Concept in Definition ABC

Considered one of the largest religious constructions, the cathedral could be defined as the temple where the bishop or highest representative of the Catholic Church of the diocese sits. The cathedrals differ, therefore, from the rest of the religious temples not only by the presence of the maximum authority of the region, if not also for its infrastructure, its dimension and for the activities that are carried out in it.

The name of cathedral is given to these venues precisely because they were selected as the seat of religious authority. The term chair comes from the Greek and means seat. The chair is then the physical seat of an authority, in this case religious (although the word does not always apply to authorities of a religious nature).

In terms of space, cathedrals are usually always magnificent buildings that feature impressive works of art, with a design unique and with an important variety of possibilities regarding the administration and organization of the cult. This manifestation is directly related to the idea that to house the highest authority of the diocese, the cathedral must be differentiated from the rest of the temples and thus represent the greatness of who occupies that position.

In general, cathedrals have towers and spiers that rise many meters above ground level, thus establishing outstanding elements over the rest of the constructions. Clear examples of this type of cathedral are the famous cathedrals of Milan (a beautiful and fabulous building), Santiago de Compostela (in Spain) or Notre Dame (in France). In the case of Latin America, the architectural styles are more simplified and differ at first glance since they have more rounded towers and spiers that follow a style baroque very characteristic American. The Cathedral of the city of Buenos Aires is in this sense, one of the few that has a design neoclassic which seeks to imitate the shape of the Greek Parthenon.