Basilica, << buh SIHL uh kuh, >> was the chief type of church design during the early Middle Ages. The basilica originally was a large hall built by the ancient Romans for administrative and judicial uses. After Christianity became a legal religion in the Roman Empire in the early A.D. 300’s, early Christians adopted the basilica plan for their new churches. The layout of medieval cathedrals and most modern churches is derived from Roman and early Christian basilicas.
The typical early Christian basilica had an oblong plan. A person entered at the center of one of the sides into a large central space called the nave. The congregation gathered in the nave for worship. A high roof, typically of timber, covered the nave. Aisles covered by lower roofs ran along either side of the nave. Most basilicas had one aisle on either side of the nave, but some had as many as four. A row of columns called a colonnade separated the aisles from the nave. An apse occupied an area at the far end of the nave. The apse was a large semicircular or polygonal space where the altar was located.
