The etymological history of the word basilica begins in the Greek language, with a word that came to Latin as basilĭca (which refers to a “public building”). In our language, a basilica is a church that stands out for its size, its history or other special characteristics.
That primal Greek word was linked to a royal house and made reference to a public area known for its sumptuousness. In this way the basilicas could be courts, markets or other social institutions. In the Roman Forum, for example, there were the Basilica Emilia, the Basilica Opimia and others.
With Christianity, from the endorsement of the Roman Empire to the practice of worship, the idea of a basilica became linked to the religious spaces that were used to celebrate liturgies. Thus, as history progressed, the concept became linked to the churches of greater importance or significance.
In the same way, it must be known that for a temple to be considered a basilica it is necessary, at least, that it fundamentally meet a series of requirements. We are referring to three essential characteristics such as these:
-Have a sacred and spiritual treasure.
-Have a splendor that is truly exceptional.
-Having become the spiritual focus for many devotees who come to him.
Precisely starting from this we can establish that in Spain there are several basilicas such as the following:
-The Basilica of Santa María la Real, which is located in the Asturian municipality of Covadonga.
-The Cathedral-Basilica of Nuestra Señora del Pilar, which is located in Zaragoza.
-The Basilica of Our Lady of Candelaria, which is in Tenerife.
-The Royal Basilica of San Francisco el Grande, located in Madrid. It dates from the 13th century and has a dome that is the third largest in all of Christendom. It is only surpassed in dimensions by that of Saint Peter in The Vatican and the Pantheon of Agrippa, both in Rome.
For the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church, there are thirteen major basilicas (six minor and seven major) that were the first in terms of their category. These basilicas have different privileges.
One of the most famous basilicas in the world is St. Peter’s Basilica, which is located in the Vatican. With an area of 2.3 hectares and a height of almost 45 meters, it has the largest interior space for a Christian church. Its dome stands out on the horizon of the Roman territory.
This basilica is one of the seven largest in the Roman Apostolic Catholic Church, along with the following:
-The Basilica of St. John Lateran, in Rome.
-The Basilica of Santa María la Mayor, also in the Italian capital.
-The Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, in Rome.
-The Roman Basilica of San Sebastián de las Catacombas.
-The Basilica of San Lorenzo Outside the Walls, in Rome.
-The Basilica of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem, also located in the Italian capital.
The vein basilica finally runs along the arm and drains the blood from the forearm and hand. Its trajectory is largely superficial and is linked to the humeral vein for the development of the so-called axillary vein.
