basilica

American  

[buh-sil-i-kuh, -zil-] / bəˈsɪl ɪ kə, -ˈzɪl- /

noun

• basilicas
  plural

1. an early Christian or medieval church of the type built especially in Italy, characterized by a plan including a nave, two or four side aisles, a semicircular apse, a narthex, and often other features, as a short transept, a number of small semicircular apses terminating the aisles, or an atrium. The interior is characterized by strong horizontality, with little or no attempt at rhythmic accents. All spaces are usually covered with timber roofs or ceilings except for the apse or apses, which are vaulted.

2. one of the seven main churches of Rome or another Roman Catholic church accorded the same religious privileges.

3. (in ancient Rome) a large oblong building used as a hall of justice and public meeting place.

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basilica British  

/ bəˈzɪlɪkə /

noun

1. a Roman building, used for public administration, having a large rectangular central nave with an aisle on each side and an apse at the end

2. a rectangular early Christian or medieval church, usually having a nave with clerestories, two or four aisles, one or more vaulted apses, and a timber roof

3. a Roman Catholic church having special ceremonial rights

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basilica Cultural  

1. A large Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox church building. A basilica is built with several parallel aisles separated by rows of columns, ending in a semicircular structure, the apse. Saint Peter's Basilica is the church of the Vatican in Rome.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• basilican
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• basilicas
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of basilica

1535–45; < Latin < Greek basilikḗ hall, short for basilikḗ oikía royal house. See basilic

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

basilica basilicas

Hindus light candles at Mount Mary, a Catholic basilica overlooking the city.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

In San Marino, the world's oldest republic, the Chicago-born pope is to meet with local authorities before holding a prayer service in the local basilica.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

Visitors from around the world are drawn to the scale and strangeness of the basilica.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026

The pope also announced that he would return to the basilica on 11 April to lead a prayer vigil for peace.

From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2026

The basilica is a vast, cavernous, echoing space, with all sorts of alcoves, balconies, domes, cupolas and arches affecting its acoustics.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

The major basilicas have a particular connection to the Pope.

From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2025

With their crystalline mosaics and thin, pure light, these humbly elegant basilicas conjure the time when a strange, fervent, unyielding new cult rose from the ashes of empire.

From New York Times ● May 1, 2023

That includes getting out into the city’s basilicas with the Santa Cecilia chorus with the sacred repertoire, like the Mozart Requiem.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 6, 2023

In bordering Umbria, thousands more were damaged when small churches and large basilicas crumbled.

From Reuters ● Jun. 22, 2022

From time to time, the cry of the Musselman priests, calling the believers to prayer from the height of the minarets, mixed with the chimes of basilicas that summoned the Christians to their devotions.

From The Abbatial Crosier or Bonaik and Septimine. A Tale of a Medieval Abbess by Eugène Sue

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