聖堂(せいどう)

せいどう
noun
cathedral; sanctuary; sacred hall
1. cathedral; church; sanctuary; sacred hall
A large or important church or religious building, especially one serving as the principal church of a diocese. Also used for Confucian temples in Japanese historical contexts.
聖堂(せいどう)で祈(いの)る。
To pray in the cathedral.
古(ふる)い聖堂(せいどう)のステンドグラスが美(うつく)しかった。
The stained glass of the old cathedral was beautiful.
パリのノートルダム大聖堂(だいせいどう)は世界的(せかいてき)に有名(ゆうめい)な建築物(けんちくぶつ)である。
The Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris is a world-famous architectural monument.

聖堂(せいどう) combines 聖(せい) (holy) and 堂(どう) (hall). It has two main uses depending on context.

MEANINGS:
1. Christian context: a church or cathedral
2. Japanese history: a Confucian temple, notably 湯島聖堂(ゆしませいどう) in Tokyo

COMMON COMPOUNDS:

  • 大聖堂(だいせいどう): cathedral (principal church of a diocese)
  • 聖堂(せいどう)騎士(きし): knight (of a holy order)

RELATED WORDS:

  • 教会(きょうかい): church (general term for Christian worship)
  • 寺院(じいん): Buddhist temple
  • 神社(じんじゃ): Shinto shrine
  • 礼拝堂(れいはいどう): chapel

聖堂(せいどう) implies a larger, more important building than 教会(きょうかい).

general
Added 2026.3.22 20:47 · Revised 2026.3.30 13:48
18500/18663_seidou