Basilica (2)
basilica
(Greek: basilikos, royal)
An oblong building with an apse at one end and lighted from above. It was usually rectangular with a width not greater than one-half nor less than one-third, its length, divided by rows of columns into a central nave and a surrounding lower, narrower aisle or ambulatory . The upper part of the nave (clerestory) was lighted by a row of arched window over the roofs of the adjoining aisles , and similar windows lighted the aisles . Basilicas were the first pagan edifices to be converted into Christian churches, being best adapted for Christian worship. The altar was placed within or before the apse , and arches from nave, aisles , and apse opened into the transept, a cross hall of the same height as the nave interposed between nave and apse for practical purposes and for the symbolism of the cross. At the entrance end opposite the apse was the narthex, a portico beyond which neophytes were not at first admitted. As the priest was supposed always to face the east, basilicas were built with the entrance facade toward the east when he faced the congregation and toward the west when it became customary for him to turn his back to them.
The title of basilica is now given by the pope to privileged churches remarkable for antiquity or historical associations. They are either major (patriarchal) or minor, privileged with the right of precedence as churches, special insignia, and a college of clergy entitled to the rochet and cappa. Among the most notable are those of Saint Peter, Saint John Lateran, and Saint Mary Major, Rome, and Saint Francis Assisi.
Fuente: New Catholic Dictionary
Basilica
(Stoa basilike, or basileios).
The term basilica can indicate either the architectural style of a church, or its canonical status. Both senses will be treated in this article.
“BASILICA” IN THE ARCHITECTURAL SENSE
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 finest examples of the basilica are found. Between 184 and 121 B.C. there were built in the Forum at Rome the basilicas of Porcia, Fulvia, Sempronia, and Opimia; after 46 B.C. the great Basilica Julia of Caesar and Augustus was erected. These buildings were designed to beautify the Forum and to be of use both for market purposes and for the administration of justice. They were open to the public and were well lighted. According to Vitruvius, who in this certainly agrees with Greek authorities, the usual construction of a basilica was the following:
The ground plan was a parallelogram in which the width was not greater than one-half of the length and not less than one-third of it. When there was more space in the length, porticoes were built on the short sides. The middle space was separated by columns from a lower ambulatory or portico; the width of the ambulatory equalled the height of the columns and measured one-third of the width of the central space. Above the columns just mentioned stood others, giving entrance to the light, which were shorter and slighter, in order that, as in organic structures, a tapering effect upwards should be given (De architectura, V, i, or ii). A basilica erected by Vitruvius himself showed a decided variation from this plan. It had two ambulatories, one above the other. Part of the columns of the middle space was left free so that light might enter. These columns rose up to the rafters. Pilasters leaning against the columns served to carry the flat roof of the ambulatories, the length of the middle nave was double its breadth and six times the breadth of the ambulatory. One of the long sides of the parallelogram spread out into an apse where legal cases were tried, but it was separated by the width of the ambulatory from the space for merchants (the ancient exchange).
The same writer speaks (VI, viii or v) of half-public basilicas in the houses of distinguished statesmen which served as council-chambers and for the settlement of disputes by arbitration. Vitruvius compares these (VI, v or iii) with the Egyptian halls because the latter had also covered ambulatories around a middle space supported by columns and openings for light between columns above. These are the distinctive features of a basilica which we may venture to define as an oblong structure with columns, having an ambulatory of lower height, receiving light from above, and possessing a projecting addition designed to serve a particular purpose.
The form of the basilica of the early Christian church corresponds so exactly to the shape of the basilica of the Forum or of the house that it does not seem necessary to seek another model, as for instance, the atrium or the cemetery cells. The dark, narrow temple was entirely unsuited for the holding of the Christian church services. These services, which began with the Last Supper, were often held in large rooms in the dwellings of prosperous Christians. When these facts are considered it cannot be a matter of surprise that as early as the time of Constantine the style and name of the basilica seem to have been in common use for the Christian place of worship. Moreover, the chief deviations from the general type of the ancient basilica, such as five aisles, pillars, angular form of the apse, omission of the portico, etc., have been used as well in the Christian basilica to which the original meaning of the word basilica, “the hall of the king”, could now again be applied.
As a rule, the building at this time was divided into three parts by columns, the well-lighted central part rose higher than the other divisions, and there was an apse. Only, in place of the former surrounding portico, or ambulatory, there was a side aisle to the right and left. There were also basilicas with five and seven aisles. The old construction of the basilica with an apse was well suited to the service of the altar. A transept extending more or less towards both sides was often placed between the nave and the apse both to serve practical needs and on account of its symbolism. The roofing of the transept together with the apse and portico produced variety in the exterior of the basilica. Vaulting, in the West, was used only at times in the side aisles; nothing beyond a flat roof was ventured upon for the very broad middle nave, and often, at the beginning, the rafters of the roof were left uncovered.
