Is there only one basilica?

Today only four, all in the Diocese of Rome, are classified as major basilicas: the major basilicas of St John Lateran, St Peter's, St Paul outside the Walls, and St Mary Major. The other canonical basilicas are minor basilicas.



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Basilicas in this canonical sense are divided into major (greater) and minor basilicas. Today only four, all in the Diocese of Rome, are classified as major basilicas: the major basilicas of St John Lateran, St Peter's, St Paul outside the Walls, and St Mary Major. The other canonical basilicas are minor basilicas.

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The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular building with a central nave flanked by two or more longitudinal aisles). Basilicas are either major basilicas, of which there are four, all in the Diocese of Rome, or minor basilicas, of which there were 1,810 worldwide as of 2019.

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The Four Major Papal Basilicas of Rome
  • Archbasilica of St. John Lateran (Arcibasilica di San Giovanni in Laterano) ...
  • St Peter's Basilica (Basilica di San Pietro) Piazza San Pietro. ...
  • St Paul Outside the Walls (San Paolo Fuori le Mure) Piazzale San Paolo 1. ...
  • Papal Basilica of St Mary Major (Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore)


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St Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, Italy The largest basilica in Europe, St Peter's is considered one of Roman Catholicism's holiest sites. It's the final resting place of the first Pope, Apostle Peter, as well as 91 others.

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The basilica was centrally located in every Roman town, usually adjacent to the forum and often opposite a temple in imperial-era forums.

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The pope can visit other places, but the basilica is special in that it has a special chair with an umbraculum, an umbrella-like piece of regalia on the altar that symbolizes papal authority.

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The church is the oldest and highest ranking of the four major papal basilicas as well as one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome, holding the unique title of archbasilica. Founded in 324, it is the oldest public church in the city of Rome, and the oldest basilica of the Western world.

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The word basilica is derived from a Greek term meaning “royal court”—from which the king exercised his reign. In the Catholic world, a basilica is a church building that has been recognized and accorded special privileges by the pope.

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To clarify: a cathedral is any church that is the “seat” of a bishop. There is one cathedral per diocese. A basilica is any church named highly important by the pope based on its historical or cultural importance, its art or beauty, its signi?cance in the liturgical life of the Church or a variety of these attributes.

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There are two types of basilicas – Major Basilicas and Minor Basilicas. First among the Major Basilicas is the Lateran Basilica of Saint John, which is the Pontifical Cathedral of the Holy Father as the Bishop of Rome.

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