Concept in Definition ABC

The term basilica comes from Latin and the Romans began to popularize it, who, in turn, adopted it from the Greek (for the Greeks the basilica was the rectangular room in which the throne of the Kings).

With the assimilation of Christianity to civilization Roman, the term basilica ceased to be used in the civil and acquired its current meaning as a religious building (the Roman basilicas were intended for commercial activity or as a Justice).

To begin with, the use of the word basilica presents a difficulty, since there is no exact and precise definition of this type of religious buildings intended for worship. In this way, it is easy for a certain confusion to be established between this term and other similar ones, for example, cathedral, church, sanctuary or hermitage. All of them fulfill the same function and are not mutually exclusive, since their name depends on the official consideration determined by the authority religious (in the case of the Catholic Church, it would be the Holy See).

General characteristics of the basilicas

From a point of view architectural, religious and historical the basilica presents a series of traits:

- The plan of the basilica has a shape of parallelogram, presenting a portico at one end and an apse at the other.

- It has a central corridor that is accompanied by columns on both sides, with the roof of the main nave being the largest dimension than adjacent ships.

- The denomination of a church as a basilica depends on the historical and spiritual value that is given to a church and how general criterion in most cases each basilica has a holy door, which is only used occasionally specials.

- According to tradition of the Holy See, when a church receives the title of basilica there must be some signs or insignia that are visible in the temple and that prove this distinction (there are three insignia: a colored umbrella known as the basilica umbrella, an image of the patron or tintinbulum and the coat of arms of weapons).

- In the terminology of the Catholic Church, a distinction is established about these buildings: the major basilicas, which are four and are located in the city of Rome (that of San Pedro, that of San Juan de Laterano, Santa María la Mayor and that of San Pablo) and, on the other hand, the rest of them (also known as minor basilicas).

- All basilicas usually have a symbolic and historical dimension (this is what happens with the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, built in the IV century of our era in the place where it is considered that he was born Jesus Christ).