Basilica maior
The four highest-ranking Roman Catholic churches are referred to as Basilicae maiores (Singular Basilica maior ) . All are in Rome or the Vatican .
All other churches that have the title of a basilica are Basilicae minores . The first document that names the term Basilica maior dates from 1727.
Overview
The papal basilicas in Rome are:
- the Lateran Basilica of St. John Lateran (Saint John Lateran), the Basilica of
- of St. Peter's Basilica of San Pietro in Vaticano (Saint Peter in the Vatican)
- San Paolo fuori le Mura (Saint Paul Outside the Walls)
- Santa Maria Maggiore (Great St. Mary)
Until 1889 St. Laurentius Outside the Walls was one of them .
features
The four Basilicae maiores in Rome also have the title Papal Basilica ( Italian Basilica papale ); they were when Pope Benedict XVI. In 2006 they gave up the title of Patriarch of the West as a symbol of ecumenism and unity of the church , renamed it - before they were patriarchal basilicas .
Like the smaller basilicas, the Basilicae maiores have the padiglione , a cone-shaped silk umbrella, and the Tintinnabulum in the coat of arms. The Padiglione originally served to protect priests and cantors during processions ; the tintinnabulum is a small church bell . The coat of arms of a basilica maior differs from that of a basilica minor in that the padiglione of the main basilica has gold-purple stripes.
The four basilicae maiores house a papal throne and a papal altar ( altare papale ) on which only the pope or, in exceptional cases, bishops with papal approval may celebrate Holy Mass . The four Roman papal basilicas also have a holy door . These gates are opened in a separate rite by the Pope or his representative only for the duration of a holy year and play an important role in indulgences in the granting of perfect indulgences . Together with St. Lawrence Outside the Walls , San Sebastiano alle Catacombe and Santa Croce in Gerusalemme , the four papal basilicas make up the circle of the seven Roman pilgrimage churches , which pilgrims used to expect to visit .
List of basilicae maiores
church | city | region | Diocese | Survey (+ construction data ) |
Title (special features) |
image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
[Ss. Salvatore e] Santi Giovanni [Battista ed Evangelista] (Lateran Basilica) | Rome | Lazio | Rome |
ab immemorabili ( patriarchal basilica since 4th century, consecration 4th century) |
Arch basilica , "mother and head of all churches in the city of Rome and the world", basilica maior, papal basilica , cathedral of the diocese of Rome ( UNESCO World Heritage ) |
|
San Pietro (Vatican Basilica, St. Peter's Basilica) | Rome | Vatican city | Rome |
( Patriarchal basilica since 451, consecration around 324, today's church 1506–1626) |
ab immemorabili
papal basilica ( UNESCO World Heritage , one of the largest churches in the world) |
Basilica maior, |
San Paolo Fuori le mura | Rome | Lazio | Rome |
( Patriarchal basilica since 4th century, consecration around 324, up to 20th century) |
ab immemorabili
papal basilica ( UNESCO World Heritage ) |
Basilica maior, |
Santa Maria Maggiore | Rome | Lazio | Rome |
( patriarchal basilica since 4th century, consecration 5th century) |
ab immemorabili
papal basilica ( UNESCO World Heritage ) |
Basilica maior,
literature
- Gabriel Chow Hoi-Yan: Basilicas. Historical and Canonical Development . M.Div. Hons., Toronto, Ontario 2003, 2. Major Basilicas , p. 9–15 (English, web link , excerpt (PDF), both gcatholic.org [accessed on November 16, 2011]).
- Hans-Peter Zils: Basilica, Conopeum and Tintinnabulum. In: Novaesium 2012. Clemens-Sels-Museum and Neuss City Archives, Hüren Druckerei GmbH, Neuss 2013, ISBN 978-3-922980-48-3 .