Basilica

Definition: The term basilica is familiar today from large, important Christian structures built for worship, but in ancient Rome they usually served a secular purpose, until the 4th century. Basilicas held a large number of people and could be used for dispensing law or business. A basilica would be located in the town forum. There would be a wide central area and colonnades dividing the structure into three parts. There might be apses, arched recessed areas, at one or both ends of the rectangular structure. Clerestories allowed light from above to illuminate the nave.