mother church

noun

a church from which other churches have had their origin or derived their authority.
a cathedral or a metropolitan church.
the church attended in one's youth or for the greater part of one's life.

Origin of mother church

Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for mother church

Historical Examples of mother church

And how could he explain the yearning of his heart for the great heart of the Mother-church?
Audrey Craven
May Sinclair
All the Mother-Church's vast powers are concentrated in that Board.
Christian Science
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
The profits go semi-annually to the Treasurer of the Mother-Church.
Christian Science
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
Whereas, she is in manifest reality the Mother-Church herself.
Christian Science
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
In 1294 the Florentines determined to rebuild their mother-church upon a scale of unexampled grandeur.
Renaissance in Italy Vol. 3
John Addington Symonds