It was only after the fifth century that round or square side-towers came into use. These towers were first incorporated in the main building in Syria. The early Christian basilica showed a high, yet light construction, and was roomy and well lighted. The arcades with slender columns which led up to the altar were a particularly beautiful feature. The round form of the arches, of the window-heads, and the ground plan of the basilica were the first indications of the Romanesque style. The idea of a room in which the King of Kings gave audience naturally led to rich ornamentation. The back wall of the apse and the “arch of triumph”, which opened into the transept, were decorated with mosaics. The altar stood in, or before, the apse under a decorated baldacchino (ciborium). The walls were often adorned with pictures, and the floor was made of mosaic. Much use was made in the rich churches of beautiful woven stuffs and of fine goldsmith- work. If the employment of these symbols had a tendency to inspire pride, other observances produced humility of mind, as, for example, the symbolic washing at the fountain.
“BASILICA” IN THE CANONICAL SENSE
Basilica, as a term used by canon lawyers and liturgists, is a title assigned by formal concession or immemorial custom to certain more important churches, in virtue of which they enjoy privileges of an honorific character which are not always very clearly defined. Basilicas in this sense are divided into two classes, the greater or patriarchal, and the lesser, basilicas.
Major Basilicas. To the former class belong primarily those four great churches of Rome (St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul-without-the-Walls), which among other distinctions have a special “holy door” and to which a visit is always prescribed as one of the conditions for gaining the Roman Jubilee. They are also called patriarchal basilicas, seemingly as representative of the great ecclesiastical provinces of the world thus symbolically united in the heart of Christendom.
St. John Lateran is the cathedral of the pope, the Patriarch of the West. St. Peter’s is assigned to the Patriarch of Constantinople, St. Paul’s to the Patriarch of Alexandria, St. Mary Major to the Patriarch of Antioch. St. Lawrence-outside-the-Walls is also reckoned as a greater basilica because it is specially attributed to the Patriarch of Jerusalem.
Moreover, a few other churches, notably that of St. Francis at Assisi and that of the Portiuncula, have also received the privilege of ranking as patriarchal basilicas. As such they possess a papal throne and an altar at which none may say Mass except by the pope’s permission.
Minor Basilicas. The lesser basilicas are much more numerous, including nine or ten different churches in Rome, and a number of others, such as the Basilica of the Grotto at Lourdes, the votive Church of the Sacred Heart at Montmartre, the Church of Marienthal in Alsace, etc. There has been a pronounced tendency of late years to add to their number. Thus the “Acta Apostolicae Sedis” for 1909 contain six, and the “Acta” for 1911 eight, such concessions.
In the Brief of erection the pope declares:
We, by our apostolic authority . . . erect (such and such a church) to the dignity of a lesser basilica and bestow upon it all the privileges which belong to the lesser basilicas of this our own cherished city.
These “privileges”, besides conferring a certain precedence before other churches (not, however, before the cathedral of any locality), include the right of the conopaeum, the bell, and the cappa magna. The conopaeum is a sort of umbrella (also called papilio, sinicchio, etc.), which together with the bell is carried processionally at the head of the clergy on state occasions. The cappa magna is worn by the canons or members of the collegiate chapter, if seculars, when assisting at Office. The form of the conopaeum, which is of red and yellow silk, is well shown in the arms of the cardinal camerlengo (see vol. VII, p. 242, coloured plate) over the cross keys.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY. HEUSER in Kirchenlexikon, II, 22; FERRARIS in Bibliotheca canonica (Rome, 1896), s.v.; MONTAULT, L’annee liturgique a Rome (Paris, 1857).
G. GIETMANN & HERBERT THURSTON Transcribed by Michael C. Tinkler & Herman F. Holbrook Ecce tabernaculum Dei cum hominibus, et habitabit cum eis.
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IICopyright © 1907 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightImprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York
Fuente: Catholic Encyclopedia
Basilica
(from , one of the porches or colonnades facing the Agora at Athens), the name of an ancient secular building, afterward applied to Christian church edifices. On the overthrow of the kings at Athens, their power was divided among several archons. The remains of the old power were, however, too strong to be swept all away, and the charge of the Eleusinian mysteries, of the flower-feasts of Bacchus, of all legal processes concerning matters of religion, and of all capital offenses, was referred to the (comp. with rex sacrarum in the republic of Rome). This archon held his court in the stoa basilica. Basilicas for similar purposes were built in all the chief cities of Greece and her colonies, and later in Rome and the Roman colonial cities. They were built with as great splendor -and architectural merits as the temples themselves. Those in Italy were devoted to purposes of business (like our modern bourses or exchanges), and to general legal processes. They had a central nave, separated from two side aisles by grand colonnades. This space was devoted to business. Above the side aisles were galleries for spectators and others. At the rear end was a semicircular space, separated from the main part by gratings when court was held. In Rome there were 29 (others say 22) of these basilicas.
