Basilica maior

Heraldic emblem of a basilica maior: the keys of Peter and the umbraculum

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	ab immemorabili ( Patriarchal basilica since 451, consecration around 324, today's church 1506–1626)	Basilica maior, papal basilica ( UNESCO World Heritage , one of the largest churches in the world)
San Paolo Fuori le mura	Rome	Lazio	Rome	ab immemorabili ( Patriarchal basilica since 4th century, consecration around 324, up to 20th century)	Basilica maior, papal basilica ( UNESCO World Heritage )
Santa Maria Maggiore	Rome	Lazio	Rome	ab immemorabili ( patriarchal basilica since 4th century, consecration 5th century)	Basilica maior, papal basilica ( UNESCO World Heritage )

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 .

swell

1. ↑ www.vatican.va