Basilica

The Latin word basilica (derived from Greek basiliké stoà, royal stoa), was originally used to describe a Roman public building (as in Greece, mainly a tribunal), usually located at the centre of a Roman town (forum). In Hellenistic cities, public basilicas appeared in the 2nd century BC.

Related Topics:
Latin - Greek - Stoa - Roman - Greece - Tribunal - Forum - 2nd century BC

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After the Roman Empire became officially Christian, the term came by extension to refer to a large, and important church that has been given special ceremonial rights by the Pope, and thus the word retains two senses today, in an architectural context and in an ecclesiastical one.

Related Topics:
Roman Empire - Christian - Church - Pope

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