Civilopedia
Cathedrals are enormous Catholic churches that usually denote the seat of an archbishop. In Colonization, Cathedrals simply represent a major seat of religious power, regardless of denomination. The earliest Cathedrals in the New World were built in the colonies of the Spanish and Portuguese. Construction of the West's first cathedral began in 1514, commissioned by Columbus himself on the island of Santo Domingo. The island's Cathedral was completed in 1540, and would become the first among many. North America, because of its largely Protestant population, did not build its first cathedral, the Baltimore Basilica, until 1806. In the 20th century, however, some of the largest cathedrals on Earth would be built in North America, including Saint Joseph's Oratory in Quebec and the Cathedral of St. John in New York.