. Bride's (for it's interesting architecture-yes, it does look like a wedding cake-also London), Cappella Sansevero (Naples) for it's gorgeous sculptures, (Veiled Christ and Release from Deception), St. Louis in Paris for it's Caravaggios, San Chapelle (Paris) for it's gorgeous stained glass and finally, St, Martin-in-the-Fields (London), not only for their wonderful choir presentations but also because we had quite an amazing experience one Palm Sunday where the parade plus the live donkey carrying "Jesus" proceeded down the main thoroughfare, through the arch and right up into the church! It was very memorable (and the service was lovely, too!). My gosh; I didn't realize I actually liked so many for so many different reasons! Makes me happy to be thinking about these wonderful places I've been blessed to see and experience. Thanks, VS, for asking the question!

Great question!

The Pantheon, Rome
Chartres
Salisbury (England)
Wells (England)
Ely (England)

Fantastic question and I'm taking notes!

Let's see:

Chartres
Hagia Sophia
Canterbury
York Minster
Sainte-Chapelle
Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Basilica of San Vitale
St. Helen's Stonegate (York)
Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral)
St. George's Chapel, Windsor

Many others have already mentioned some of my favorites and I'll add:

Aachen Cathedral- the beautiful architecture remains unique though many other cathedrals have copied elements, but what really got me was 'this was the center of everything when Charlemagne was trying to keep the lights on in Europe during the Dark Ages'

When taking the train between Amsterdam and Cologne, I've seen the Aachen Cathedral from the train window at the Aachen train station and have always thought how magnificent the cathedral looks and that someday, someday, I'd get off the train and walk there. I really need to do that!

we went crazy for the Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder or in English Our Lord in the Attic hidden Church in Amsterdam. The history is quite unique and the Church is beautiful.

Of course, I will add Church of spilt Blood in St. Petersburg, St. Mark's Venice and St. Peter's in Rome.

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque) in Istanbul.
Mewlana Rumi Mosque In Konya.
Kaiserdom - Bamberg Cathedral of St. Peter and St. George - Bamberg, Bavaria

I will add the Aachen Cathedral too. Am a big fan of Charlemagne and it was cool being in this church he had built and where he is buried.

Not being a religious person, religious sites are not usually high on my list, but in Europe some of them are must sees. I do have a higher appreciation for them after reading Ken Follet’s Pillars Of The Earth. It made me realize the complex engineering that went into the buildings.
I am excited to see the Stave churches when we go to Norway this summer.
So far, my favorite church is in Montreal. The Notre Dame Basilica is, bar none, the most incredible church I have ever seen and been in.

Sainte Chapelle for the stained glass and the Siena Duomo for the beautiful floors and unique stripes.

York Minster at York in England. I like the colors in its stained glass windows. That church is very big, but it does not have excessive decoration (elaborately ornate style), as do Rococo style churches in Germany. And, I think the town York is a tourist's delight (when rain is not falling from the sky). (Edit) And, I like Saint. Peter's church, located at Munich in Germany. It is a church that I think I would like to be in for a Sunday morning worship service.

I've been to so many they start to blend in - but one that stood out was Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in Venice - I can't tell you why - just something about it that spoke to me.

We have seen many magnificent cathedrals over the years, but Rouen...for whatever reasons, I don’t know...just knocked it out of the park.

I am not going to repeat the well known churches, but for the Pantheon in Rome I make an exception, really impressive interior. The basilica of St. Denis near Paris, not so much the building but what’s inside, almost all the royal tumbs of France just in one place.

A few weeks back the baroque church of Saint Peter’s Abbey in Ghent. Not big but has a stunning well preserved interior, always nice to discover a gem. Location can also make a church one’s favorite like in Upper Normandy Église Saint Valéry near a cliff with Dieppe (and more cliffs) on the background.

If I had to list just ten.

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
Seville Cathedral
Mezquita, Cordoba
Durham Cathedral
Spilled Blood, St Petersburg
Duomo, Florence
Duomo, Siena
Duomo, Milan
Notre Dame, Paris
St Denis or St Chapelle, Paris (for the stained glass)

Pained me to leave out Rome’s Pantheon on the technicality (??) that it is not a continuing place of worship ... except for architecture buffs I guess.

My all-time favorite has continued to be the Alcobaça Monastery in Alcobaça, Portugal. If God dwelt on earth, this is where I think he would live.

I have visited and loved many of these, but the one that sticks with me is St. Michael's in Bamberg, Germany, for its beautiful ceiling.

From Wikipedia: The roof of the nave is very unusual. It has paintings of 580 different kinds of plants. These include plants from faraway countries, e.g. pineapple, cotton, pomegranate and tobacco as well as plants that are found locally. The paintings date from the 17th century. Many of the plants were grown in the herb gardens around the church. In the side isles of the church the ceiling has more paintings. These include paintings of birds. There are even six parrots.