When Christianity took possession of the Roman empire, these basilicas were taken as models for church edifices. The pagan temples were built for residences of the deities, not for holding large bodies of people; and also, being given to unholy purposes, could not be used or copied in Christian churches. The basilicas, on the other hand, had been polluted by no heathen rites, and corresponded with the traditional synagogue in much of their interior construction. Some of the basilicas were given to the Church, and devoted to sacred purposes; and the same plan of building was followed in new church edifices. The plan included a broad central nave with a pointed roof (instead of the arched roof of the classic Roman basilica or the open nave of the Grecian), and on each side were one or two side aisles, covered by a single roof. In the semicircular apsis, opposite the entrance, the seats of the judges were appropriated by the bishops. In front of this, and under the round arched tribune, was the high altar over the crypt (q.v.). Beyond this were two pulpits, one on each side of the nave, for reading the Scriptures and preaching. The pillars in the colonnades separating the aisles were joined by round arches instead of beams, as in the Roman basilicas. During the basilican period (A.D. 300 to A.D. 700-800. no towers or spires were built. In Rome the oldest; basilicas are those of St. Peter, St. Paul, St. John Lateran, St. Clement, Sta. Maria in Trastevere, and St. Lawrence. Others, as Sta. Maria Maggiore, Sta. Agnes, Sta. Croce in Jerusalem, were built after the true basilican period, as were also the present edifices of St. Peter, St. Paul, and St. John Lateran. St. Clement, and SS. Nereo and Achilleo, preserve most distinctly the features of the original basilica. Out of Rome, the best preserved ancient basilicas are those of St. Apollinari in Classe (near Ravenna), and of St. Apollinari in Ravenna. Basilican churches were built extensively in Asia Minor, other parts of Italy, and South France, and in these last two this style has ever exercised almost a controlling influence on ecclesiastical architecture. It gave also the general ground plan and many other elements to the succeeding Romanesque, and even to the contemporary Byzantine styles. In the same general style are the churches of St. Boniface (Roman: Catholic) in Munich, and of St. Jacob (Protestant) in Berlin, both built within the last twenty years. There is no prospect, however, that the style will ever be generally adopted in the erection of modern churches. See Zestermann, De Antic. et Christ. Basilicis (Brussels, 1847); Bunsen, Die Christlichen Basiliken Roms (Munich, 1843); Kugler, Geschichte der Baukunst (Stuttgart, 1859); Fergusson, History of Architecture; Bingham, Orig. Eccles.bk. 8, ch. 1, 5. SEE ARCHITECTURE; SEE CHURCH EDIFICES.
Fuente: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
Basilica (2)
or law books. The large Justinian compilation of Roman law (the so-called Corpus Juris Civilis), because of its being written in Latin, could not satisfy the wants in the East, a Greek translation being needed. In order to avoid all ambiguity, the emperor Basilius Macedo undertook the publication of a manual ( ) in the year 878 (published by Zacharia, Heidelberg, 1837), whlich was revised in 885 ( ). Besides, he undertook (re-epurgatio veteruna legum) in sixty (comp. , 3) or forty (, 1) books, which again were revised by the emperor Leo the Wise in 886, and which received the title Basilica: () or (), consisting of sixty books. It was edited, in connection with others, by Symbatius or Sabbatius. Of a later revision under Constantine Porphyrogenitus, we read in Balsamon, Voelli ef Justelli Bibliotheca Juris Canonis, ii, 814, but this statement is without any foundation. The Basilica are a Greek elaboration of Justinian’s compilation, put together from older translations and commentaries, extracts from Justinian’s Novelle, promulgated after 535, and from the of Basilius. Fragments of old versions and elucidations were added as scholia from the beginning, to which others were added, till finally a kind of glossa ordinaria was formed, which was also published by the editors. The manuscripts of the Basilica are all incomplete, and so also the editions. Single books were edited in a Latin translation by Gentianus Hervetus (Paris, 1557), Cuj!acius (1566), Labbaeus (1569). The Greek text, with a Latin translation and scholia, was first published by Fabrot (Paris, 1647, 7 vols. fol.). To these were added supplements by Ruhnken (Reitz, a. o.). The latest edition is, Basilicorum Libri LX post A. Fabroti curas ope codd. MSS. a Gust. Ern. Heimbachio aliisqve Collatorun Integriores cu Scholiis edidit, editos denuo recensuit, deperditos restituit, translationem Latinam ct adnotationem criticam adjecit Carol. Gull. Ern. Heimbach. (Lipsiae, 1833-48, 5 vols.): Supplementum Editionis Basilicorum Heime bachiance Libri XV-XVIII Basilicorum edidit Carol. Ed. Zacharia a Lingenthal (ibid. 1846). On the history of the Basilica and their importance for ecclesiastical lanw, see Zacharia, Historice Juris Greco – Romani Delineatio (Heidelberg, 1839), p. 35 sq.; Mortreuil, Histoire du Droit Byzantin (Paris, 1843-1846), ii, 1 sq.; 3, 230 sq.; Biener, De Collectionibus Canoznum Ecclesice Grcecce (Berolini, 1827), 5; Mejer, in Herzog’s Real-Encyklop. s.v. (B. P.)