Trier Cathedral Europe

The Cathedrals of Europe

Yesterday’s fire at the Notre Dame in Paris was not only a shock to the Parisians and French people, but also to the rest of the world. Cathedrals, unlike any other building except for castles, have stood the test of time. But where castles have remained closed but for the happy few, at least until recently, Cathedrals have welcomed billions of visitors over many centuries, including countless tourists (13 million per year for this church alone).

The destruction of a great part of this Paris landmark saddens us all. Most of the people in the Expat Club community have visited this incredible structure, possibly even multiple times. During the many Expat Club trips to Paris, our groups always stopped at the Eastern end of the Île de la Cité. Just to look and be amazed by the iconic towers and the works of art inside. It is hard to comprehend what was lost in the flames.

One of the reasons why we organise so many trips is to show our community the cultural heritage in this part of the world. Cathedrals are therefore key destinations for many of our outings. Only 3 days ago I was talking exactly about this subject on the bus during the Champagne trip, telling about the history of the beautiful Cathedral in Reims. About the French Kings who were crowned here. About the stained-glass windows by Marc Chagall in the back. But also, about the other Cathedrals we visited during our trips. And that I wanted to write a blog article about all we visited so far: Strasbourg, Metz, Lille, Blois, Canterbury, York, Cologne, Aachen and many more.

No doubt I forget a few here, but let this photo album be a start. We will surely see many more in the future as our destinations expand, and hopefully one day also a gloriously restored Notre Dame in Paris.

 

Le Havre Cathedral
The Notre Dame in Le Havre, France’s second most important harbour.

 

Church Le Havre
Not the Cathedral of Le Havre, but if there is an honorary Cathedral title for a regular church, then it would definitely be the St Joseph. The entire church is covered with thousands of stained glass windows as you’ve never seen it before. The light inside is magical, especially against the backdrop of pure concrete pillars and buttressing structures.

 

Notre Dame Cathedral Paris
The most famous of them all, the Notre Dame in Paris. We hope to visit you again in a few years from now 🙁

 

Luxembourg Cathedral
The Notre Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg | © Jorisvo – Shutterstock

 

Amiens Cathedral
The Amiens Cathedral is also a World Heritage Site | © karamysh – Shutterstock

 

Antwerp Cathedral
The Antwerp Cathedral towers high above the city centre of our neighbouring town

 

Den Bosch Cathedral
The St Jan Cathedral in Den Bosch, the Netherlands

 

Arctic Cathedral Tromsø
The Arctic Cathedral in Tromsø is not really a Cathedral, but it is as impressive from the outside and inside.

 

Tromsø Cathedral
The Tromsø Cathedral in Northern Norway | by Carlo Emanuele Barbi – Shutterstock

 

Krakow Cathedral
The Wawel Cathedral in Krakow | © TTstudio – Shutterstock

 

St Paul's Cathedral London
The St Paul’s Cathedral in London with its Whispering Gallery

 

Trier Cathedral
The Saint Peter’s Cathedral in Trier is just one of the 9 other UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

 

Aachen Dom Cathedral
The oddly shaped Aachener Dom consists of 3 clearly distinguishable parts. It carries the bones of Charlemagne, one of the most powerful men in history. His white thrown can be seen on the first floor.

 

York Minster Cathedral
The York Minster in the North of England

 

Canterbury Cathedral
England’s most important Cathedral in Canterbury | © Canterbury Cathedral

 

Cologne Köln Cathedral
One of the world’s largest and most impressive Cathedrals, the Kölner Dom | KölnTourismus GmbH: Dieter Jacobi

 

Strasbourg Cathedral
The Strasbourg Cathedral with its unfinished second tower is one of the most beautiful Cathedrals you will ever see.

 

Metz Cathedral
Metz Cathedral with stunning large glass panes | by Romanodi (own work), via Wikimedia Commons

 

Bruxelles Cathedral
The St Michael and St Gudula Cathedral right here in Brussels

 

Lille Cathedral
Lille Cathedral with its odd façade, which turns out spectacular from inside.

 

Cathedral Blois France
Cathedral of Saint Louis, Blois, France – © By Sergey Berestetsky – Shutterstock

 

Milan Duomo
The Duomo in Milan is one of the most elaborate you will ever see.

 

Cathedral Vienna
St. Stephen Cathedral in Vienna.

 

Kiev Cathedral
St Volodymyr’s Cathedral in Kiev.

 

 

Salzburg Cathedral
The Saint Rupert and Saint Vergilius Cathedral in Salzburg

 

St Peter Cathedral Salzburg
The former St. Peter Cathedral in Salzburg

 

Other Cathedrals we visited so far (pictures will be added later) and with many more to come in the future:

Belgium: Bruges, Ghent, Liège
Finland: Helsinki Cathedral
France: Bayeux, Arras, Verdun, Laon, Reims
Germany: Berlin, Freiburg, Munich, Wurzburg
Italy: Venice (3x)
Norway: Oslo
Sweden: Stockholm
Switzerland: Sankt Gallen, Bern (reformed)
Ukraine: 4 additional ones

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