Basilica#Ecclesiastical basilicas

Basilica is a canonical - canonical title of honor of the Catholic Church. You should particularly venerable, meaningful churches distinguished and awarded by the Pope.

Gradations of title

Within the titulary there are gradations:

• The church of the Pope in the Lateran in Rome is called Archbasilica
• The six highest ranking of worship of the Catholic Church are called Basilica maior, four in Rome and two in Assisi.
• Twelve churches that report directly to the Pope, Pope Basilica call
• From a more symbolic reason hot basilicas of Catholic bishops with title of patriarch Patriarchal Basilica of these So there is only three
• More than one thousand five hundred churches worldwide, Bishop churches ( church law: Cathedrals ) and other such important pilgrimage churches and mission historically significant mother churches ( Urkirchen ) have, the popes bestowed the title of minor basilica

History

Basilica comes οἶκος βασίλεος, Royal House ', and went over to the Roman hall buildings. Already in particular since the Edict of Milan 313, the term also specifically religious buildings regardless of the design, since that time, up to the modern era basilica and ecclesia, church ' largely synonymous. Canonical, the term in the sense of a title until the 18th century, before he said a church " par excellence, an outstanding example of expressing itself, concrete and lasting Catholic faith "

In the 4th century individual churches of Rome were reserved as patriarchalis basilica, if they stay in Rome for the patriarchs of early Christianity. These churches, 4, all furnished in number to 451, are now assigned to the type of titular churches, so a purely titular dignity because the Patriarchates partly perished, partly without any claim to the church itself, or are otherwise invalid. These were Sacti Petri in Vaticano ( Patriarchate of Constantinople Opel ), Sacti Pauli ex Muros (Alexandria ), sanctae Mariæ Maior ( Antioch ) and Sacti Laurenti ex Muros (Jerusalem). A fifth church, Sancti Ioannis Lateran, was the Archibasilica (, Archbasilica '), for the Bishop of Rome and Patriarch of the West, bringing the Iustinianische pentarchy was represented. It was Pope Gregory XI. (Super Universa 1372 ) back in addition to the first of all churches appointed towards the end of the Eastern Empire, the mother and main church of the (Catholic) Christianity ( Omnium Urbis et Orbis Ecclesiarum mater et caput) There was also the Patriarchal Basilica Sanctae Mariæ Assunta in Aquileia since 567 ( today a Titularerzbistum ), and sanctae Eufemiæ in Grado for 575 ( this title was in 1457 transferred to San Marco in Venetia ).

During the 16th century, then other churches in Rome, the collegiate, also performed with the rank of a basilica, and until the 18th century, 122 churches had come together that you today Basilicae from immemorabili ( tempore ) ( " from of old, since unerinnerlicher time " ) is called. They were entitled to as the patriarchal basilicas, Umbraculum ( Conopæum ) and Tintinnabulum ( silk screen and bell) (these are since 1391, on the occasion of the canonization of St. Brigid occupied). Of these churches are - without the Papal Basilica of San Lorenzo fuori le mura - 37 in Rome, 64 - without the Papal Churches to Assisi and Pompeii, Padua, Loreto and Bari - the rest of Italy, 7 in Spain, 3 in Portugal and one in Poland.

Already at the beginning of the 18th century (earliest known mention 1727) were then called Maria Maggiore ( Basilica of the three and the Patriarchenbasiliken ) as Basilicae Maiores the four Roman churches of San Giovanni in Laterano, San Pietro in Vaticano, San Paolo ex Muros and Santa.

1783 by Pope Pius VI. ( Supremus Ille, 27 June 1783), the Augustinian church of San Nicola di Tolentino ( Venice ) canonically minor where the first church in the Basilica, followed in 1804 with San Clemente in Velletri and San Flaviano in Recanati two more, and 1805 ( at the instigation of Napoleon, the new emperor ) Notre- Dame de Paris. As a result, then you were also many (but not all) of the basilicas assigned to the status of Basilica Minor " from time immemorial ", and 1836 ( Lucerina ) canonized the concrete rights. Until 2001 1.414 Basilicae were minor ( immemoriable and canonical ), built in 2011 it has over 1,500.

In addition came in 1756 with San Francesco in Assisi (for the Franciscan Order ), and 1909 Santa Maria degli Angeli in Assisi (for the Friars of the Franciscan ) two more Basilicae maiores ( and basilicas of the Patriarchate of the West) added. 1889 the Patriarchate of Jerusalem was rebuilt, and San Lorenzo fuori le mura in the Church Ss. Sepulchris ( the Holy Sepulchre ) transmitted.

By 2006, when Pope Benedict XVI. resigned the title of Patriarch of the West, six Basilicae Maiores of patriarchal basilicas were renamed Papal Basilicas, so that today 12 papal basilicas (five in Rome, six in the other Italy, one in Spain ) and three patriarchal basilicas (Jerusalem, Aquileia, Venice ) are.