What are the particular, defining differences between a church, chapel, cathedral, abbey, etc.?

What are the particular, defining differences between a church, chapel, cathedral, abbey, etc.?
I'm writing a story based in a medieval/fantasy setting (think Dungeons & Dragons). For one particular location in the story, I'd like a place of worship; however, I'm not sure the type of phrasing to use. What are the particular differences between a church, chapel, temple, cathedral, abbey, bethel, priory, cloister, etc.? Any suggestions on which is best to use?
Religion & Spirituality - 3 Answers - 2006-12-06 12:53:29

Best Answer
Church refers to the group or body of persons who share faith based in Christianity. All other uses of this term extend from this (Judeo-Christian) and related contexts. A chapel is a church or area of worship, sometimes small and attached to a larger institution such as a large church, a college, a hospital, a palace, a prison or a cemetery, sometimes large and unattached to another building Architecturally, a chapel may be a part of a large church set aside for some specific use or purpose: for instance, Gothic cathedrals typically have a "Lady Chapel" in the apse, dedicated to Mary; parish churches may have a "Blessed Sacrament Chapel" attached to the main church where the Eucharist is kept between services. A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites (as in masonry). It is a general term for a house of worship. As a distinct term from those used to describe other religious structures, a temple is often viewed as a dwelling place of a god or gods. Temples have been built by both ancient and modern religions according to a wide variety of traditions in religious architecture. The majority of the main temples, along the major religions, are aligned in the cardinal directions, especially in an east-west axis which symbolically represents the sun's path, the "donor of life". In Judaism, from the Bible, the hebrew term for temple is "sanctuary", "palace" or "hall". A temple is sometimes referred to as a "palace of God". A cathedral is a Christian church building, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy, such as the Anglican, Roman Catholic and some Lutheran churches, which serves as the central church of a diocese, and thus as a bishop's seat. As cathedrals are often particularly impressive edifices, the term is often used incorrectly as a designation for any large important church. An abbey (from the Latin abbatia, which is derived from the Syriac abba, "father"), is a Christian monastery or convent, under the government of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serve as the spiritual father or mother of the community. A priory differs from an abbey only in that the superior bears the title of prior instead of abbot. Priories were originally offshoots from the larger abbeys, to the abbots of which they continued subordinate; however, the actual distinction between abbeys and priories was lost by the Renaissance. Do not confuse the term convent with the term monastery. Both nuns and monks live in monasteries. Sisters, members of active orders, live in convents. Nuns who are cloistered live in monasteries. Bethel (בית אל), also written as Beth El or Beth-El, is a Semitic word that has acquired various meanings. A priory is a monastery or monastic dependency whose superior is entitled prior. A cloister (from latin claustrum) is a part of cathedral, monastic and abbey architecture. A cloister consists usually of four corridors, with a courtyard or garth in the middle. It is intended to be both covered from the rain, but open to the air. The attachment of a cloister to a Cathedral church usually indicates that it is (or was once) a monastic foundation.

All Answers
Answer 1
All I know is that temples are not associated with Christianity.
2006-12-06 12:59:33

Answer 2
Probably an abbey if you are doing the English era. A chapel will be smaller. Cathedral larger.
2006-12-06 13:01:50