Why was the Basilica of Constantine built?

The basilica is the largest building in the Roman Forum. Maxentius commissioned it as part of a larger infrastructure campaign. This wide-scale building project was used as a political and economic tactic, and was meant to act as a visual sign of the empire's prosperity under the reign of Maxentius.



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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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The term basilica refers to the function of a building as that of a meeting hall. In ancient Rome, basilicas were the site for legal matters to be carried out and a place for business transactions.

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Begun by Maxentius (A.D. 278-312) but completed in A.D. 312 by Constantine (A.D. 272?-337), this building was the last of the Roman civic basilicas. It housed a colossal statue of Constantine, the remains of which are in the courtyard of the Conservators' Palace of the Capitoline Museums.

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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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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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The distinguishing architectural features of the Roman basilica were a multitude of columns supporting a truss roof, and a floor plan that includes a central aisle, or nave, flanked on each long side by a narrower aisle, sometimes double.

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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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