What is the largest basilica in the world?
St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, Rome. It covers an area of 23,000 m and has a capacity of over 60,000. Construction on St. Peter’s was begun in 1506 and finished in 1626. The dome was designed by Michelangelo, who became chief architect in 1546. However, the Guinness Book of Records currently lists Notre-Dame de la Paix in Yamoussoukro (the administrative capital of Cte d’Ivoire) as the largest church, surpassing St. Peter’s when it was completed in 1989. It has a total surface of 30,000 m, but there is only enough space to seat 7,000 people with standing room for an additional 11,000 people. So, in capacity, St. Peter’s is still the largest. In surface, Notre-Dame de la Paix wins.
