نشأة البازيليكا المزدوجة وإشكاليات الوظيفة THE ORIGIN OF THE TWIN-BASILICA CHURCH AND ITS FUNCTIONAL CONTEXT

Abstract

The basilica known as the Genuine twin church appeared in an early period after the Milan Edict (after the year 313 CE), and then spread in the fourth and fifth centuries CE, especially in Europe, and stands out as a different architectural form rather than the other Christian religious architectural buildings. The twin-basilica represents two churches or along-axis halls, which may separated by a masonry or by a narrow corridor, and may connected with a baptistery or chapel. This architectural style disappeared with the 7th century CE, and then re-emerged in the Romanesque and Gothic arts. The function of the Genuine twin church especially in early Christian architecture (4 th – 5 th centuries CE) is a problematic issue. The focus of this paper is analyzing the functions of this architectural form considering the Church of Aquileia, Northern Italy, Trier Church, Germany, “Djemila Church in Algeria, North Africa,” and the distinguished example the “Ain El-Jadida Church in the Dakhla Oasis, Egypt (4 th c. CE).