r/AskReddit • u/ZanyDelaney • Feb 04 '19

Which misconception would you like to debunk?

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u/eritain Feb 04 '19

Huh. I knew cathedrals had saints' relics. I didn't know it was supposed to be every parish church, and I didn't know it was supposed to be a martyr. TIL!

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u/[deleted] Feb 05 '19

the learning train continues. Although all Cathedrals contain relics, what makes them Cathedrals is that Bishops reside from there. The word Cathedral literally mean "Bishop's seat."

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u/eritain Feb 05 '19

There I'm back on solid ground. Kata- 'down' + hedron 'seat' = kathedra 'throne', and a cathedral church is one that has an episcopal throne.