Although they are often used as synonyms, cathedral, duomo and basilica are not at all the same thing: but can you explain what the differences are between these three buildings?
According to Treccani, basilica, duomo and cathedral are three examples of churches (from the Greek ecclesia“assembly”), or the building in which the functions of the Christian religion are carried out and where the faithful go to pray. Basically, then, any place that has been consecrated for the worship of the Catholic religion is a church.
Now, the main differences between these three churches concern the functions and hierarchical organization within the Catholic Church.
As reported in the ecclesiastical decree Domus Ecclesiae of 1989, among all religious buildings «the first place and the greatest dignity belong to the cathedral church, in which there is the chair, a sign of the magisterium and power of the Bishop. Then follow the parish churches (…), the sanctuaries and other local churches.”
The difference between cathedral and duomo: there are churches that are both
A cathedral, for example, is considered such when it is the seat of a bishop, i.e. the spiritual and administrative guide of a city. Its name, in fact, derives from “cattedra”, the seat reserved for the bishop which is generally located at the end of the apse (the semicircular structure at the back of a church) and which represents his authority.
Since each diocese – i.e. a territorial district of the Catholic Church – has only one bishop, each episcopal city has only one cathedral, although it is possible that co-cathedrals exist, often for historical reasons or linked to the geographical distances of the cathedral.
The definition of cathedral, however, is linked to tradition and less to canon law in the strict sense: its name, in fact, derives from domus (house, in Latin) and is used to indicate the main and most important church in the city. Among other things, if the cathedral is located in an episcopal city, then it is possible that it is also a cathedral.
To be clear, the Milan Cathedral is a cathedral because it is the main church of the Milanese city, but it is also a cathedral because it houses the bishop of the diocese of Milan. On the contrary, the Duomo of Monza is not a cathedral, since it is part of the archdiocese of Milan.
The basilicas and the title recognized by the Pope
The last case is that of the basilica which, from an architectural point of view, is a type of church that derives from the large covered halls of the Romans, characterized by a longitudinal plan and division into naves, separated by rows of columns.
In theory, therefore, every large church could be considered a basilica: in reality, the basilica is such only if it has received an honorific title directly from the Pope, based on its spiritual, but also artistic or historical relevance.
More specifically, we must distinguish between minor basilicas and major basilicas, as the decree also confirms Domus Ecclesiae: if a church has a particular importance for religious life, it can be awarded the title of Minor Basilica by the Pope, which indicates a particular bond with the Church of Rome and with the Pontiff himself. Among the examples of minor basilicas, those of Assisi, in Umbria, and of San Marco, in Venice, stand out.
The major basilicas, however, are only 4 in the world and they are all located in Rome, being papal basilicas – the highest rank for a church: these are St. Peter’s in the Vatican, St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. John Lateran and St. Mary Major.
