The early Christian basilica established the fundamental plan that would define sacred architecture for centuries.1
Its most distinctive feature is the longitudinal axis, oriented toward the east, where the altar stands beneath a semicircular apse.2 The colonnaded nave, flanked by lower aisles on either side, created a processional space of great solemnity.
The mosaics that once covered every surface have largely perished, yet enough fragments remain to suggest their original splendour.3 The symbolic programme was systematic: the apse reserved for Christ in majesty, the nave walls devoted to scriptural narrative.
Later modifications have altered nearly every example, yet the essential structure endures, recognisable beneath centuries of accretion.4