cathedral

Everyday

A cathedral is a very large and important Christian church, the main church of an area led by a bishop. tree →

In the lessons

In history and religious education lessons pupils learn that cathedrals took many years to build, with tall towers, spires and stained-glass windows. In geography a city often grows around its cathedral. Famous ones: St Paul's, Canterbury, Notre-Dame, St Patrick's. In maths, their windows and arches are used to explore symmetry.

Examples

• We visited the cathedral on our school trip. tree →
• The cathedral has a tall stone spire. tree →
• Light came through the cathedral's stained-glass windows. tree →
• The bishop led a service in the cathedral. tree →
• It took workers many years to build the cathedral. tree →
• The cathedral bells rang across the city. tree →
• He passed by the cathedral tower, where the white marble angels were sculptured. tree →

Note

Not every big church is a cathedral; it must be the seat of a bishop. In the UK a town with a cathedral was traditionally called a city. Spelling: cath-e-dral.