Cathedral floorplan

In Western ecclesiastical architecture, a cathedral diagram is a floor plan showing the sections of walls and piers, giving an idea of the profiles of their columns and ribbing.

By convention, ecclesiastical floorplans are shown map-fashion, with north to the top and the liturgical east end to the right.

Many abbey churches have floorplans that are comparable to cathedrals, though sometimes with more emphasis on the sanctuary and choir spaces that are reserved for the religious community.

Unlike the Roman and Greek religions, where priests performed rituals without public participation, Christian worship involved the believers.

Thus, the limited spaces typically used in pagan temples were not suitable to Christian worship.