Rome, the Domus Ecclesiae, and the Church Basilica

Abstract

The church basilica adopted in the period of Constantine (after 312 CE) followed the model of Roman civic basilicas and audience halls—that is, it represented a building type without specifically religious associations. Moreover, the basilica form could accommodate large crowds internally and could be easily distinguished externally from pagan temples; their construction literally put Christianity on the urban landscape. Many replaced “house churches” of the pre-Constantinian era or were situated near the graves of martyrs.