A basilica is a type of church building that has been recognized and accorded special privileges by the Pope in the Catholic world. The term "basilica" has its origin in the Roman Empire dating back to the first century and was mainly an architectural word referring to the basic layout of a civic building. In ancient Roman architecture, a basilica was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the towns forum. The building gave its name to the architectural form of the basilica, which is typically rectangular with a central nave flanked by two or more longitudinal aisles, with the roof at two levels, being higher in the center over the nave to admit a clerestory and lower over the side-aisles.
There are two types of basilicas: major basilicas and minor basilicas. The worlds four major basilicas are St. John Lateran, St. Peters, St. Paul Outside-the-Walls, and St. Mary Major, all of which are in Rome. Minor basilicas are significant churches in Rome and elsewhere in the world that meet certain criteria and are thus given special ecclesiastical privileges. Minor basilicas are traditionally named because of their antiquity, dignity, historical value, architectural and artistic worth, or significance as centers of worship. A basilica must "stand out as a center of active and pastoral liturgy" according to the 1989 Vatican document, Domus Ecclesiae.
Designation as a basilica indicates a special bond of communion with the Pope, and therefore, the parish must celebrate "with particular care" the feast of the Chair of Peter on February 22, the solemnity of the Apostles Peter and Paul on June 29, and the anniversary of the Popes election or his inauguration into pastoral ministry. Three physical signs indicate that a church is a basilica: the presence of the conopaeum, also called the ombrellino, a silk canopy designed with stripes of yellow and red, traditional papal colors; the tintinnabulum, a bell mounted on a pole, which is carried at the head of processions; and the crossed keys of St. Peter, which are displayed on the basilicas banners, furnishings, and seal.
