Who paid for Cathedrals?

The churches, cathedrals, and basilicas built by the Church of Rome are often beautiful, sometimes extremely beautiful, and at times even overflowing with works of art. But how much did they cost? And with whose money were they built?

It turns out that the construction of the great cathedrals (such as St. Peter’s Basilica, the Cathedral of Milan, Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, etc.) was financed in various ways, often combining several sources.

There were tithes and ecclesiastical taxes—the Church received a percentage of the faithful’s income (tithes) or taxes from the local clergy. These funds were often intended both for the maintenance of the clergy and for the construction of sacred buildings. There were also private donations—wealthy families, rulers, merchants, and aristocrats often contributed large sums for religious reasons, for prestige, or to obtain indulgences. For example, many chapels and altars were financed by famous patrons such as the Medici in Florence.

One must also take into account ecclesiastical treasures and revenues—many dioceses, monasteries, and religious orders owned land, collected rental income, and held rights over markets and bridges, and these revenues were reinvested in construction.

There were also loans and debts—some major works, especially in the late Renaissance, were financed through loans from private bankers (such as the Fuggers or the Medici), which the Church later repaid through taxes or revenues.

And finally, last but not least, indulgences—indeed, from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance, the Church offered indulgences (partial or full remission of sins) in exchange for donations toward the construction or restoration of churches. This was one of the mechanisms that made it possible to raise enormous sums for colossal and extraordinarily costly works such as the magnificent St. Peter’s Basilica. In summary, a network of resources combining the money of the faithful, donations, ecclesiastical wealth, and private financing made possible this widespread proliferation of large constructions throughout Europe.

A reflection arises spontaneously from all this: would it not have been more noble to use this enormous amount of money—consider what St. Peter’s in Rome alone must have cost—to finance hospitals, homes for the elderly, and, more generally, to relieve poverty? God, who presumably is not so vain as to desire opulent constructions in his honor and glory (even if the Old Testament gives rise to some doubts about his character), would probably have appreciated more a humanitarian use of these vast sums of money. It would seem appropriate, in my view, to place at the entrance of St. Peter’s Basilica a plaque reading something like this:

This splendid architectural masterpiece was financed with contributions from all those poor, naïve people whom we succeeded in making believe that, by paying, they could purchase Paradise.