basilicas

noun

1. 1

   A Christian church building having a nave with a semicircular apse, side aisles, a narthex and a clerestory.

2. 2

   A Roman Catholic church or cathedral with basilican status, a honorific status granted by the pope to recognize its historical, architectural, or sacramental importance.

3. 3

   An apartment provided in the houses of persons of importance, where assemblies were held for dispensing justice; hence, any large hall used for this purpose.