Originally, a basilica was an ancient Roman public building, where courts were held, as well as serving other official and public functions.

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 world.

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, …

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 …

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.

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.

Designed as long rectangular buildings featuring a large central space (called a nave), and flanked on either side by aisles, basilicas were centers of public life. Over the centuries their …

The Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians at Holy Hill.