More than even the content of the paintings, I loved the style.

"Pained me to leave out Rome’s Pantheon on the technicality (??) that it is not a continuing place of worship ... except for architecture buffs I guess."

The Pantheon is a consecrated Catholic Church in which Masses are held every weekend.

Always good to learn something new. Thanks for the illumination.

St. Mary's Cathedral (Mariendom) in Linz - I'm fascinated by the Hermit in the Tower

Matthias Church, Budapest - the tiled roof reminds me of a piece of embroidery, love the muted colours inside

St. George's Cathedral, Lviv, Ukraine

Since I was actually able to attend Holy Mass at these places, my votes go to the Cathedrals in Toledo and Aachen. Only regret in Toledo was that I wasn't able to attend the Mozarabic Rite Mass which is somewhat unique to Toledo.

I forgot that important one....Mathias Church/Budapest. It is also the site of where the last Habsburg was crowned in 1916 when the Empire was already in the throes of the war and suffering.

If you like mosaics, two sites that haven't been mentioned yet are:

1. Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière in Lyon, France

2. Chapelle Saint Claude la Colombière in Paray-le-Monial, France

The second is quite small and in a small, somewhat remote town, but the mosaics are beautiful. The first, on the other hand, is large and quite over the top -- there are few surfaces visible on the ground floor of the basilica (except for the pews) that are not decorated in some way; often extravagantly. Downstairs is a second church, this one with paintings and mosaics depicting Mary and/or Jesus from different cultures around the world.

Santa Croce in Florence is my favorite. So much history in there! The (fairly recent) facade is one of the most beautiful in Italy to me. I also liked the cathedrals in Orvieto and Siena, Italy.
St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin is quite beautiful, especially the tile floors.
Also in Dublin is the city's oldest medieval church - St. Audoen's Church. It's small, but worth the visit. The ruins are really cool.
The Berlin Cathedral is very beautiful. We were lucky enough to be there while the organist was practicing.

Some of my favorites have been:
Salzburg Cathedral
Basilica di San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy
San Chapelle in Paris
St. Stephen's in Vienna
St. Vitus in Prague
the Dom in Trier, Germany
Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi
Santa Maria in Trastevere (Rome)
The Duomo in Orvieto
Basilica di Santa Croce in Florence

This question is much like asking " Which of your children do you love most ? " Unanswerable , but in addition to the above listings , I'll add two more striking examples . The Kirche am Steinhof in Vienna - https://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/sights/from-g-to-k/church-steinhof and The Kronstadt Naval Cathedral in The Gulf of Finland , outside St Petersburg , Russia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kronstadt_Naval_Cathedral

The outsides of all of the many churches in Puglia decorated with animal and mythical beast sculptures, such as Santa Croce in Lecce.

Love so many, but especially the Duomo in Ortygia, Siracusa, and the MatyasTemplom and Szent Istvan Basilica in Budapest, as well as the Basilica in Esztergom. And as other have mentioned, the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. And of course Cordoba's Mezquita!

Small Romanesque churches in French villages such as in Aulnay de Saintonge (St Pierre d'Aulnay).

But for all the churches and cathedrals I've seen, my jaw still dropped when my mom and I walked into the Abbey Church at Melk. Rococo Baroque gone absolutely riot! For years I had seen the towering Abbey at night from trains going back to Vienna on my way back to Budapest while traveling. To finally see it and have it be so mind-blowing was really something.

There are some smaller churches with marvelous frescoes and other art. Santa Trinita in Florence has wonderful frescoes by Ghirlandaio, as does Santa Maria Novella. The Brancacci Chapel in Santa Maria del Carmine has wonderful frescoes by Massaccio and Masolino.

Siena's Cathedral has some amazing art in it, including stone inlays in the floors depicting many old testament scenes, a pulpit sculpted by Paisano, and other sculptures by Donatello and Michelangelo, The scope of the building is incredible. More frescoes, of course.

Orvieto's magnificent cathedral has wonderful frescoes by Signorelli.

Often it is the smaller spaces, the chapels or other intimate prayer spaces, such as El Mihrab in Cordoba's Mezquita, that are more awe inspiring than the large expanses of the large Gothic or Baroque Cathedrals.

FD, Seattle

My favorites are
Wells Cathedral
Rosslyn Chapel near Edinburgh seen in The Da Vince Code
Sudeley Castle where Catherine Parr is buried

Quirky Hexham Abbey near Hadrian's Wall impressed me. The building dates from the 12th century though some artifacts in it date quite a bit earlier. The blend of early, medieval, and contemporary Christianity is unforgettable.

From my much longer list, Wies Church, York Minster, St. Peter’s Basilica.