I've tried and failed to locate generic names for some of the religious buildings.

For example:
a "great" church is called a cathederal.
I figured out that a great oriental temple should probably be called a temple complex.

What would a generic name for a great Mosque be?

What would a generic name for a great Synagogue be? A tabranacle or is that smaller then a Synagogue?

Any suggestions on what to call a "church" and "cathederal" for the meso/american-indians?

For more information on the tabernacle, look here (http://www.domini.org/tabern/tabhome.htm).

For the Islamic religion, perhaps the Kabba? There's the pilgrimage to Mecca, where the Kabba is, but I'm not an expert. You can see pictures of it here (http://www.islamicards.com/general/kabba/).

The Native Americans had temples and shrines. Wonders could be "Temple of the Sun" and "Temple of the Moon." They built temple mounds in North America, to elevate the temple. I'm by no means an expert, it's just what I found out in my research for Anno Domini. The two temples I mentioned feature in the MesoAmerica conquest that came with C3C.

Thanks for the links.
It seems tabernacle is an acceptable name for a great synagogue. While "The Tabernacle" would, if used, be a great wonder. I'm not looking for wonder names, but "church" & "cathederal" equivalents in faiths less familiar to me then my own.

Kabba, seems to refer to a singular and unique structure and so could not be used as a generic muslim term for cathederal. Fwiw, Kabba (I learned) refers to the first house of worship supposedly built by Abraham and his illegitimate son Ishmael. This is now more commonly refered to as Mecca or the Dome of the Rock the (formerly rock-worshiping pagan) temple where Muhammad claimed to have accended to heaven to talk to Moses and others. Learned something new today.

Thanks for the tips. I enjoyed your website about the tabernacle, hope I didn't offend
any jews by misspelling it.

I'll look at the meso-american temples in my C3c folder, I can't believe I didnt think of that.

A "great" church should really be called a basilica or perhaps a minster. A "cathedral" is any church that is the "seat" of a bishop, and whilst these are normally big and impressive they needn't be. For example, the seat of the bishop of Oxford is the chapel of Christ Church, one of the colleges, so technically that is Oxford cathedral even though it is smaller than the church across the road.

A "great" church should really be called a basilica or perhaps a minster. A "cathedral" is any church that is the "seat" of a bishop, and whilst these are normally big and impressive they needn't be. For example, the seat of the bishop of Oxford is the chapel of Christ Church, one of the colleges, so technically that is Oxford cathedral even though it is smaller than the church across the road.

IIRC a "basilica" by definition has a dome (the architectural style derives from domed Roman municipal buildings).

-Oz

IIRC a "basilica" by definition has a dome (the architectural style derives from domed Roman municipal buildings).

-Oz

Not true, actually. A "basilica" was originally a huge sort of hall in Roman cities, used for municipal purposes such as the administration of justice. It featured a long nave with columns. Later, the Christians adopted this style of building for churches. It was only later - early sixth century, I think - that domes were introduced. In fact, domed churches were based around a fundamentally different kind of architecture from basilicas - "round" buildings rather than "long" buildings - and were ultimately inspired by pagan temples. A challenge for many architects was how to combine these two basic approaches. The St Paul's sort of church - a cruciform basilica with a dome supported over the intersection of the nave with the transept - is an elegant solution, which was also used many centuries earlier in Christian Nubia.

A basilica, in Roman Catholic jargon, is a church or a cathedral consecrated by the Pope. It's not a type of building :)

Ah, thank you both for the clarification! :)

-Oz

I'm not concerned with using language approved by the pope, but rather what is commonly used and understood.
I don't see the term basillica as better then cathederal, since a basillica can be small as well. I think I'll stay with the name cathederal for "great church", since correct or not, this is the commonly understood definition for this term.

But I remain stuck on what to call a "great mosque". R8XFT had a pretty good suggestion, with Kabba, but since this turned out to be quite specific, I think it is more suitable to a wonder then a class of buildings.

If you Google "Great Mosque" you'll find many "Great Mosques" in many different places -- it seems that "Great Mosque" may actually be the correct name you're looking for.

-Oz

EDIT: Continuing with Google, I found a reference to the Arabic name for a small mosque, "masghid" meaning a place of worship. So perhaps your "regular" mosques should be these and your great mosques simply "mosques" ... ?

-O.

I figured out that a great oriental temple should probably be called a temple complex.


In Southeast Asia temple complexes are referred to as "Wat" as in Angkor Wat.

-Oz

If you Google "Great Mosque" you'll find many "Great Mosques" in many different places -- it seems that "Great Mosque" may actually be the correct name you're looking for.

-Oz

EDIT: Continuing with Google, I found a reference to the Arabic name for a small mosque, "masghid" meaning a place of worship. So perhaps your "regular" mosques should be these and your great mosques simply "mosques" ... ?

-O.


Excellent! Thanks for the tip!

In Southeast Asia temple complexes are referred to as "Wat" as in Angkor Wat.

-Oz

Again, thank you. In this case I think I'll stick with the "incorrect" name, since wat is likely a cambodian term for temple.
http://www.sacredsites.com/asia/cambodia/angkor_wat.html
"Angkor Wat, the largest temple and the Angkor complex"

But thank you for your suggestions, I appreciate it.

double post. Moderators please delete

Again, thank you. In this case I think I'll stick with the "incorrect" name, since wat is likely a cambodian term for temple.
http://www.sacredsites.com/asia/cambodia/angkor_wat.html
"Angkor Wat, the largest temple and the Angkor complex"


"Wat" is used in Thailand as well (e.g., "Wat Arun", the Temple of Dawn, in Bangkok).

Best,

Oz