Con independencia de su trazado arquitectónico, una iglesia puede titularse «Basílica» por prerrogativa del romano pontífice. Así, en sentido litúrgico, son basílicas todas aquellas iglesias que, por su importancia, por sus circunstancias históricas, o por aspectos de cierto relieve, obtengan ese privilegio papal. Se distinguen las basílicas mayores y las basílicas menores.

Cuando el papa eleva a una iglesia a la condición de Basílica Menor le otorga el derecho a lucir en el altar mayor dos signos de la dignidad papal y la unión con la Santa Sede: el conopeo o umbraculum y el tintinábulo (ambos visibles en la imagen). A pesar de esto, hoy en día, la normativa vigente sobre las basílicas no se pronuncia en ningún momento sobre el derecho a utilizar el conopeo y el tintinábulo, ya que actualmente no existen litúrgicamente.[2]​.

Además, el Santo Padre concede a la comunidad que rinde culto en la Basílica la gracia de ganar la indulgencia plenaria si visita el templo en cuatro ocasiones especiales: el día de San Pedro y San Pablo, el día de la Cátedra de San Pedro, el aniversario de la entronización del pontífice reinante, y otra fecha del año elegida libremente.

También existen basílicas que se consideran tales por «concesión inmemorial»,[3]​ es decir, que no necesariamente han sido declaradas con esta dignidad por el papa, pero que sin embargo, la Santa Sede las reconoce como basílicas, generalmente por ser templos relacionados con lugares en donde tuvieron lugar los hechos de la Pasión de Cristo, y por ser o estar construidas sobre basílicas paleocristianas en donde han sido enterrados mártires. Todas las basílicas de «concesión inmemorial» son consideradas basílicas menores, menos las cuatro basílicas mayores de Roma, que también son de «concesión inmemorial». En esta categoría estarían las basílicas de la Natividad, del Santo Sepulcro o la de las Naciones, también la Catedral-Basílica de Florencia, la Basílica de San Francisco de Asís y la de San Antonio de Padua, o la Catedral-Basílica de Santiago de Compostela, entre otras.[4]​.

Para que un templo pueda alcanzar el título basilical, debe reunir tres requisitos:.

También se asocian al templo ciertos deberes, entre ellos:.

Major basilicas

In ecclesiastical language the distinction between major basilicas and minor basilicas has been introduced. Since the Middle Ages they have been considered major basilicas:[5]​.

The major basilicas have a cardinal archpriest as the representative of the pope. In Saint Paul outside the walls, the father abbot acts as cardinal archpriest. In all of them, in addition to the college of canons, with the privilege of prothonotaries; There is also a college of priests whose only function was to be continually available to hear confessions, in San Pablo this function is carried out by the monks of San Benito.

These four major basilicas are also distinguished by having five naves and five doors, one of which is usually closed, the so-called holy door, which is only opened during the Roman jubilees. Visiting these basilicas is a condition to gain the indulgences provided for in the jubilee declaration. On the other hand, no one can celebrate mass at the main altar, except the pope and the special delegates who act in his place.[5]​.

Historically, the following Roman churches have also been considered major basilicas, although they do not meet all the conditions established for these basilicas.

Upon renouncing the title of Patriarch of the West in 2006, Pope Benedict XVI renamed these basilicas from "patriarchal basilicas" to "papal basilicas". The title "papal" was officially given to two churches associated with Saint Francis of Assisi, located in or near his hometown:

minor basilicas

Minor basilicas are considered to be the rest of the Roman churches that have parish functions or are cardinal titles or deaconships.

The popes have also granted this title of "minor basilica", with the same privileges as the Roman churches, to other temples in the Catholic world, by means of a pontifical brief or rescript. Since the apostolic constitution Pastor Bonus of June 28, 1988 referring to the new organization of the Roman Curia, the granting of the title of "minor basilica" is the responsibility of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.[7][8]​.

In 2006 there were officially 1,506 basilicas worldwide (the full list can be found in the Annex: Catholic Basilicas). All cathedrals have the implicit title of minor basilica, although there are some cathedrals that have requested the title of "minor basilica" separately: these are commonly known as "cathedral-basilica."

