Editing Medieval architecture (section)

===Religious architecture===
{{Further|Architecture of cathedrals and great churches|Gothic cathedrals and churches}}
[[File:Santa María La Blanca ^ sinagoga en TOLEDO - panoramio edited.jpg|thumb|The [[synagogue of Santa María la Blanca]], Toledo, built {{Circa|1200}} and later converted into a Catholic church.]]
Many surviving medieval buildings originally served a religious purpose. The architecture of the buildings depended on the religion it served, the region it was located in, and the styles during the time. For example, mosques often had [[History of medieval Arabic and Western European domes|domes]], whereas churches usually had bell towers. Although some examples of medieval [[Historic synagogues#Europe|synagogues]] and [[List of the oldest mosques#Europe|mosques]] survive, particularly in Spain, Christian churches and monasteries are the most common survival throughout Europe.

A number of different types of medieval church survive: parish churches, such as in [[Medieval parish churches of York|York]]; cathedral churches; such as across [[Architecture of the medieval cathedrals of England|England]]; and abbey churches, such as across [[List of English abbeys, priories and friaries serving as parish churches|England]]. Most surviving churches are [[Gothic cathedrals and churches|in the Gothic style]], and share a number of features — stained glass, vaulting, buttresses, and an altar at the east end. Churches usually took the [[Cruciform|shape of a cross]], with a [[nave]], [[chancel]], [[Transept|transepts]] and [[Aisle|aisles]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bucher |first=François |date=1972 |title=Medieval Architectural Design Methods, 800-1560 |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.2307/766593 |journal=Gesta |language=en |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=37–51 |doi=10.2307/766593 |issn=0016-920X |jstor=766593|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Churches often had reliquaries to display precious relics.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bonser |first=Wilfrid |date=1962 |title=The Cult of Relics in the Middle Ages |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1258503 |journal=Folklore |volume=73 |issue=4 |pages=234–256 |issn=0015-587X |jstor=1258503}}</ref> Their design often had religious symbolism, such as [[Sunday Christ]] paintings and biblical narratives in stained glass.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Alexander |first=Jonathan J. G. |date=1993 |title=Iconography and Ideology: Uncovering Social Meanings in Western Medieval Christian Art |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23923571 |journal=Studies in Iconography |volume=15 |pages=1–44 |issn=0148-1029 |jstor=23923571}}</ref> The surviving churches are almost entirely made out of stone.