Churches

Roman Catholic Churches Around the World

When it first began, Christianity was confined to a small area of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. This is now known as the country of Israel....

Churches

Churches as Centers of Learning

During much of history, few people were taught to read and write. Priests had to be able to read the Bible as well as other...

Churches

Churches and Monasteries

Monks are people devoted to being closer to God by service, obedience and poverty. Many of their orders have been cloistered and set far apart...

Churches

Studying the Dark Ages

There was a time when learning was not as prevalent as it is now, and modern students often find the Dark Ages as a time...

There are many names for places where people worship. A good many cultures hold their religious worship services in a temple. Others have synagogues and mosques. Christians have labelled their religious buildings as churches. Some are referred to as cathedrals. The sole difference between a church and a cathedral is actually administrative. A cathedral is where the bishop is housed. Bishops have the work of running all the churches in their area, called a diocese.

There are several Christian religions that use this form of administrative structure. Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches have both churches and cathedrals. Many other Christian sects have only churches. Their administrators are not called bishops, so they do not have cathedrals. No matter what their designation, all churches and cathedrals are considered houses of worship. If they are still operating, religious services are held on a regular basis. Many of the older churches have historical roots and can be toured.