Shield

All basilicas, due to their peculiar relationship with the Chair of Rome and with the Supreme Pontiff, have the right to have their own coat of arms and to display the pontifical insignia. The exterior ornaments of the shield are:

After the edict of Milan of 313 promulgated by Constantine the Great (313–337), the Roman Empire allowed the worship of the Christian religion. From then on, Christians used the basilica architectural typology for the construction of new temples.

A Christian basilica itself in the architectural sense is understood as any rectangular plan with one or more apses in the front "Testero (architecture)") and with naves "Nave (architecture)") along its length separated by columns "Column (architecture)") (or pilasters), on which their corresponding Roman-type arches or architraves rest. The aforementioned naves (usually three) end in the apse. In the apse the altar is placed and the officiants are arranged around it. In front, in the presbytery "Presbytery (architecture)"), the priests are located, while the faithful occupy the rest of the nave or naves.

The elementary basilica plan consists of longitudinal naves without transepts. But many basilicas have a transept. Frequently the transept hardly highlights the sides of the nave. Early Christian basilicas did not have an accentuated transept. Although initially Christian temples followed the construction guidelines of basilicas, they soon gave way to other forms, such as the Latin cross or Greek cross plan, which became widespread without the basilica form disappearing.

The roof of the naves usually consists of an artistically decorated wooden framework visible from the inside or hidden by a coffered ceiling: sometimes, they have a vault in the side naves and the apse always ends in a quarter-sphere vault.

The lighting of the basilicas is obtained by open windows in the upper part (cleristory) of the central nave, higher than the side ones, and by other windows that are located in the apse and in the "Fronton (architecture)" front of the building. All of them used to be closed with sheets of perforated or openwork marble to let in light and prevent the action of destructive elements. But transparent sheets of unperforated alabaster and even stained glass were also used in sumptuous basilicas, as inferred from some texts by Saint John Chrysostom and Prudentius.

The interior decoration is achieved by the same architectural lines of the building with its classic moldings and by different decorations of paintings and mosaics, especially on the upper wall of the triumphal arch and in the always magnificently decorated apses.

Frequently, the basilicas were arranged oriented along the main axis of the nave so that the apse faced west. But since the century, the Byzantine churches, setting an example, were oriented in the opposite direction since the priest (who when offering the sacrifice looked to the East) no longer celebrated facing the people as before.

In addition to the basilica-type churches, in this first period of the Constantinian peace there were other smaller ones, with a simply rectangular or square or even round plan, which served as oratories "Oratory (religion)") or sepulchral chapels or memorials of the martyrs (cellae memoriae) and there were no shortage of others of polygonal or circular shape intended for baptisteries. All of them and even almost all the great basilicas were built from the ground up and only a small number of them had previously been public buildings or temples that were enabled for Catholic worship.

The interior distribution of the basilicas in the first centuries of peace, following the Constantinian model, is as follows:

At the entrance to the presbytery, as if to isolate it from the rest of the church, columns stood that supported a marble or wooden architrave to fix votive offerings and lamps on it. This architectural complex is called pergula and corresponds to the iconostasis of the eastern churches, which is a more closed and complete body and is decorated with a multitude of devotional images.

In some basilicas, on part of the side naves, there was a floor with galleries that overlooked the central nave and were generally reserved for virgins and widows. This place was called gynnaeceum. The ground floor of the left nave (that is, the Gospel) was dedicated to women and was called matronikion. On the right, for the men, it was called andron and each group entered the basilica through its corresponding door. The middle one, which was called argéntea and speciosa, served as the entrance for the clerics. On the right side and separated by a fence or parapet, the men of distinction were placed and the matrons were on the left. Hence the names senatorium and matronaeum that were given to them, respectively.

On the sides of the choir there were wide pulpits or pulpits for reading the Gospel and the Epistle. The placement of the faithful was as follows:

This genre of basilica architecture continued to prevail in Rome and its surroundings quite firmly and exclusively until modern times (with rare exceptions) but in the other regions of the Catholic world it evolved much later, transforming into different genres and styles.

