The 25 most visited Catholic churches in the world
The great basilicas, cathedrals and shrines that draw the most pilgrims and visitors, ranked roughly by the number of visitors each year.
- 1Basilica of Our Lady of GuadalupeMexico City, MexicoThe most visited Marian shrine in the world, home of the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
- 2Notre-Dame de ParisParis, FranceThe Gothic cathedral on the Île de la Cité, restored and reopened in 2024 after the fire of 2019.
- 3Basilica of Our Lady of AparecidaAparecida, São Paulo, BrazilThe national shrine of Brazil and the largest Marian basilica in the world.
- 4Basilica of the Sacred Heart (Sacré-Cœur)Paris, FranceThe white-domed basilica crowning Montmartre, where Christ in the Eucharist has been adored day and night since 1885.
- 5St. Peter’s BasilicaVatican CityThe great basilica built over the tomb of Saint Peter, heart of the Catholic world.
- 6Sanctuary of Our Lady of FátimaFátima, PortugalThe shrine where Our Lady appeared to three shepherd children in 1917, asking for prayer and the Rosary.
- 7Cologne CathedralCologne, GermanyThe towering Gothic cathedral built to house the relics of the Three Kings, which took more than six centuries to finish.
- 8Basilica of the Sagrada FamíliaBarcelona, SpainAntoni Gaudí’s unfinished masterpiece in Barcelona, a Bible in stone still rising after more than a century.
- 9Sanctuary of Our Lady of LourdesLourdes, FranceThe grotto where Our Lady appeared to Saint Bernadette in 1858, with its healing spring and three great basilicas.
- 10Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano)Milan, ItalyThe vast white marble cathedral of Milan, bristling with spires and thousands of statues.
- 11Jasna Góra MonasteryCzęstochowa, PolandThe spiritual capital of Poland, home of the icon of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa.
- 12St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom)Vienna, AustriaVienna’s Gothic mother church, with its soaring south tower and patterned tile roof.
- 13Florence Cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore)Florence, ItalyThe cathedral of Florence, crowned by Brunelleschi’s dome, the birthplace of Renaissance architecture.
- 14Basilica of Santa Maria MaggioreRome, ItalyThe greatest church of Our Lady in Rome, with fifth-century mosaics and the tomb of Pope Francis.
- 15Archbasilica of St. John LateranRome, ItalyThe cathedral of Rome and the Pope’s own church, “mother and head of all the churches of the city and the world.”
- 16Basilica of San Francesco d’AssisiAssisi, ItalyThe double basilica over the tomb of Saint Francis, covered with frescoes by Giotto and Cimabue.
- 17Church of the Holy SepulchreJerusalem, Israel / PalestineThe church over Calvary and the empty tomb of Christ, the holiest place in Christendom.
- 18Santiago de Compostela CathedralSantiago de Compostela, SpainThe cathedral over the tomb of Saint James, goal of the Camino de Santiago.
- 19Sanctuary of Divine Mercy, ŁagiewnikiKraków, PolandThe shrine where Saint Faustina lived and died, and where Saint John Paul II entrusted the world to Divine Mercy.
- 20Seville CathedralSeville, SpainThe largest Gothic cathedral in the world, with the Giralda tower and the tomb of Christopher Columbus.
- 21Basilica Minore del Santo NiñoCebu City, PhilippinesThe oldest church in the Philippines, home of the image of the Holy Child given by Magellan in 1521.
- 22Notre-Dame Basilica of MontrealMontreal, CanadaThe Gothic Revival church of Old Montreal, famous for its deep-blue and gold interior.
- 23Chartres CathedralChartres, FranceThe high Gothic cathedral of Our Lady, with its unmatched medieval stained glass and the veil of the Virgin.
- 24Basilica of the AnnunciationNazareth, IsraelThe church in Nazareth built over the grotto where the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would bear the Son of God.
- 25Basilica of Our Lady of PeaceYamoussoukro, Côte d’IvoireThe immense domed basilica in the Ivory Coast, modelled on Saint Peter’s and among the largest churches in the world.
