Basilica

in architecture, a Roman hall of justice. The name is derived from a hall in which the Greek basileus-archon heard cases involving religious disputes. The basilica became common throughout the Roman world shortly before the reign of Augustus. It was a huge oblong hall about three times as long as wide. The entrance was in one end. The opposite end was called the apse. It was semicircular in form. A raised floor or stage in the apse served as the tribune on which the judges sat on long semicircular benches. In order to support the roof, two rows of pillars ran from the apse to the front, dividing the main floor into a long, central nave, flanked on each side by a narrower aisle. Sometimes the architect set up a double row of columns on each side, making a double aisle. The nave was open clear to the roof. The nave of the early basilica was even without a roof. The aisles were surmounted by galleries for the accommodation of the public. Upon the introduction of Christianity, many basilicas were used as churches. The earlier Christian churches were built in the form of basilicas. The tribune was replaced by an altar. The addition of transverse arms converted the oblong of the basilica into the cross of the cathedral. Many old European edifices are halfway between basilicas and cathedrals. The Roman basilica is known chiefly by a study of ruins. Some of the more famous Christian basilicas may yet be seen at Rome, Treves, Ravenna, and elsewhere. See Cathedral; Architecture