Con independencia de su trazado arquitectónico, una iglesia puede titularse «Basílica» por prerrogativa del romano pontífice. Así, en sentido litúrgico, son basílicas todas aquellas iglesias que, por su importancia, por sus circunstancias históricas, o por aspectos de cierto relieve, obtengan ese privilegio papal. Se distinguen las basílicas mayores y las basílicas menores.

Cuando el papa eleva a una iglesia a la condición de Basílica Menor le otorga el derecho a lucir en el altar mayor dos signos de la dignidad papal y la unión con la Santa Sede: el conopeo o umbraculum y el tintinábulo (ambos visibles en la imagen). A pesar de esto, hoy en día, la normativa vigente sobre las basílicas no se pronuncia en ningún momento sobre el derecho a utilizar el conopeo y el tintinábulo, ya que actualmente no existen litúrgicamente.[2]​.

Además, el Santo Padre concede a la comunidad que rinde culto en la Basílica la gracia de ganar la indulgencia plenaria si visita el templo en cuatro ocasiones especiales: el día de San Pedro y San Pablo, el día de la Cátedra de San Pedro, el aniversario de la entronización del pontífice reinante, y otra fecha del año elegida libremente.

También existen basílicas que se consideran tales por «concesión inmemorial»,[3]​ es decir, que no necesariamente han sido declaradas con esta dignidad por el papa, pero que sin embargo, la Santa Sede las reconoce como basílicas, generalmente por ser templos relacionados con lugares en donde tuvieron lugar los hechos de la Pasión de Cristo, y por ser o estar construidas sobre basílicas paleocristianas en donde han sido enterrados mártires. Todas las basílicas de «concesión inmemorial» son consideradas basílicas menores, menos las cuatro basílicas mayores de Roma, que también son de «concesión inmemorial». En esta categoría estarían las basílicas de la Natividad, del Santo Sepulcro o la de las Naciones, también la Catedral-Basílica de Florencia, la Basílica de San Francisco de Asís y la de San Antonio de Padua, o la Catedral-Basílica de Santiago de Compostela, entre otras.[4]​.

Para que un templo pueda alcanzar el título basilical, debe reunir tres requisitos:.

También se asocian al templo ciertos deberes, entre ellos:.

Major basilicas

In ecclesiastical language the distinction between major basilicas and minor basilicas has been introduced. Since the Middle Ages they have been considered major basilicas:[5]​.

The major basilicas have a cardinal archpriest as the representative of the pope. In Saint Paul outside the walls, the father abbot acts as cardinal archpriest. In all of them, in addition to the college of canons, with the privilege of prothonotaries; There is also a college of priests whose only function was to be continually available to hear confessions, in San Pablo this function is carried out by the monks of San Benito.

These four major basilicas are also distinguished by having five naves and five doors, one of which is usually closed, the so-called holy door, which is only opened during the Roman jubilees. Visiting these basilicas is a condition to gain the indulgences provided for in the jubilee declaration. On the other hand, no one can celebrate mass at the main altar, except the pope and the special delegates who act in his place.[5]​.

Historically, the following Roman churches have also been considered major basilicas, although they do not meet all the conditions established for these basilicas.

Upon renouncing the title of Patriarch of the West in 2006, Pope Benedict XVI renamed these basilicas from "patriarchal basilicas" to "papal basilicas". The title "papal" was officially given to two churches associated with Saint Francis of Assisi, located in or near his hometown:

minor basilicas

Minor basilicas are considered to be the rest of the Roman churches that have parish functions or are cardinal titles or deaconships.

The popes have also granted this title of "minor basilica", with the same privileges as the Roman churches, to other temples in the Catholic world, by means of a pontifical brief or rescript. Since the apostolic constitution Pastor Bonus of June 28, 1988 referring to the new organization of the Roman Curia, the granting of the title of "minor basilica" is the responsibility of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.[7][8]​.

In 2006 there were officially 1,506 basilicas worldwide (the full list can be found in the Annex: Catholic Basilicas). All cathedrals have the implicit title of minor basilica, although there are some cathedrals that have requested the title of "minor basilica" separately: these are commonly known as "cathedral-basilica."

Shield

All basilicas, due to their peculiar relationship with the Chair of Rome and with the Supreme Pontiff, have the right to have their own coat of arms and to display the pontifical insignia. The exterior ornaments of the shield are: