Top 10 Largest Churches In The World
8. Church Of The Holy Trinity, Santarem, Portugal, 8700 square meters
The church of the holy trinity is the largest church in Portugal. It is located in Santarem district of Portugal. This church has a modern oval design and internal area of 8700 square meters. The large church can accommodate 9000 worshipers at a time. The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It was built between 2004 and 2007 by Greek architect Alenxandros Tombazis. This church also houses several chapels and 44 confessionaries.
In 1953, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima (Portuguese: Basílica de Nossa Senhora do Rosário de Fátima) was consecrated.
Situated on the southeast corner of the church,a statue of Pope Pius XII (sculpted in white marble by Portuguese sculptor Domingos Soares Branco) was first revealed to the public, in a ceremony that included a formal blessing. A statue of Pope Paul VI was erected in May 1968 (dreated by Portuguese sculptor Joaquim Correia) on the northwest corner of the church.
During the 1973 liturgical year, there were reports that the site could not handle the number of pilgrims on days of relatively minor volumes at the basilica. The inauguration of a restored statue of D. José Alves Correia da Silva, first bishop of the Diocese of Leiria, on 2 February 1973 proved to be chaotic and crowded.
In 1974 the rector of the sanctuary, Monsignor Luciano Guerra, proposed a pastoral program to include construction of a new large, covered assembly area, in order to handle the pilgrims. But, it was not until 1996 that construction of a new church at the complex was proposed. In the meantime, new religious symbols and reliquaries were added to the sanctuary, including a silver ostensorium by sculptor Zulmiro de Carvalho, in the main chapel of the Holy Sacramento.