Who built the Roman basilica?

The first basilicas with transepts were built under the orders of Emperor Constantine, both in Rome and in his New Rome, Constantinople: Around 380, Gregory Nazianzen, describing the Constantinian Church of the Holy Apostles at Constantinople, was the first to point out its resemblance to a cross.



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Scholars disagree over the location and date of the first basilica. Early basilicas and approximate dates are the Basilic Porcia in Rome (184 BCE), Basilica Aemilia in the Roman Forum (179 BCE), and the basilica in Pompeii (second half of the second century BCE).

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New religions like Christianity required space for congregational worship, and the basilica was adapted by the early Church for worship. Because they were able to hold large number of people, basilicas were adopted for Christian liturgical use after Constantine the Great.

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The word basilica is derived from a Greek term meaning “royal house.” In the Catholic world, a basilica is a church building that has been accorded special privileges by the pope. There are two kinds of basilicas. The world's four major, or papal, basilicas are St. John Lateran, St.

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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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Emperor Constantine and the advent of Christianity However, he wanted to keep a strong link with the Roman society and still wanted to be associated with the Forum. Therefore, he completed the works on the Basilica to make sure everyone knew that he, indeed, was the ruler.

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Architecturally, a basilica typically had a rectangular base that was split into aisles by columns and covered by a roof. There was an immense central aisle, colonnades, windows above the central aisle, and often a niche at the end.

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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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While the guided tour only takes around 1.5 hours, be sure to factor in the time it will take you to find the entrance and show your tickets as you plan. You'll get to see the actual tomb of St. Peter and the bones of the dead Apostle at the end of the tour in the Vatican grottoes, underneath the Basilica.

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A basilica is simply an important church building designated by the pope because it carries special spiritual, historical, and/or architectural significance. Basilica is the highest permanent designation for a church building, and once a church is named a basilica, it cannot lose its basilica status.

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Constantine built a basilica as part of a palace complex in Trier which served as his northern capital. Although a fairly simple architectural form and now stripped of its original interior decoration, the basilica must have been an imposing stage for the emperor.

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Emperor Constantine I ordered the construction of Old St. Peter's Basilica between the years 326 and 333 to commemorate the martyrdom of Saint Peter. Construction of the structure took about 40 years to complete and finished in 360.

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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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St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the largest church in the world.

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Other classifications of churches include collegiate churches, which may or may not also be minor basilicas. So basilicas as Christian buildings are mainly a Catholic phenomenon.

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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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The following is a list of Basilicas in Rome. An ecclesiastical basilica is a Roman Catholic church building which has been granted special status by the Pope. There are 66 such churches in Rome, more than any other city, and more than 125 of the 131 countries in the world that have basilicas.

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