mother church

Etymology
From an association of spiritual comfort and hierarchy with familial relationships, probably originally as a calque of similar expressions in other languages, especially 2nd-century and 12th-century.

Noun

 * 1)  The Church regarded as nourishing and protecting its members.
 * 2)  A church with oversight over another or others, now especially a cathedral or metropolitan church.
 * 3)  The original church of a denomination, regarded as having birthed the others.
 * 4)  The original denomination or community of believers from which other denominations and communities of believers sprang.
 * 1)  The original church of a denomination, regarded as having birthed the others.
 * 2)  The original denomination or community of believers from which other denominations and communities of believers sprang.
 * 1)  The original denomination or community of believers from which other denominations and communities of believers sprang.
 * 1)  The original denomination or community of believers from which other denominations and communities of believers sprang.