Basilicas are typically rectangular buildings with a central nave flanked by two or more longitudinal aisles, with the roof at two levels, being higher in the centre over the nave to admit a clerestory …

In architecture, “basilica” in its earliest usage designated any number of large roofed public buildings in ancient Rome and pre-Christian Italy, markets, courthouses, covered promenades, …

Jan 4, 2026 · Welcome to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception – the largest Roman Catholic Church in North America and one of the ten largest churches in the …

Aug 8, 2025 · The term “basilica” originated in ancient Rome, from the Greek “basilike stoa,” meaning “royal hall.” These large public buildings served various civic functions, such as law …

The meaning of BASILICA is an oblong building ending in a semicircular apse used in ancient Rome especially for a court of justice and place of public assembly.

In architecture, the term basilica signifies a kingly, and secondarily a beautiful, hall. The name indicates the Eastern origin of the building, but it is in the West, above all in Rome, that the …

A basilica is simply an important church building designated by the Pope because it carries special significance. A basilica may or may not be also the cathedral of the diocese.

Aug 1, 2024 · There are two types of basilicas—major and minor. There are only four major basilicas, all in Rome or within the walls of the Vatican, including St. Peter, St. John Lateran, …

A basilica, in the Catholic and Orthodox traditions, is a church building that is especially honored either because of its antiquity, association with a saint, or importance as a center of worship.

Floorplan of San Lorenzo in Damaso, a basilica in Rome. It is built in the basilica style: a rectangular building with a nave flanked by longitudinal aisles. Basilicas are Catholic church …